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Brandon J. Middleton-Pratt is lending his law expertise to the tech ecosystem. He currently serves as a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and is a board member at DivInc, a nonprofit that empowers underrepresented founders. His trajectory was not a linear one. He initially pursued a finance and marketing degree at the University of Denver while playing on its basketball team, he says. Upon obtaining his bachelor’s in 2003, he decided to move to Los Angeles, CA, to pursue a career in entertainment instead. Though that did not pan out for long, he made appearances in the films “Coach Carter”, “Rebound,” and “The Longest Yard.” The pivots of life would then lead Middleton-Pratt to play basketball overseas in Spain and Cyprus after receiving an offer from a sports agent. He then experienced a crossroads, which would determine if he would return to Los Angeles. A call from a mentor with an opportunity in the energy field finally brought him back to the states. “A mentor of mine...
When you’ve lived the life that Shaquille O’Neal has been fortunate to live, having a traditional resume is not on the list of must-haves. However, for others, his children included, having a resume could prove to be a necessary asset for the future. In an interview with David Koch for Sunrise News, O’Neal opened up about his sports career, business moves, and how he couldn’t help his son fill out a resume.
When worlds collide, magic happens and in this case, you get Fewer Cards. Two distant strangers had a goal to make a difference in their communities, and now it’s happening with patented technology, according to the Fewer Cards website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fewer Cards (@fewercards) Ryan L. Jones, who was campaigning for the D.C. Office of Attorney General, and William F. Carroll II met at the intersection of 14th and U Streets NW in Washington, D.C. and the rest was history. As the founder of the smart business card company, sustainability has always been at the forefront for Carroll, a mission that aligns with Jones’ work in politics. “I set out on this campaign not only to make the District better, but the Nation and world — or Earth,” Jones shared with AfroTech. “We have issues of environmental injustice, like trash and vehicle pollution being higher in some areas than others. People are choosing profits and gain over people every day. If we can cut back...
Just like her father, Travis Scott’s daughter Stormi Webster might be making her own boss moves soon. In a recent video from Kylie Jenner, the reality star discusses all the entrepreneurial influences in her daughter Stormi’s life and implies that she may also be joining these women with her own business endeavor. “She’s actually launching a little secret brand soon that we’ve been working on awhile but finally it’s the pedal to the medal,” Jenner says in the video. The footage in the video also showed Stormi at Kylie Cosmetics’ headquarters along with a small kids table set that Jenner describes as her daughter’s “own office where she gets all her business done.” While details of the secret brand and how much Stormi will be involved have yet to be revealed, Jenner makes it clear that Stormi has plenty of strong men and women in her family to look up to as business owners. Stormi could potentially follow in her father’s footsteps, which have gone far beyond the realm of the music...
LeBron James is looking to make some big boss moves for his entertainment firm through new deals and a piece of the company potentially up for sale. According to a report from Variety, sources tell the outlet that SpringHill Co. — led by both James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter — is entertaining early discussions with a range of potential investors across industries to sell a part of the media and entertainment firm that would value it up to $750 million. Potential deals on the table for James’ company include Nike as well as streaming-video providers and tech companies, according to a close source. Rather than selling the company itself outright, SpringHill Co. is leaning toward selling minority or majority equity stakes. The Information originally reported on the company’s sale, however, the publication shares that the source familiar with the firm’s discussions are more likely to lead to a future investment rather than a full-blown purchase. As previously...
Claima Stories — the podcast committed to telling stories about careers of BIPOC creatives– is putting its money where its mouth is! Claima (which is short for “claim a seat at the table”) Stories has been committed to addressing the disparities of BIPOC-youth in creative industries. Now they have partnered with Vistaprint to provide $250,000 in funding to Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) behind small businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to information provided to AfroTech, when it comes to those creative industries, it has been estimated that during the pandemic, more than 2.7 million jobs were lost with an additional loss of over $150 billion in sales of goods and services for the industry nationwide. This represents nearly a third of all jobs within the creative industries which include art, fashion, film, sneakers, and more. The multi-dimensional partnership is a part of 99 Days of Design, a 99designs by Vistaprint initiative that was...
Many entrepreneurs attribute a part of their success to their commitment to learning — and not just learning through formal business education. In fact, a minority of business owners have a college degree . Entrepreneurs learn through their own experiences, and they seek knowledge that will help them grow their business. This knowledge can take many forms, such as conversations with other entrepreneurs and experts, formal education, and reading. To help you grow your business, here are four books you should check out today: “Rise and Grind” by Daymond John From FUBU to Shark Tank , Daymond John’s entrepreneurial journey has blessed him with a wealth of experience and insights, many of which he imparts in “Rise and Grind: Out-Perform, Out-Work, and Out-Hustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life.” Focusing on how to maximize your time to get the best possible outcome from your efforts, John’s work is filled with practical and hard-won insights perfect for aspiring and...
Young entrepreneurs are disproportionately suffering in the U.S. industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. LendingTree researchers found that 45% of businesses with owners younger than 25 years old are in industries with unemployment rates higher than the national average of 13% in May. That figure jumps to nearly 47% for business owners between the ages of 25 and 34. These hardest-hit sectors make up 40% of all businesses in the U.S. Many of these nonessential businesses closed their doors at some point in recent months to obey government mandates meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Most are reopening — as of this writing, about eight in 10 businesses in the U.S. are fully or partially open as local authorities ease restrictions. Key findings Young business owners operate in high-risk industries Asian business owners vulnerable to pandemic effects Methodology Key findings Across every industry, the majority of business owners are white and male — 85% of business...
Current world events have called for many to begin investing in Black-owned businesses, seeking ways to be an asset to the Black community. In light of this sudden realization, a trend on social media ensued this week that inspired users to reveal the owners behind some of our most beloved beauty-based brands. The owner The brand pic.twitter.com/xF3cxEAWNH — jamika (@jmaack) June 9, 2020 While some were shocked to find out that many brands were not fully Black-owned as previously assumed, the viral trend was adopted by Black owners as a way to uplift their business and applaud others as well. If you’re looking for wholesome Black-owned brands to invest your dollars in, reference the list below: Richelieu Dennis , CEO of Shea Moisture Photo Credit: The Network Journal Meet Richelieu Dennis, the brains behind Shea Moisture – one of the most popular hair care lines on the market. According to Fast Company , Dennis’ company, Sundial Brands, is the umbrella company that...
While stay-at-home orders continue to keep us inside, many Black-owned small businesses have moved their products online in efforts to combat the economic crisis. According to CNBC, e-commerce shopping in the U.S. has risen 30 percent during March and mid-April in comparison to last year. As many resort to online shopping, here’s a list of Black-owned household essential items you can purchase from home. True Laundry Detergent https://www.instagram.com/p/B_PwwNQjG7P/ True Laundry was founded in 2012 by Black entrepreneurs Ali B. Muhammad, Malik Saleem, and Abdur-Rahim Shaheed. The company prides itself on being “one of the most effective laundry detergent” brands available. The company’s formula does not include animal testing and is great for sensitive skin. Earthlymart Bathroom Cleaner View this post on Instagram A post shared by Earthlymart Cleaning Products (@earthlymart) Earthlymart is a socially conscious Black-owned business that caters to your household cleaning needs. Their...
Despite the news that loan relief with extremely low interest is on the way, it’s unclear if it’ll be enough to save entrepreneurs hit hard by COVID-19. A new LendingTree survey of more than 1,200 small business owners found that 71% worry they’ll never recover from the downturn. Business owners are holding on by a thread as more governors join the long list of states closing non-essential businesses. Nearly half of small business owners have temporarily closed their businesses, our survey found. They have also laid off workers or reduced their hours and sought funding, often unsuccessfully, to stay afloat. Key findings 71% of small business owners are worried their business will never recoup the losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Business owners in the accommodation/food service and retail trade sectors are among the most likely to fear for their company’s future. Nearly half — 47% — of small business owners surveyed have taken on debt to keep their business afloat...
The coronavirus has proven to be a multi-layered nemesis with its effects spanning far beyond that of physical sickness. Not only has it taken a toll on the stock market, but now Black hair suppliers in Maryland and Washington, D.C. are being affected by its pandemic reach. According to WUSA 9 , hair care businesses are facing challenges securing hair shipments from their wholesalers located in Asia. District Cheveux, located in Bowie, Maryland, depends on weave and wig shipments from China to fulfill customer orders, but due to the coronavirus, the company has taken a hit. “I just never imagined coronavirus would affect me, being in the states,” District Cheveux stylist, Shannel Wallace told WUSA 9. “Not directly as far as being sick, but my business,” she said. Hair shipments to District Cheveux have also been extremely delayed. Wallace said an order she placed in January still hasn’t arrived. “They [the vendor] finally reached back out to me and said due to the virus, everyone,...
Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) — a nonprofit organization helping minority business owners scale their companies — has extended the deadline to June 20 for its second annual Million Dollar Challenge for Minority Entrepreneurs in partnership with Chase. MEDA offers business development services, access to capital, consulting, and other support to minority entrepreneurs in Minnesota. The Million Dollar Challenge for Minority Entrepreneurs offers $1 million in funding to assist founders of color in of scaling their businesses. The challenge consists of a multi-round pitch competition where 20 minority-owned businesses tell why they believe their companies will grow. Ten businesses will move on to the next round to participate in MEDA’s Boot Camp for Successful Pitches, an accelerator program equipped with investor feedback, consulting and networking opportunities. The ten finalist will pitch again in October for a final chance to receive $1 million in financing....
Black-owned businesses are amongst the fastest growing businesses in America. In 2002 alone, black-owned businesses accounted for 1.2 million of the United State’s 23 million businesses. And as of 2011, that number has grown to approximately 2 million US businesses, making it the only racial group in America to have such largest growth in the number of businesses, from 2002 to 2011. In 2012, the Census Bureau said there were already over 2.6 million black-owned businesses in the U.S. and hopefully by 2025, the figure would double, which is to say, black-owned businesses will be far ahead of any other racial group. Also, it showcases the immense contribution and impacts of the black community to the business world globally. Here are some of the top Black-owned businesses in America that will inspire you to start a business of your own. World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) World Wide Technology (WWT) is one of the largest private companies in the U.S. Estimated at almost $4 billion, it...
Black small business owners are looking forward to growth, even in today’s economic conditions, according to a new report by Thumbtack. Thumbtack Journal surveyed nearly 3,000 small business owners around the country and found that black business owners are generally more happy to work for themselves. According to the report, 58.7 percent of black respondents said that they expect economic conditions to get better within the next year. 43 percent of black small business owners also thought that the economy was better than it was a year ago compared to 40 percent of non-black respondents who felt the same way. The optimism from black small business owners came from specific regions in the report. Positive expectations mostly came from the South. Houston, Virginia Beach, Va., Charlotte, Atlanta and Columbia, S.C. had the most optimistic economic business expectations. Other major cities with booming tech industries like Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Boston were ranked among the...