Aaron Samuels has revealed his roadmap into the venture capital space. Samuels, co-founder and former chief operating officer (COO) of Blavity — w ho now leads a venture capital firm Collide Capital — has worn various hats in a career that spans more than a decade. He was a performance poet who spent nearly 10 years traveling and went on to secure roles as a director of operations (Dialogue Arts Project); senior associate consultant (Bain & Co.); and product manager (TeleSign) between 2011 and 2016, his LinkedIn mentions. For the next seven years, Samuels helped co-found Blavity Inc., a platform catering to Black Millennials and Gen Z amplifying areas of entertainment, politics, technology, and culture. It was created alongside Morgan DeBaun (CEO), Jeff Nelson (now COO), and Jonathan Jackson. Serving as the COO laid the footprint for Samuels’ foray as founder and managing partner of Collide Capital, which was founded in 2022 alongside Brian Hollins to provide resources, operational...

Melissa Bradley is turning a new leaf! Since 2016, Bradley, who was featured as an AFROTECH™ Future 50 Dynamic Investor, has been the proud founder of Washington, DC-based 1863 Ventures, which provides business development programs, coaching, mentorship, and access to capital primarily for new entrepreneurs, as noted on her LinkedIn profile. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the venture aims to create $100 billion in wealth for the “New Majority,” Black and brown entrepreneurs. This goal is reflected in its portfolio, which comprises 90% Black-owned businesses, including the following: Nubian Heumann Eu’Genia Shea Harlem Candle Co. The Black Girl Doctor Now, eight years into 1863 Ventures’ inception, the Washington Business Journal has reported that the organization’s board voted to close down 1863’s nonprofit arm, which focused on early-stage companies. Currently, Bradley is on the hunt for a partner who can take on ownership of its portfolio companies, which have benefited from an...

NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo has launched a venture capital firm. According to Bleacher Report, the Milwaukee Bucks player has introduced Build Your Legacy Ventures (BYL). The venture capital firm, backed by institutional investors and tech veterans, aims to funnel investments into the sports and entertainment sectors. As noted in a press release, the firm will be “driven by the Antetokounmpo family’s dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.” “I’m incredibly energized to launch BYL Ventures as a way to give back and support the next generation of visionaries,” Antetokounmpo, founder and general partner of BYL Ventures, said in the release. “This fund is not just about capital; it’s about forging partnerships and opening my network to accelerate the growth trajectory for companies. I want to help other entrepreneurs, especially those who have faced barriers, to grow and succeed. BYL Ventures will be focused on finding people with big dreams and helping them make...

After co-creating the beauty app Beautified, Hannah Bronfman recognized the importance of investing in startups, which are often the last to receive funding or the resources needed to scale. Today, she takes pride in her work as an angel investor, helping to advise and raise venture capital for budding businesses. As a former DJ, content creator, and now trusted angel investor, Bronfman’s desire to help companies achieve their goals by putting investments behind them began when she joined Annie Evans and Peter Hananel as a co-founder of Beautified. This app allows users to book beauty services, including haircuts, manicures, facials, massages, and more, with various salons and spas offered on the platform. Since the inception of Beautifed in 2013, Bronfman has also become an expert in marketing. She’s advised companies on building a strategic online presence well before the rise of today’s influencer-driven marketing landscape. In 2017, she became an investor. “I started actually to...

The NAACP has launched a “fund of funds” to scale impact within communities of color. According to a news release, NAACP Capital was formed with the support of Kapor Capital, the Kapor Center, and nine venture fund managers. It seeks to raise $200 million to fulfill its goal of investing in fund managers connected to sectors such as education, healthcare, and finance, with a focus on supporting underserved communities. Beyond capital, the initiative aims to close racial equity gaps and increase diversity within the tech industry. As part of this mission, resources and support will be provided to fund managers and founders. “As an ever-evolving legacy organization, the NAACP knows that innovation is borne out of inclusivity. Impact investing has the power to drive historic financial returns and uplift overlooked communities,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “Right now, deeply entrenched systemic barriers are curtailing the innovative progress necessary to...

“Earn Your Leisure” podcasters Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings continue to put their commitment to wealth building into practice. The pair have announced that construction on a 300-acre development, titled the Sanbra City Project, is underway in Ghana. The project is made possible through partnerships with activist Chakabars and developers Alvin Bekoe, Kwame Blay, and Tuyee Yeboah, Black Enterprise reports. The multi-phased project has “quietly” been in the works for more than a year and is rolling out first with a 40-unit community named The Cascades located in Borteyman, Accra, Ghana. “We acquired 300 acres of vacant land in Accra. We are now in the construction phase of a multi-phased development aimed at creating a vibrant community that welcomes the diaspora to Ghana for more than just parties. We will prioritize collaboration with local communities to ensure proper integration and mutual benefit. The time to come home has finally come! Homes are now available for sale,” “Earn...

Booker Washington is making homeownership more accessible for urban communities. He is the founder of Techie Homes, a real estate company that designs “smart micro-communities” in Atlanta, GA, priced below current market rates, according to its company website. “Accessible homeownership is an issue in Atlanta,” he told Business Insider. “Our goal is to provide homes at a price point where mortgages are equal to or less than the cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment.” While Washington subscribes to accessible homeownership, he makes it clear he does not want to label Techie Homes’ efforts as an affordable housing project. “We change the way we view environments, and if we change the way we view environments, we’ll change the actual person and how they grow,” Washington explained in a video clip . “That’s the reason why I don’t adopt to affordable housing projects, because if you put people of all the same incomes in the same place, they will only see what that other person’s low...

Private equity law expert Joe Tillman has a passion for creating opportunities for others. It is what has carried the California native’s career more than a decade and even led to him walking away from a stable career as a lawyer. Tillman’s initial exposure into law was not engraved in his upbringing. He admits to growing up in humble beginnings in Perris, CA, and not having access to people who worked in law or other professional spaces. It was not until his final year at California State University San Bernardino, where he would obtain a bachelor’s degree in finance, that his professor introduced to him the idea of pursuing law. “At this time, I did not have the $1,500 that it took to take an LSAT prep course. And he basically got the College of Finance to write me an impromptu scholarship so they could pay to get my LSAT prep course paid for,” Tillman told AFROTECH™ in an interview. “So, he was one of the few people that was willing to put his money where his mouth is. I took the...