Moove, marketed as an “African-born, global mobility fintech,” has announced an acquisition. The company, founded in Nigeria by Ladi Delano and Jide Odunsi, enables delivery drivers to finance vehicles and start driving with partners like Uber in three simple steps: apply, get verified, and drive. TechCrunch notes that Moove launched with 76 cars in Lagos in 2020 and has expanded to 36,000 cars. Per the company’s website, over 52,787,109 trips have been completed. Additionally, it is available in 19 cities across six continents. Over the years, Moove has secured significant funding. In 2023, $8 million had been by Absa Corporate and Investment Banking to reach Ghana, bringing its total investment from the bank to $28 million, Fintech Global reports. In March 2024, $100 million had been raised in a Series B round led by Uber to further its expansion, TechCrunch mentioned. The company has also attached a sustainability mission to its business model, seeking to create “the largest and...

Entrepreneur Brian Roberts has found a way to elevate his mission to amplify Black-owned businesses. He has been the proud owner of The Black Pantry since 2020 and is now set to open Good Karma Coffee in February 2024, Startland News reports. The shared space will have the two business operating side by side in a new location, which he describes as an “elevated Black coffee space.” Located at 3134 Gillham Rd. in Kansas City, MO, doors are open on an invitation basis until full launch. “Every Saturday we’ve been doing things like inviting different groups, playing with our menu, and getting the team some experience,” Roberts told the outlet. “I’d say I’ve attracted some of the best baristas in the city.” Customers visiting Good Karma Coffee can look forward to trying out locally sourced products, including signature roasts from Marcell Coffee, while also learning about the origins of their coffee. “If you want to have a pour-over in front of you, the barista can do it while...

Tyrre Burks’ background in sports gave him an upper hand as a business founder. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Burks is the founder of Player’s Health, a platform offering solutions including insurance, an athlete safety suite with education and training, injury management forms, incident reporting, compliance forms, and tools to support name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, geared toward sports organizations, teams, leagues, and clubs. The inception of Player’s Health dates back to Burks’ time as a former college athlete who turned pro. Becoming an athlete was a means of escaping the realities of living on the Southside of Chicago, IL. “I had a choice and sports was one of ’em or the streets. And luckily, I chose football; I chose wrestling. I chose every sport that I could choose to keep me out of the streets. And that kept me safe. It kept me out of the streets, and it kept me out of trouble. And that led to college and professional football,” he said during a podcast...

Crowdaa aims to remind the middle-class creator economy that power can be in their hands. The French-American startup, founded by musician and psychologist Vigile Hoareau and American composer and producer Jimmy Thomas, understands the potential of technology to level the playing field for creators. The company aims to empower users to take greater control of their creative freedoms and challenge the status quo often perpetuated on social media platforms like TikTok—which faces a potential ban on January 19 unless sold to a U.S.-based company—and Instagram, as well as on music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. This includes moving away from traditional revenue models on these platforms, which often benefit the platforms more than the creators, especially regarding compensation. Even Snoop Dogg has voiced concerns about the low payouts from Spotify, despite achieving 1 billion streams. He reportedly received less than $45,000, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “When you look at...

Daymond John is dispelling some traditional truths told in the business world. John is a serial investor and “Shark Tank” judge who made his mark through his streetwear brand FUBU. The brand, founded in 1992 by O’Leary and his friends Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown, was launched from his mother’s home with an initial investment of just $40, as previously reported by AFROTECH™. “I didn’t start with a leap, and I think that’s important to know. I started with $40,” John told the Truckload Authority. “I bought some material and made a bunch of hats. I went out on the street to see if I could sell them. That’s not a leap. It was a small, affordable step. Entrepreneurship isn’t an ‘all or nothing’ thing. You can and should wade into it. I can’t say where I would have been if I didn’t start FUBU, but I know I would have kept trying things.” FUBU received an early boost when John’s mother invested $100,000 from her mortgage to support the brand’s growth. While working to...

Entrepreneur Keon Williams is making history as a franchisee. QCity Metro reports that Williams’ interest in the food business dates back to his time working in his family’s businesses in the Charlotte, NC, area. His father ran the sub shop, Chat and Chew, while his grandfather owned a hoagie shop. “I watched them, the growing pains, the goods and the bads,” Williams told the outlet. He is following in their footsteps today as the latest franchisee of Tacos 4 Life Dilworth, which has 19 locations across five states. Williams’ storefront is  located in Charlotte’s Dilworth neighborhood. By opening the location, he is making history as the youngest and first Black franchisee of the restaurant brand. “I wanted to come here. I know that there aren’t any Black businesses or food businesses in this area,” Williams said, according to QCity Metro. “I wanted to be that beacon of change and that beacon of light.” Customers supporting Williams’ 3,000-square-foot restaurant can try a variety of...

Spelman College graduates who were friends first and then founders seconds are taking their nail bar to new heights. Kelli M. Coleman and Anika J. Odegbo are the founders of The TEN, marketed as Detroit, MI’s first modern nail bar. The two shared a common goal of embarking on an entrepreneurial journey to build wealth, which they brought to life in 2016. “So, Anika and I are friends and Spelman sisters. We ultimately met when we found out that both of us intended to attend. We decided to room together, and the rest is history, as they say. Both Detroit natives, I grew up in Southfield, and Anika grew up in Detroit proper. We come from entrepreneurial families; we really understand the power of entrepreneurship to create generational wealth. It was always our respective goals to own businesses of our own in addition to carrying on our family’s entrepreneurial legacy. That’s sort of the origin of how we know each other, and that’s how The TEN came to be,” Coleman told the Michigan...

Tyrre Burks has raised new funding that will benefit younger athletes. The Chicago, IL, native is the founder of Players Health , a platform providing support solutions for sports organizations, teams, leagues, and clubs. These solutions include insurance offerings and an athlete safety suite that encompasses education and training, injury management forms, incident reporting, compliance forms, and tools to support name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, its website mentions. As a former college athlete who went pro in the Canadian Football League, Burks understands firsthand the importance of athlete safety. During his playing career, he endured multiple injuries, including an experience during his college freshman year when he was paralyzed on the field for 45 minutes. “My freshman year of college I was catching a low ball with my head down, and I get hit. I’m paralyzed on the turf, could not move. This happened… It’s probably the most bizarre feeling you could ever have where you...