There are many myths about Silicon Valley, but AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money is here to get to the bottom of it. As the founding managing partner of Plexo Capital, an institutional investment firm that was incubated and spun out of Google Ventures (GV), Lo Toney knows what it means to be on both ends of the table, whether it’s being a venture capitalist (VC) or operating a startup. “There are a lot of similarities,” he said during the episode of Black Tech Green Money (BTGM) podcast. “We think about it all the time, both in terms of how we operate and communicate the message of Plexo Capital, but also what we look for in other early-stage firms in general partnerships that we want to invest into.” When it comes to what they’re looking for in a startup, he further explained that the market size, along with the problem that is solved, the solution and how it will fit into the overall competitive landscape are some of the key elements that encourage a VC to invest. “Most...

The world of storytelling continues to grow and evolve thanks to platforms like kweliTV! As a streaming platform that features more than 500 undiscovered, award-winning indie films, documentaries, web series and kids shows that celebrate global Black stories, Kweli TV is here to show the power that comes with the space and opportunity to share our own narratives. “It really started with me not feeling like I saw myself represented and not enough stories about Black life beyond Black suffering,” shared DeShuna Spencer, CEO, and founder of kweliTV, during the latest episode of AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money (BTGM) podcast with host Will Lucas. As a former journalist, Spencer realized the time that was spent writing the narratives of people who look like her. “One of the things about working in the daily news is that you spend so much time writing these narratives,” she continued. “And I really started with some research and understood the correlation between implicit bias in media...

If you’re looking for a manual on access to capital for your business, AfroTech has you covered! On the latest episode of Black Tech Green Money, host Will Lucas sat down with the Co-Founder and General Partner at Equal Ventures, Richard Kerby. Kerby, who holds experience as an investor at Venrock, where he led seed-stage and Series A stage venture capital (VC) investments in 6Sennse, Amino Apps, Beckon, Burner, Luxe Valet and Salsify, first discussed the characteristics of a good VC and how to know if a gig is a fit for one’s personality and profile. He also broke down what VC is truly all about and the mindset one must have to enter into the business. “Venture Capital is about investing in and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs, and so that means that you’re finding companies that are hopefully diamonds in the rough,” said Kerby. “You’re also trying to figure out if that investment is a good fit for your investment profile, and then, you’re making the investment, and while you...

There’s so much power that comes from building within the community, and Ita Ekpoudom knows her role in being the change the world needs. As a partner at Gingerbread Capital, it is Ekpoudom’s mission to educate, engage and elevate the next generation of successful women leaders in business. For the latest episode of AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money, Will Lucas takes on New York to learn more about the venture capital (VC ) that emerges from the city of dreams along with input from Ekpoudom on how to become a successful venture capitalist. During the episode, Ekpoudom explained the two aspects that can lead folks on the right path to securing that dream VC role. “There’s kind of two main ways,” she explained. “You come in from finance with either an investment banking or consulting background or as an ex-operator and entrepreneur, which would then allow you to move over from the perspective of having been an operator.” She also shared the background that led her on this journey as a...

As the founder and CEO at Upsie, Clarence Bethea has the magic sauce when it comes to securing funding. During the latest episode of AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money (BTGM), he shares how he managed to raise an $18.2 million funding round thanks to his perseverance. He also breaks down what Silicon Valley looks like for Black companies and founders — an experience that surely came with lessons. “I remember we had like 80 Silicon Valley investors there and it was a hard lesson for me to learn,” he shared about one particular experience with the Village Capital program. “They didn’t give a damn about me and it was clear that I meant nothing to them. I was just a Black guy in the room.” Clarence Bethea also recalls a sobering experience with an investor during his time in the program. “I actually had an investor say to me, ‘Clarence, I’ve never seen a Black founder go to exit or IPO at like a billion-plus exit. So, I just have a hard time believing that a Black founder can build a big...

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know there’s been a diversity, equity and inclusion problem going on in tech for quite some time now, and not addressing it is not going to make it go away. With the inaugural AfroTech Executive — held on Aug. 28, 2021 — AfroTech and Blavity CEO Morgan DeBaun did the opposite. Instead of ignoring the problem and failing to address it, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, AfroTech brought together some of tech’s biggest power players in one room to discuss how to move the needle. From venture capitalists and angel investors to startup founders and tech moguls, and of course, corporate executives like EBONY and JET CEO Michele Ghee, AfroTech Executive made sure everyone was in the room to talk about how how to progress as a collective. Basically, in the words of Ghee, a diversity, equity and inclusion champion herself, we could preach to the “choir all day” long amongst ourselves, but we cannot accomplish anything alone. “It’s important...

There’s not a festival around that’s doing it like ONE MusicFest. The festival space may be filled with a line-up of people who look like us, but it’s rare that we are the ones with ownership of the events that are taking place. As one of the only Black-owned live music events across the nation, co-founder and chief marketing officer of the event, J. Carter has managed to find massive success thanks to partnerships with global brands like adidas, BMW, Heineken, and more. Although he’s succeeding in the festival space, Carter tells Black Tech Green Money’s Will Lucas some of the challenges that come with being one of the only Black entrepreneurs in the industry. “I first had the concept and idea back in ’08 and so the first thing that I do is look for mentorship,” Carter explained. “As the owner of two clubs, with one that’s more of a live music venue, entering the festival space was a different monster and I needed to figure out how to maneuver through it all and I couldn’t really...

Unfortunately, generational wealth isn’t readily available to Black Americans, but this founder is on a mission to change that. A. Donahue Baker is the co-founder and CEO of Money Avenue and is on a mission to help people create generational wealth through real estate acquisitions and entrepreneurial investment opportunities. When he isn’t leading change through his company, he is teaching entrepreneurship at Morehouse College or serving the community as a Certified Public Accountant. He defines generational wealth and highlights a key misconception most have when identifying wealth in that light during the latest episode of Black Tech Green Money with host Will Lucas. “One of the misconceptions is that generational wealth is simply making sacrifices in your own personal life that it will benefit the next generation,” said Baker. He also uses his own personal experience to highlight how generational wealth goes beyond just making those sacrifices. “I have a three-year-old son, his...

In order for the Black community to thrive financially, it is imperative to have people who look like us on the inside working on our behalf! That’s where Malcolm Etheridge and his lesson on equity comes in. Etheridge is not only a certified financial planner, but a mastermind behind insurance, investment portfolio development, retirement planning, stock options, tax planning, and a plethora of other executive benefits. During the latest episode of AfroTech’s Black Tech Green Money, Etheridge, who also happens to be a speaker — and blogger –joined host Will Lucas to discuss all things equity — for the Black community, of course. “We talk so much in our community about equity and as you know equity is a big part of the tech ecosystem,” shared Etheridge. “One of the things many companies do to get great talent is provide equity on top of salaries.” He further explains just how equity levels the playing field within the workforce whether you’re someone who works in tech or not. “So...

Platforms like Eventnoire and Black people drive the culture forward. Period. Whether it’s music, fashion, or throwing the hottest events that the world has ever seen, you can bet that the idea transpired from one of us. But why is it that we don’t always reap the rewards for providing that creative sauce? It’s because rather than always asking for a seat at the table, it may be time to begin building our own. As a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Eventnoire, Jeff Osuji knows a thing or two about creating his own lane and ensuring that his people come with him along the way. Eventnoire is the technology startup and event ticketing platform on a mission to support and promote Black enterprises and cultural events. After realizing the discrimination that comes along with event planning while Black, Osuji, along with his co-founder Femi Masha decided to take matters into their own hands. “One of the things that we found out while hosting events for two years, especially in the...

This woman is building a village for Black entrepreneurs in Atlanta, GA! While e-commerce is taking the world by storm, Dr. Key Hallmon is changing the way we view brick and mortar Black-owned businesses. She is the founder and CEO of The Village Market ATL which was founded in 2016 with a mission to build a community where Black entrepreneurs could thrive. “I think the blueprint is together,” shared Dr. Key on the latest episode of Black Tech Green Money with host Will Lucas. “I don’t think I’ve created something that hasn’t been done and I will tell you in 2016 I wasn’t up against what we’re all facing right now and that’s being forced to be online.” Dr. Key explains that prior to the pandemic she was team, “let’s see each other in person” and encouraged those around her to figure out how to use their best gifts. “My whole thought belief is that you’re more powerful if I join with you and you join with me,” she continued. “Even in this e-commerce space, I think that there are some...

As we look toward the future of retail for Black founders many questions come to mind. What do retailers want? How can they be successful? For founders like Sterling Smith, the answer is simple. “Retailers want freedom,” he tells Will Lucas on the latest episode of the Black Tech Green Money podcast. “Retailers want flexibility and they want the ability to say ‘hey, I’m with Shopify one day but it isn’t allowing me to service my customers in this way, using this third-party integration partner so let me go to BitCommerce. They also want minimum to zero lag time and downtime.” He also explains that retailers also want to be able to not only complete transactions with their customers but also want to be able to leverage the data and own their customer data. “Technologies like Sandbox Commerce allows for growing brands and retailers to do just that in the same way that larger brands snd retailers that you may find in stores like Nordstroms are doing,” continued Smith.   View this post...

Community is where the money resides! Harold Hughes is the founder and CEO of Bandwagon, the venture-backed identity infrastructure company helping customers to transparently aggregate, manage and store valuable consumer identity data, and he stresses the importance of community when building your company. “The value of community is the fact that you can bring community anywhere,” Harold Hughes told host Will Lucas on the latest episode of the Black Tech Green Money podcast. He also shares that when you build up a trusted brand, the people will follow and suggests that founders “start with one thing that people are going to pay you for.” From there, he says figuring out who that group is will determine the capacity in which your brand will be shared with the masses. “Creating [a] community allows you to do a lot of stuff better,” said Hughes. When he initially set out to begin building Bandwagon, he shares how he posted his company goals to Facebook which in turn created a sense of...

The advancement of technology doesn’t necessarily always have to be a bad thing. While many suggest that technology and social media alone have caused us to communicate less effectively, this Black founder says it can also mean the complete opposite. “If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that both of those things are kind of true,” said Travis Montaque on the latest episode of Black Tech Green Money (BTGM). “When I think about some of the things that we’ve done at Holler from a research perspective, one of the things we look for is how people are utilizing technology and platforms to connect with each other.” Holler is a messaging technology company that delivers content in messaging environments that includes texts, social media, and payment apps. Montaque shares that during his company’s most recent report, studies found that 42 percent of people message more than they did pre-pandemic. “If you think about the natural behavior that created the demand for messaging platforms...

When it comes to doing things that you’re naturally good at, Davyeon Ross should be the poster child! The former athlete is the co-founder of ShotTracker, the revolutionary sensor-based system designed to deliver statistics and analytics to teams, fans, and broadcast networks instantly. He is also the Entrepreneur In Residence (EIR) at R/GA Ventures and has founded and scaled companies from the ground up raising more than $40 million in capital. “I like to tell people this: it’s really important to put yourself in the position where you can use your natural abilities and your natural inclinations because it becomes organic and it’s not forced,” shared Ross with Black Tech Green Money host Will Lucas. “I think we excel when we put ourselves in those types of situations.” For Ross, that situation has been all about taking the skills he’s learned from the game and applying them in the business world. “I think that the relationships that you build allow you to really have a seamless...