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You can never predict JuJu Watkins’ next move. The University of Southern California (USC) basketball player is now an investor in the National Women’s Soccer League’s Boston Legacy Football Club (Boston Legacy FC), according to a press release. Watkins makes history in the process as the first college athlete to invest in a women’s professional sports team. She joins a group of investors that includes Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, actress Elizabeth Banks, Celtics General Manager Brad Stevens, WNBA player Aliyah Boston, and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Sportico reports the city of Boston was awarded a National Women’s Soccer League team in 2023, and the team will begin competing in 2026. “Boston Legacy FC is creating a space for women to achieve, lead, and inspire others at the highest level, and I’m proud to be part of the movement pushing women’s sports forward,” Watkins said in a press release. Jennifer Epstein, controlling owner of Boston Legacy FC, commented:...
Spelman College is the latest HBCU to receive funding from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. CBS News reports Scott signed the Giving Pledge after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019. She vowed to donate over half her wealth, and she has been doing so ever since, with some allocated to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She made early rounds in 2020, with Spelman College receiving $20 million toward scholarships and its endowment. Fast-forward to 2025, and Scott has doubled down on her pledge and invested an additional $38 million in unrestricted funding. The commitment will support financial aid and the school’s technology infrastructure. “This investment is a powerful affirmation of our mission and our commitment to educational excellence and equity,” Spelman Interim President Rosalind “Roz” Brewer said in a statement, according to CBS News. “The flexibility of this gift allows us to move more swiftly to strengthen the entire student experience,...
Steven Bartlett has secured historic funding for the creator economy. Bartlett, who has remained on an entrepreneurial path since dropping out of college and becoming a millionaire by 23, as AFROTECH™ previously told you, has scored an eight-figure investment for his creator company Steven.com. The company houses several divisions such as FlightStory, FlightFund, and, more recently, FlightCast, an AI-powered podcast hosting platform, as mentioned in a news release. “Steven.com is the creator holding company built to help high-potential creators grow their audience, build IP, commercialise their work, launch ventures, and provides the technology to power it all ... If you’re an aspiring creator please do get in touch,” he explained on Instagram. Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group led Steven.com’s round. Philipp Freise (KKR), Second Sight Ventures, Tom Profumo (Active Partners), Magnus Grimeland (Antler), Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Rose (founder of Digg), Will Ahmed (Founder of...
Howard University intends to use its latest investment to train medical professionals. The Historically Black College and University (HBCU) has received $80 million in unrestricted funding from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, according to The Washington Post. She previously invested $40 million in 2020. Scott has been making her rounds across several HBCUs, including Morgan State University. Her $63 million investment in the HBCU was the largest in the school’s history (individual or organizational), as AFROTECH™ previously reported. As it relates to Howard University, Scott’s investment has led to “a boost of confidence,” according to Wayne A.I. Frederick, Howard’s interim president. “It also says that what you’re doing, based on our own evaluation, we think is important. And we think you’re doing it well enough that we can trust you with that type of gift,” Frederick said. The investment will train medical professionals at Howard, one of four HBCUs with a medical...
Tech company Bending Spoons is set to acquire one of the internet’s early pioneers, AOL. Based in Milan, Italy, Bending Spoons, known for apps such as Evernote, a note-taking platform, and Remini, a photo-enhancement application, is purchasing AOL from private-equity firm Apollo Global Management, The Wall Street Journal reports. The deal comes after Bending Spoons’ recent expansion, which included securing $2.8 billion in debt financing for AOL and other investments. As part of the deal, AOL could be valued at $1.5 billion. Bending Spoons said it plans to maintain and develop AOL’s operations over the long term, according to the outlet. The company also owns Brightcove, a video distribution and analytics platform, and recently announced plans to acquire video platform Vimeo for $1.38 billion, TechCrunch reports. In a statement, per The Wall Street Journal, Bending Spoons described AOL as an “important and beloved business with a brand that has stood the test of time.” The outlet...
Being at the right place at the right time led Yale University’s Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow to hit the jackpot. The founders are the masterminds behind Series, an AI social platform capturing the attention of Generation Z. While many may wonder how Johnson, a computer science and economics major, and Hargrow, a neuroscience major, balance entrepreneurship with academics, the duo clarified that dropping out of Yale University was never an option. Instead, they’ve learned to set boundaries as they navigate building their platform and establishing themselves in the venture capital landscape. During the AFROTECH™ U Summit at AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston, Hargrow said, “You really can’t do the outstanding job of being a good founder and being profitable and raise a round, and do all these things that we want and are aspiring to do if you hedge. And that hedging is when you’re trying to get your homework in by 12, but you also want to raise a million dollars before you...
Black Operator Ventures (Black Ops VC) is working to close the Series A funding gap for Black tech founders. Black Ops VC is a venture capital firm led by a Black team of co-founders with a shared mission to “invest in extraordinary founders solving complex problems with software,” its CEO, James Norman, said in conversation with AFROTECH™. Norman and Black Ops General Partner Sean Green sat down with AFROTECH™ to discuss the firm’s vision, leading oversubscribed seed rounds, opportunities in today’s investment landscape, and more. The duo met nearly a decade ago in Los Angeles. Green was among the early cohorts of Transparent Collective, which supports Black, Latinx, and womxn entrepreneurs with raising early-stage funding, and Norman serves as its chairman. Call To Action Realized Before their paths formally aligned, the pair charted unique territory. Norman launched his first company at age 16, an online retailer for car and home audio. He had always been interested in building...
An investment has been made to support scholars at Virginia-based Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). $150K Boost According to 13News Now, Google Data Centers’ Community Development and Engagement team has invested $150,000 in the Virginia Humanities HBCU Scholars Fellowship, which supports HBCU-affiliated writers, community scholars, faculty members, and doctoral candidates. This is accomplished through funding, academic publishing, and peer support networks, access to the University of Virginia’s library systems and archives at the Library of Virginia, among other avenues, per information on the fellowship’s website. The fellowship backs individuals whose work spotlights the state’s history, considers marginalized stories, and explores South Atlantic themes. “It’s heartening to see that the private sector values and supports this work,” said Yosef Medina, director of the fellowship, per 13News Now. “This funding represents more than the support it will provide...
Omi Bell says entrepreneurship was her way out of poverty. While on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, Bell shared how selling t-shirts changed her circumstances for the better. She was a computer scientist who had great jobs and grew up mainly in the middle class. However, she had her first child at 17 and her second child at 21, which led her to live in Section 8 housing and accept government assistance. She was working as a teacher and was supporting her children through school. “America’s not built for a person, a single person with children. That’s just the reality,” she said on the podcast. “But I had good jobs. I was a K-12 educator. I worked at a patent and trademark office … but I still couldn’t afford to live. Entrepreneurship was really my way out. I had gotten laid off twice. Me and my fiancé broke up. I realized I’m not going to get married. Now I have three children, and I’m not going to go back to anywhere where anybody...
African fintech company Moniepoint has secured new funding to expand its footprint globally. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the company, founded by CEO Tosin Eniolorunda and Chief Technology Officer Felix Ike, offers banking accounts, loans, expense cards, instant payouts, and accounting and bookkeeping solutions. According to information shared with AFROTECH™, the company has processed more than $250 billion in transactions annually for more than 10 million business and personal banking customers. The company said it “is one of the few fintechs globally, and the first in Africa, to achieve profitability at unicorn scale while driving financial inclusion,” in a press release. Moniepoint has officially closed its Series C round, amounting to over $200 million in equity financing. The round was led by Development Partners International’s African Development (ADP) III fund, with LeapFrog Investments joining for the final close, the press release confirmed. Lightrock, Alder Tree...
Jimmy Butler’s business portfolio is warming up. The Golden State Warriors player joined an investor group and is officially a minority investor in the National Women’s Soccer League’s San Diego Wave Fútbol Club (Wave FC), which was valued at $120 million in October 2024 after it was acquired by the Levine Leichtman family from Ron Burkle, according to The Athletic. Butler’s interest in soccer dates back to the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he attended the men’s final, The Athletic reports. He sees the investment in Wave FC as a chance to set a new standard in women’s sports. “Soccer has been a passion of mine for a long time, and being part of the game in a meaningful way has always been a dream,” Butler said in a press release. “San Diego has become a city close to my heart, and I’m proud to invest in a club that is pushing boundaries, building something lasting, and setting a new standard for what women’s sports can be both on and off the pitch,” he continued. View this post on...
Black women continue to plant their flags in technology. University of Michigan graduate Crystal Brown stumbled into technology after a friend introduced her to a CEO behind a life science startup, TechCrunch reports. She was already nose deep in the automotive manufacturing industry and aiming to become a C-suite automotive executive. The CEO that she had been introduced to was looking for a business manager, and Brown accepted a part-time role. Her friends encouraged her to leave her position in the automotive industry altogether. “I was like, no one’s gonna take me seriously. I’ve never studied biology. I studied poli sci and women’s studies,” she told TechCrunch. Brown stayed with the company and eventually moved up to director of operations. Then the startup went public. With a substantial payout, she decided to launch her own biotech startup, per the outlet. Though she made some rookie mistakes, like hiring too quickly, and the company ultimately closed due to funding, she had...
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is expanding his portfolio. 888 Midas As AFROTECH ™ previously reported, Caleb Williams — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — launched investment firm 888 Midas that same year. The firm was created to “capitalize on select alternative investments in private equity, venture capital, and real estate,” notes a Business Wire press release. This fulfilled his desires as both an athlete and businessman, he said in the release . “Athletes are often inundated with and distracted by these opportunities. To eliminate the potential for distraction, it was important to me to immediately set up a business operation with established, trusted partners and advisors I’ve known for years to strategically take advantage of ventures in the global marketplace,” Williams commented. Investing In Boston Legacy Football Club 888 Midas’ latest investment is in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club, Boston Legacy Football Club. According to a news...
A planned international basketball league is gaining momentum. Front Office Sports (FOS) reports that a five-on-five men’s and women’s basketball league, quietly called “Project B,” could launch by the fall of next year with tournaments in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. It will follow the blueprint of Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league, by offering equity to its players. The league’s investment group is led by Skype Co-founder Geoffrey Prentice and former Facebook executive Grady Burnett, reports FOS. Former WNBA player Candace Parker — who recently submitted a bid to bring a WNBA league to Nashville, TN, as AFROTECH™ previously reported — also backs the international league. Tennis players Novak Djokovic and Sloane Stephens, former WNBA player Alana Beard, ex-NFL quarterback Steve Young, and others are also listed as investors in the international team, per FOS. The league has also secured interest from “some of the game’s most respected athletes,” a spokesperson told FOS....
Former NBA player Spencer Haywood sold what would have been a lucrative stock. In 1970, Haywood, who made history at the Olympics as the youngest American basketball player at 19, took his talents to the Seattle SuperSonics, after playing in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Denver Rockets, according to Legends of Basketball. Haywood represented the team for five years, during which time he was offered the opportunity to wear a Nike shoe by Phil Knight, co-founder and then-CEO of the company, which began in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports alongside Bill Bowerman. Haywood agreed, he revealed on the “All the Smoke” podcast. Knight also offered Haywood stock in the company, although Haywood admitted the concept was foreign to him. Basketball Network reports Haywood was Nike’s first-ever basketball shoe endorser. “First of all, I was young, too. And I’m thinking, ‘Livestock?’ What are you talking about,” Haywood said on the podcast. Nonetheless, Haywood accepted the stock but...
