A venture capital firm supporting Black tech companies has closed its second fund. BKR Capital Led by Managing Partner Lise Birikundavyi, alongside co-founder Isaac Olowolafe, Toronto-based BKR Capital invests in technology or technology-enabled startups. According to the firm’s website, they target companies with diverse teams that have at least one Black founder and are at the pre-seed to seed stage. The firm primarily focuses on companies based in Canada, though up to 10% of its portfolio may be global. “We need to keep innovation at home,” Birikundavyi explained, according to The Globe and Mail. “We all want a Canada that is strong economically – where our children can grow up and have everything they need.” Fund II Details BKR Capital has raised $20 million for its second fund, aiming to reach $50 million by the end of 2026, per The Globe and Mail. The raise was supported by Royal Bank of Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada, Export Development Canada, and others,...
Uncle Nearest’s receiver seeks to bar its founders from speaking publicly about the brand’s ongoing case. In a new update shared by The Lynchburg Times, receiver Phillip G. Young Jr. requested that a federal judge issue a gag order that would prevent Fawn Weaver, Keith Weaver, and their related entity Grant Sidney from publicly discussing the receivership on social media or with employees, vendors, creditors, shareholders, investors, and distributors. This request was made in a filing on Monday, March 23, notes the outlet. The request comes after Fawn took to Instagram to announce that “the receivership has ended” and “the reorganization has begun.” The post coincided with a press release stating that Uncle Nearest was filing a lawsuit against its lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, in the New York Supreme Court for a smear campaign that made false claims of missing inventory, financial misconduct, negative cash flow, and insolvency. The receivership was put in place in August 2025...
If you don’t hear from 50 Cent, just know he’s likely closing in on a business deal. His latest venture is an entertainment hub. Curtis “ 50 Cent ” Jackson has inked a $100 million deal alongside Planet Hollywood Founder and CEO Robert Earl to launch PH Live, according to a press release. The hub will be located at Planet Hollywood Times Square in New York City and will feature LED technology, live music, film and television premiere parties, private events, live sporting event simulcasts, VIP experiences, and corporate gatherings, among other offerings. “When I get quiet I’m working, I’m working on it 😆💰PH live baby! @50centaction @phlivenyc ,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) The partnership also marks 50 Cent’s first major restaurant-entertainment partnership, the press release notes. Guests can expect to dine at the location, with menu items including sweet chili shrimp with mashed potatoes, sliced steak paired with...
Jalen Brunson is centering financial literacy and education in his philanthropic efforts. Brunson is an NBA player who was selected 33rd overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 draft, per Basketball Reference. He credits his parents for shaping his spending habits at a young age, in conversation with AFROTECH™. So when he signed his rookie contract, valued at $6.11 million over four years, according to Spotrac, he had the foundation to manage his money responsibly. “Once I got into the league, you’re given a lot more money. You obviously worked hard for it, but now you are responsible for making responsible decisions. It’s a whole different animal, but the principles are still the same,” Brunson, who now plays for the New York Knicks, told AFROTECH™. Brunson credits his parents, agents, and financial team with challenging him and guiding him through strategic financial decisions. The byproduct of their support has led Brunson to pursue business moves such as his endorsement deal...
Lil Wayne doesn’t believe AI can take his throne. Does the technology have the ability to produce a record such as “A Milli” on its own strength? He says, not at the moment, and while the rapper does appreciate AI, he also feels confident that the technology can’t surpass his talent. “I love it. I love that AI is what it is. I love to be able to stand right next to whoever AI is, he, she, they, whatever, or whatever AI is, stand right next to them and I’m still better,” Lil Wayne said on the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast. He also shared that he first became exposed to AI through a friend who had concerns about how it could generate a verse in the likeness of an artist. So, Lil Wayne tested it out himself and said he has tried it on different occasions. One of the examples he provided was Proto, which is the patented creator of hologram devices , according to a press release . It creates interactive experiences through its conversational AI avatars, which feature...
Sherrese Clark has attached herself to another acquisition of a legendary artist. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Clark, former CEO of Tempo Music, launched HarbourView Equity Partners to invest in “ evergreen intellectual property. ” In 2025, the firm received $500 million in debt financing from KKR to scale its portfolio of music, media, and sports-related intellectual property. To date, HarbourView Equity Partners’ portfolio includes more than 70 music catalogs and more than 35,000 songs, including master recordings and publishing income streams, Music Business Worldwide reports. The portfolio includes artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Nelly, and T-Pain. Now joining the list is the late Quincy Jones. HarbourView Equity Partners has acquired Jones’ “select music and non-music assets” from the Estate of Quincy Jones, per the outlet. The deal includes his participation in Michael Jackson’s albums “Off The Wall, “Thriller,” and “Bad,” which he produced, and also his stake in “The Fresh...
Dr. Ashton Sellers has taken over a longstanding animal hospital and made history in the process. Hickman Mills Animal Hospital was opened in 1957 by Dr. L.W. Williams, per the organization’s website. Now, Sellers becomes its third owner and also leads as the head veterinarian, according to Fox4. “Once you move into ownership, it’s just a whole different ballgame because now it’s you,” Sellers told the outlet. “From the minute somebody walks in the door, it’s your business, your staff; these are your patients, and that just comes with a different mindset that you have to have.” This was a long-held dream of Sellers, who aspired for ownership when she was young, her mother, Susan Weaver, told the outlet. “She’s always excelled; she’s always achieved and always had goals, and she’s always been determined to accomplish her goals,” Weaver said. Making History Sellers also makes history in her new role. She is the first Black woman in Kansas City to own an animal hospital and the...
A multi-million-dollar initiative is on the way to ensure the responsible use of AI at two HBCUs. ASCEND-AI According to a press release, Howard University and Bowie State University will benefit from a $4 million initiative called ASCEND-AI (Advancing Student and Collaborative Educator Networks for Digital AI Integration). It is led by LaTanya Brown-Robertson, associate dean for academic innovation and student success in Howard’s College of Arts and Sciences , and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. ASCEND-AI will reach about 400 undergraduate and graduate students and 50 faculty members across each campus annually to increase their AI literacy. The program seeks to strengthen its evaluation of AI-generated misinformation and hallucinations and encourage ethical use of AI. Additionally, the partnership will prepare participants to use AI for innovation and entrepreneurship. Faculty members at Howard University and Bowie State University will be trained...
A judge has partially approved claims brought forward by Black former McDonald’s executives. According to a court document, former vice presidents of the fast-food giant Victoria Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s USA, LLC; McDonald’s Corp.; Steven Easterbrook; Christopher Kempczinski; and Charles Strong, alleging employment-based discrimination. Guster-Hines spent 32 years at McDonald’s and was promoted about 15 times. This includes a 2013 promotion to quality, service, and cleanliness vice president (QSC-VP). Five years later, she began working at the company’s Dallas Field Office as an operations officer after corporate restructuring plans, which were called “Field First Restructure,” according to the document. As it relates to Neal, she has worked at the company since 2012. After five years, she was appointed QSC-VP and also transitioned to the Dallas Field Office as an operations officer during corporate restructuring. The court document noted...
Jasmine Johnson is behind a historic cannabis ecosystem in Florida. Johnson, who has a background in property management, real estate, and asset management, has embraced a business-driven mindset shaped by Miami, where she was born, and her upbringing in a family that builds and runs their own ventures. As a child, Johnson witnessed and participated in the early stages of her parents’ entrepreneurial journey in real estate, property management, and asset management, which included her mother’s acquisition of a brokerage called Frank K. Cooper Real Estate. Her parents went on to acquire and finance a 44-property portfolio they managed, and Johnson began working there day-to-day from elementary school through high school taking calls or joining her mother to collect rent, she shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. GŪD ESSENCE Today, Johnson, a Florida International University graduate, manages 25% of her family’s portfolio through Johnson Property Management Services (JPMS), which...
A judge has blocked Fawn Weaver’s bankruptcy petitions, according to The Tennessean. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, court-appointed receiver Phillip G. Young Jr. oversees the whiskey brand’s assets, including real estate holdings , intellectual property, affiliated ventures, and related entities. Weaver took to Instagram on March 17 and announced, “The receivership of Uncle Nearest is done.” The receivership had been in place since August 2025 after the company allegedly defaulted on more than $108 million in loans to its lender, Farm Credit Mid-America. “If you’ve been reading the headlines lately, you probably thought that wasn’t possible, but rest assured it always was, and it is,” Fawn said in the video. “I’m so grateful to God for our leadership team, who kept their heads down and kept working.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fawn Weaver (@fawn.weaver) Simultaneously, Fawn, Keith, and her investment holding company, Grant Sidney, filed a lawsuit against...
Aasiyah Abdulsalam is leveraging robotics to solve pain points in the wig industry. The London native, raised in Ireland by parents from Nigeria, developed scalp psoriasis at 12 years old, according to Inc. She began wearing wigs because she was losing hair “ excessively, ” she said. By default, she became acquainted with hair brokers, stylists, and specialty product manufacturers. They were useful when she was creating her own wigs or getting them installed, the outlet notes. When she became a student at the University of Leicester, her fascination for the wig industry grew. She even moved to South Korea to work at a wig factory for six months to support her dissertation, which centered on studying the “manufacturing geopolitical ties” of a consumer product. “I became obsessed,” Abdulsalam explained to Inc. The Wig Fix The dissertation’s outcome later inspired the creation of The Wig Fix in 2020, a transparent, patented, hypoallergenic silicone wig grip that can secure a wig with...
Facebook has launched a new program to place creators on a fast track to success. According to a news release, Facebook has introduced a program that will ensure creators can receive guaranteed pay and increased content reach. The program, named “Creator Fast Track,” is intended to help them scale on the social media platform. Facebook states that in 2025 alone, creators were paid nearly $3 billion, a 35% increase from 2024. The program is also in response to feedback that stated it was “daunting” for creators to transition to Facebook, the release notes. “We wanted to be able to address creators’ concerns that it would be a hard road to onboard onto Facebook and build a community from scratch and build a following,” said Yair Livne, VP of creator product at Facebook, in a briefing with reporters, according to TechCrunch. “So we set up this program to address that.” Perks for creators in the program include increased reach on eligible Reels and three months of guaranteed pay for...
Tyler Perry’s minority stake in BET+ has been acquired. Perry launched his first series with BET in 2019 and, in connection with the streaming platform, has produced more than 700 episodes, Deadline reports. His most recent deal was valued at nine figures with BET Media Group and is slated to conclude by 2028 and encompasses producing new and existing series for both BET and BET+, according to a separate article from Deadline. Perry was a minority shareholder in BET+, with his stake estimated at 25%, which would amount to tens of millions of dollars, Deadline reports. Now, Perry’s stake is being acquired by Paramount. In June, BET+ will no longer exist as a standalone streaming service, and its more than 1,000 hours of content, spanning originals, movies, and specials, will move to Paramount+ . “We share the same ambition to expand the reach of BET content, and Tyler will continue to be a valued and important partner through his overall programming agreement,” a Paramount...
A portion of Tina Turner’s historic catalog has been acquired by Pophouse Entertainment. The late singer, who died in 2023 at 83, is widely recognized as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” according to Variety. She was also a 12-time Grammy winner and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. Two years before her passing, she decided to sell her recordings, music publishing, and name and likeness rights to BMG. The deal was reportedly valued at $50 million, according to Variety. BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch called the acquisition both an honor and a responsibility that he vowed to take seriously. “Tina Turner’s musical journey has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world and continues to reach new audiences … She is truly and simply the best,” he said at the time, according to Music Week. At the time of the deal, Turner commented: “Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal. I am confident that with BMG and...
