When Simone Biles left a Nike endorsement reportedly worth $1.6 million a month and signed with Athleta in 2021, it shocked the sports world. Biles’ move was not about money but about her values and feeling supported as an individual, Merca reported. From performance marketing to values-first partnership The four-time Olympic gold medalist exited Nike months before the Tokyo Olympics. Athleta, the Gap Inc.-owned activewear brand, offered a partnership structured around collaboration and product development. The deal included direct work with Athleta’s design team and a focus on Athleta Girl,
Pat McGrath Labs, the luxury beauty brand once valued at more than $1 billion, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as first reported by WWD. The company will continue operating as it restructures its finances, while founder Pat McGrath remains active in high‑profile creative roles across the fashion and beauty industries. A Once Billion-Dollar Brand Faces Financial Strain Founded in 2015 by British makeup artist Pat McGrath, the brand quickly built global acclaim for its bold pigments and runway-inspired artistry. In 2018, Eurazeo Brands invested $60 million for a
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is bringing his education technology startup, Lumi, into K–12 classrooms through a new partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). The collaboration launches a phased district pilot that introduces students to AI-powered storytelling tools designed to support literacy, creativity, and responsible technology use. Kaepernick’s AI Storytelling Platform Founded by Kaepernick in 2024, Lumi Story AI emerged from stealth with $4 million in seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Seven Seven Six. The platform is built to position AI as a creative assistant, helping
Darren Jason Watkins Jr, known globally as IShowSpeed, marked his 21st birthday with a historic milestone: surpassing 50 million YouTube subscribers live on stream while celebrating in Lagos, Nigeria. The achievement places IShowSpeed among a small group of creators whose audiences rival mid-size television networks. According to Black Millionaires, he is the first Black creator to reach the 50-million-subscriber mark. As the subscriber counter ticked upward during the livestream, IShowSpeed framed the moment as a collective win. “Chat, this is the best birthday gift that I could ever ask for,” he
The CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Apple have spoken out against violence involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen, in Minneapolis last weekend. Their comments come as more than 450 workers from companies including Google, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce, and OpenAI signed an open letter urging their CEOs to pressure the White House to “demand that ICE leave our cities.” The petition also calls for the immediate cancellation of all company contracts with ICE, arguing that the tech industry’s tools
Khaby Lame, the most-followed creator on TikTok, has finalized the sale of his core company, Step Distinctive Limited, in an all-stock deal widely reported at around $900 million. The buyer is Rich Sparkle Holdings, a Hong Kong–based firm that also trades in the US as ANPA.US. Under the agreement, Rich Sparkle will hold exclusive operational rights to Lame’s brand for an initial three-year period, while Lame becomes a controlling shareholder in the acquiring company. From Viral Reach to a Single Operating System Lame, who was born in Senegal and raised
Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died at the age of 95. She passed away on January 17, 2026, reportedly surrounded by family at her home in Alexandria, Virginia. West’s contributions underpin a technology now embedded in global commerce, aviation, emergency response, and everyday navigation, though her role went largely unrecognized until late in her life. From Virginia Farmland to Federal Research Born Gladys Mae Brown on October 27, 1930, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, she grew up on a small family
Steven Bartlett’s Flight Story has partnered with Dr Raphael Sofoluke, founder of the UK Black Business Show, to launch Legacy Black. The 50/50 joint venture aimed at building a global media brand focused on Black business and wealth creation. The partnership targets over £100 billion ($134 billion) of economic impact over the next decade. It emerged after Bartlett spoke at the UK Black Business Show in 2023, evolving into a media business designed to convert community into a sponsor-backed revenue model. Flight Story And UK Black Business Show Join Forces
A 13-year-old boy in the UK is paying his own boarding school fees using profits from his Caribbean food business, a venture he started at just six years old. Malaki Conteh now covers the portion of his school fees not covered by financial aid at The Prebendal School in southern England, where he attends as a full-time boarder. Tuition runs about £4,000 ($5,384) per semester, with Conteh paying the remaining balance after receiving a 50% scholarship, My London reports. Turning a Family Kitchen Into a Business Conteh runs Malaki’s Food
Three-time Grammy Award–winning artist Megan Thee Stallion has opened her first Popeyes restaurant as a franchise owner, turning a high-profile brand partnership into a direct stake in a revenue-generating business. The restaurant opened this week on Washington Avenue in South Beach, Miami, a high-traffic corridor popular with both locals and tourists. It features Megan-themed design elements and menus. From Campaign Partner to Franchise Owner Megan’s Popeyes location builds on a relationship that began in 2021, when she and the fast-food chain announced an expanded partnership that went beyond a typical celebrity
