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Athletic champions Naomi Osaka and LeBron James have announced the launch of their new media production company, Hana Kuma.  Hana Kuma, founded by the four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka and NBA legend LeBron James, will produce documentaries, feature television shows, and anime programs for a global audience. The production company will primarily focus on highlighting stories from marginalized groups yet to be covered by mainstream media outlets.  “I’ve built my career taking a different approach than others around me,” Naomi Osaka said in an Instagram post. “Because my journey has

22-year-old Khaby Lame (@khaby.lame) has officially become the most-followed person on TikTok after accumulating 142.8 million followers on the platform, ultimately making him the official king of TikTok.  Khaby Lame, who first joined the app in March 2020, managed to cultivate a cult-like following in just over a year without saying a word. Over the past few weeks, his fans across the world launched a social media hashtag (#KhabyToNumberOne) to push him past TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio, who previously held the top spot with 142.3 million followers.  “I don’t care

After weeks of speculation about a leaked draft opinion that indicated that abortion would no longer be guaranteed as a federal right but instead left up to the states to decide, the United States Supreme Court has officially overturned Roe v. Wade. The move will allow more than half of states to ban abortion, with an immediate and enduring impact on tens of millions of Americans. The court decided there is no constitutional right to abortion in a case called Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In reaching that decision, the conservative-majority

Jenna Wills, a former vice president at Afresh, filed a lawsuit against the company in April. Wills, who is Black, alleges she faced racial discrimination at the grocery-software startup. But an Afresh spokesperson said that Wills’ race was not taken into account in her termination. Here’s what happened. Wills joined Afresh in June 2021. Joining the startup was an easy decision for her because she was inspired by what they were building and their “incredible” mission to use artificial intelligence to help grocery stores order just the right amount of

London-based venture capital firm, Octopus Ventures, has launched its first £10 million ($12 million) pre-seed fund to support fresh startups in the fintech and health sectors. The firm, founded in 2007, works to fill the growing gap in early pre-seed funding for European founders.  Kirsten Connell and Maria Rotilu, veterans of Seedcamp and Uber, will lead the company’s first-ever investment fund. They will bring their extensive experience and knowledge of growing firms from the beginning to the job, enabling them to work closely with start-ups in their early years.  Octopus

Olympian Allyson Felix‘s footwear brand Saysh, co-founded by her brother and business partner Wes Felix,  has secured an $8 million investment in its series A funding round.  The funding round led by Iris Ventures, with participation from Redpoint Ventures saw Gap Inc. acquire an equity stake in Saysh. Additionally, Athleta, a subsidiary of Gap Inc., has agreed to showcase Saysh footwear on their website in partnership with the footwear brand. The news comes after Allyson Felix announced her departure from Nike in 2021, due to claims the company was not doing enough to support pregnant female athletes and

Snapchat has officially launched ‘The Black Creator Accelerator,’ a mentorship program to help emerging talent jumpstart their careers.  The scheme which falls under Snapchat’s content-accelerator program, 523, will see the social networking app invest $3 million into emerging Black creators. In addition, participants will learn creative skills and knowledge to help them pursue successful careers.  Snapchat’s announcement follows similar actions by other tech companies who have decided to help bridge the gap and create an industry that reflects the diversity within our communities.  “The launch of this accelerator program is part of

Entrepreneurs Daa’iyah Fogle, a Claflin University alumnus, and Malcolm Lee, a graduate of Virginia Union University, are the winners of the NBA Foundation’s first-ever pitch competition in partnership with Black Girl Ventures. The joint competition, held in Cleveland, allowed college-aged entrepreneurs from HBCUs across the US to participate and pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges. The entrepreneurs eligible to participate in the competition were all Black Girl Ventures’ NextGen Program members. The scheme was created to support the next generation of Black and brown business leaders attending

YouTube has officially opened grant applications for the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund Class of 2023. The $100 million funds will amplify and nurture Black voices in the creator community.  The grant program, which the video platform first launched in 2020, was primarily designed to help support and nurture Black creators and artists, from musicians and lawyers to gamers and fitness instructors.  The scheme has welcomed over 300 grantees from the United States, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, and Nigeria in just over two years. The program has not

After shooting his music video “House I Built in the metaverse, Snoop Dogg has decided to explore a series of new ventures.  According to a tweet by trademark attorney Michael Kondoudis, Snoop Dogg, real name Calvin Broadus, applied for new trademarks for his new digital cannabis project.   The musician filed a claim under the brand names “UNCLE SNOOP” and “UNCLE SNOOP’s.” The virtual business will provide various products, including virtual clothing, headwear, footwear, energy drinks, and pre-rolled hemp cigarettes. Users can also purchase virtual cannabis and downloadable cannabis products authenticated

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