There’s a billboard in Detroit promoting The Lip Bar, a business Melissa Butler launched 10 years ago: “Shark Tank told me to quit. 10 years and 2 million units sold. Thanks, Mr. Wonderful.” That moment on the show when “Mr. Wonderful,” whose real name is Kevin O’Leary, and other investors harshly rejected Butler’s products didn’t stop her because she knew the investors were not the customers she was targeting. She has previously told media that she knew her customer base and she was determined to press forward. The Lip Bar celebrated its 10th year of operation with
Labor leader and fired Amazon worker Chris Smalls, who recently revealed that workers at dozens of Amazon facilities have contacted him because they need support, said he was disheartened by Jeff Bezos’s inaction. On The Breakfast Club this morning, Smalls, who has garnered widespread support from celebrities and workers after he was let go by the firm, spoke about the conditions Amazon workers worked in during the Covid pandemic. He claimed that when he worked as a supervisor for the firm – his team didn’t have any PPE or cleaning
Timnit Gebru, a widely respected leader in AI ethics research, is known for co-authoring a groundbreaking paper that showed facial recognition to be less accurate at identifying women and people of color, which means its use can end up discriminating against them. Gebru, who recently founded her own firm, an independent artificial intelligence research institute, was awarded $3.7 million in funding after she was fired by Google. And now she’s been cited as a case study by Harvard Business School’s research team in a new paper that details her experiences being ‘silenced’ by
Back in April 2021, João Gualberto, the district mayor of Mata de São João, held an in-person auction letting Brazilian technology companies bid for a contract to supply facial recognition technology for the public school system. The $162,000 tender was won by PontoiD, and in July that year, two public schools — João Pereira Vasconcelos and Celia Goulart de Freitas — began secretly rolling out the facial recognition system, without informing parents or students in advance, according to research by Rest Of World. Students were registered on the system, which
It seems Meek Mill isn’t the only one that wants to tag team with Elon Musk in buying Twitter – Snoop Dogg has jumped on the scene and expressed his interest. Elon Musk is set to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share, which equates to approximately $44 billion, and last week we reported Meek Mill wanted a slice of the pie after the rapper tweeted: “Elon musk let us invest in Twitter with you “big homie” It doesn’t seem like Elon has responded to Meek yet but Snoop Dogg was
After opening a pop-up in Westfield London last year, Black Pound Day is now set to open a permanent store in the shopping center. Black Pound Day founder, Swiss of So Solid Crew, announced the opening of the permanent store on social media. “This is an absolute special one for us because we are proud to officially say, we have signed a permanent lease to trade at Westfield London, the biggest shopping center in Europe, and we couldn’t have done it without You!!!!” Swiss wrote. The launch of the pop-up
Recently, Esusu, a firm that builds the accountability and systems you need to save more, joined the list of growing Black-led startups that have hit the $1 billion valuation mark and it got me thinking…how many of you know that there are quite a few unicorns that have been led by Black founders or CEOs? So here’s a small but mighty list that might act as a source of inspiration to you. Firstly – a “Unicorn” is a venture capital term used to describe firms that have achieved a valuation of more than
Black people have a significant legacy in the scientific and engineering fields. It’s important to remember and honor that legacy and highlight the brilliant work done by Black people – both past and present. Though this list is by no means complete, below are five scientists, engineers, and inventors whose work we all should know. Jerry Lawson – past The self-taught engineer helped create the Fairchild Channel F, the first home video game system that could play interchangeable games. Previously, video arcade machines played just a single game, but Lawson’s
Precious Drews’ personal story is one of perseverance and passion. She’s the second youngest of eight children and first became an entrepreneur in middle school – making YouTube videos for her favorite artists in exchange for easy money. Although she didn’t consider herself an entrepreneur – anyone that hears her story can be quick to identify her as a natural-born leader. She was also the first in her family to go to college and later start her own small business – a natural skin care line that uses recycled coffee
Chicago teenager, Zaire Horton, will be embarking on a solo trip in his motor glider with plans to visit seven HBCUs that were influential in teaching pioneering Black pilots during World War II. By age 14, Horton was learning how to fly a motor glider and by 15 – he was able to soar the skies solo. When he turned 16, he obtained his glider pilot’s license and at 17 Horton expects to receive his private pilot and aeromechanics license before graduating from high school. According to CBS News, the teen pilot started
