Entrepreneur Steven Bartlett’s company Steven.com, which houses his creator media assets and ventures, has closed an eight-figure funding round to build the “Disney of the creator economy.” The round, reportedly the largest of its kind for a creator holding company in Europe, was led by Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group and puts his company’s valuation at $425 million. Bartlett, best known as the host of The Diary of a CEO podcast and a former Dragons’ Den investor, shared the news on X (formerly Twitter). Building the Platform for the Next Creator Era Founded
CBS News has disbanded its race and culture unit as part of sweeping layoffs at parent company Paramount Global that began on Wednesday. A former CBS News producer has accused the company of “race-based layoffs.” Mass Layoffs and Restructuring Last week, Paramount began laying off about 1,000 US-based workers, with plans to eliminate another 1,000 roles in the coming months. The 2,000 layoffs represent roughly 10% of the company’s global workforce. In a memo to employees, CEO David Ellison described the cuts as necessary to eliminate redundancies and “phase out roles that are no longer
Sequoia Capital’s chief operating officer, Sumaiya Balbale, stepped down from her role after partner Shaun Maguire made comments she considered Islamophobic, the Financial Times reports. In July, Maguire posted comments on X about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, stating he “comes from a culture that lies about everything. It’s literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.” Maguire later said that his critique was targeted only at Islamism (the political ideology) rather than the whole Muslim population. Sumaiya Balbale leaves Sequoia Capital Balbale, who is a
A hair-braiding robot designed to cut styling time in half has won the President’s Innovation Challenge, a startup competition organized by Harvard Innovation Labs competition. Created by Harvard Business School alumni Yinka Ogunbiyi and David Afolabi, the Halo Braid robot aims to make the centuries-old art of braiding faster, more efficient, and more affordable for both stylists and clients. The 2025 President’s Innovation Challenge Hosted at Harvard, the the President’s Innovation Challenge invites students and alumni from its 13 schools to showcase groundbreaking ideas with the potential to transform industries.
Solange Knowles’ Saint Heron has launched a free digital archival library of literature by Black and brown authors, poets, and artists. Readers can borrow rare and out-of-print books for up to 45 days, creating new pathways to access historically significant works. Improving access to Black archives Many historically significant Black material survives only in fragile, localized collections, such as archives, small presses, or personal holdings. Even when preserved by larger institutions, access is often restricted to vetted researchers with the right networks or affiliations. Saint Heron offers an alternative. By
Her Fake LinkedIn Profile Exposed Hiring Bias, Now She’s Turning Her Viral Series Into A Documentary
Aliyah Jones went viral after going undercover on LinkedIn as a white woman named Emily to expose racial bias in corporate hiring. The digital storyteller documented the eight-month experiment in her Corporate Catfish docuseries, which resonated with hundreds of thousands online. Now, she’s expanding that work into a full-length documentary exploring what it truly means to be Black in corporate America. A One-Time Experiment That Sparked a Movement “I made that fake white LinkedIn profile out of frustration but also out of grief,” Jones wrote on Kickstarter. “Because no matter
This article is sponsored by Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures. Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV) is supporting the future of innovation by backing early-stage startups and nonprofits with the capital and tools they need to scale. Building on the momentum of the Inclusive Ventures Lab and Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, MSISV has already distributed over $30 million in capital to over 130 ventures in the last eight years. MSISV is home to two tailored accelerator programs: a Lab for tech-driven startups and a Collaborative for emerging nonprofits. Both programs
The temporary surge in funding for Black startup founders after George Floyd’s murder was driven largely by investors who had never previously backed a Black entrepreneur, and most showed only surface-level support, new research from Cornell University shows. Funding returned to prior levels within two years. Cornell researchers analyzed PitchBook data on venture funding from 2020 to 2023, using algorithms and manual review to classify the race of 150,000 founders and 30,000 investors. Surge in funding in the wake of Black Lives Matter The researchers found that at the height
Rebundle, the first US-based, plant-based braiding hair company, now has a patent for its flagship innovation. In June, the brand’s founder, Ciara Imani May, announced that the company learned the United States Patent and Trademark Office approved Rebundle’s patent for its hair extension line called braidbetter. “The patent protects the core innovation behind braidbetter, giving it its unique texture, durability, and scalp comfort,” May said in an Instagram post. “For our community, it’s further proof that this product is protected, scalable, and here to stay.” Rebundle solving a solution After May
Black-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest has been hit with a $100 million lawsuit for allegedly not paying back its loans, as stated by court documents. Nearest Green Distillery, which sells Uncle Nearest premium whiskey across the US, has been accused of breaching loan agreements with its lender, according to a suit obtained by WSMV. The lawsuit has been filed by Louisville-based Farm Credit Mid-America, which accuses the company’s founders, Fawn Weaver and her husband, Keith Weaver, of breach of contract, stating that they defaulted on multiple loans, totaling $108 million, including interest. It also alleges
