Kevin Hart has been absent from his company, Hartbreak, for weeks, leaving employees worried after layoffs, according to Bloomberg. Hart has also changed his phone number since the layoffs that eliminated almost 25% of his workforce. Layoffs at Hartbeat Studios In January 2025, Hart became the CEO of his entertainment company, Hartbeat Productions. Two CEOs left the company within 15 months, while nearly 20 employees were dismissed during the same period. The CEO’s exits were due to differences of opinion over the company’s strategic direction. However, they left the company
will.i.am has completed his first semester teaching agentic AI at Arizona State University, as reported by Fox 11. The course is a credit-bearing, 15-week class open to all students; a second semester is in the works for later this year. will.i.am teaching an AI course During the course, students created their own personal companion called an agent. They presented their AI projects at the end of the course, with one student using his work to support veterans. Another student wrote a song related to the healthcare journey. “This professorship marks
Black-owned AI grocery startup Vori has raised $22 million in a series B round led by Cherryrock Capital, led by former TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot, according to Fortune. Brandon Hill launched the company in 2024, with a family history in groceries. His grandparents ran a small store in Oklahoma, and his parents worked in a grocery store during their early career years. His mother currently works at Vori. When Hill visited his parents in Minnesota in 2020, he saw how they were still using paper invoices and wholesale catalogs. This
Emma Grede recently announced on her book tour why she didn’t invest in Diarrha N’Diaye’s company, Ami Colé. On the “She’s So Lucky” podcast with host Les Alfred, Grede shared that she doesn’t back first-time founders unless she sees something “extraordinary” about both the person and the company, explaining she didn’t see that with Ami Colé. Emma Grede hiring Diarrha N’Diaya at SKIMS Whilst Grede did not think Ami Colé was worth supporting, she evidently thought she was worth hiring. After Alicia Scott of Range Beauty introduced N’Diaye to Grede,
Chris Gray, founder of the Black-owned scholarship app Scholly, is suing its acquirer, Sallie Mae, alleging that it sold data collected on the app, as reported by TechCrunch. Scholly, which allows Black students to easily search for scholarships, was acquired by Saille Mae in 2023. However, Gray is now alleging that his acquirer sold data his app collected, including information on minors, without telling users. He is also suing the company for wrongful termination. Chris Gray’s lawsuit against Sallie Mae In the lawsuit, Gray alleges that Sallie Mae fired his
Social network platform Series has raised a $5.1 million in a pre-seed round, according to TechCrunch. The round included investors such as Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Pear VC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and GPTZero founder Edward Tian. Founders Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow met at Yale after both joining the university’s Society for Aspiring Entrepreneurs. About Series Users on Series can request support from other network users, such as an entrepreneur seeking help writing a business plan. The request is made to an AI-powered agent, which Series calls the agent your “AI friend.”
The event and ticketing platform Posh has raised $37 million in Series B funding, according to Fortune. The round was led by FirstMark Capital, with participation from Causeway Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Companyon Ventures, and Epic Ventures. New York University students Avante Price and Eli Taylor‑Lemire founded Posh in 2019 after experiencing the limitations of Eventbrite. Speaking to Fortune, Price said, “I was using Eventbrite and other products to manage events, and then realized that the technology components were missing a ton of the capabilities that I needed.” About Posh Price and Taylor-Lemire, both rooted
Meek Mill has recently shared that he will be moving away from X and joining LinkedIn. In a rant on the social media platform, the rapper explained why he no longer enjoys spending time on X. “My algorithm on x is all based on war politics …. Muslim and Jewish hate … it may have started when I first started watching bombings in Gaza … I got on this app to post music connect with fans ! And with deep fake this could make your mind sick if you see
Dr. Dre is officially a billionaire, according to Forbes’ 2026 Billionaires list. The producer and music mogul is tied for 3332nd place alongside Jared Kushner, Rihanna, steel magnate Richard Teets Jr., and others. Dre sold Beats by Dre to Apple for $3 billion, making his net worth over $1 billion. Dre becomes the sixth musician to become a billionaire, joining Beyoncé and Jay-Z, as well as Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and Rihanna, according to Variety. Dr. Dre’s career Dr. Dre’s career began in Compton, California, as a rapper and producer
Nigeria’s federal government launched the iDice Startup Bridge, a two-track program giving idea-stage founders grants of up to ₦10 million ($7,215) and equity investment of $100,000 for post-MVP startups, according to Techcabal. The initiative will be executed by the Bank of Industry, with financial support from the African Development Bank, the Agence Française de Développement, and the Islamic Development Bank. iDice will be part of the wider Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) program, a federal initiative aligned with Nigeria’s digital economy agenda. “Founders Lab is a bridge that
