Serena Williams wants to invest in the next trillion-dollar company with the help of her newly rebranded investment firm, Starfire Ventures. The new investment firm will focus on helping high-potential founders with access to venture funding. “We’ve just rebranded ourselves. . . . I felt like Serena Ventures is great, but I wanted it to be bigger than me. There are so many amazing people on the team, and there’s so much that we do,” Williams said in an interview with Fast Company. About Starfire Ventures Currently, Starfire has invested in 16 companies
Dr. Ayanna Howard is set to become the 12th president of the esteemed HBCU Spelman College. Howard will become the university’s roboticist and artificial intelligence expert. Additionally, her new book, Rebooting The Machines, is set for release in November. In the book, Dr. Howard acknowledges that AI will take away jobs and opportunities, but she also wants people to understand how to utilise AI to the best of its ability. The future of AI cannot depend on engineers in Silicon Valley; she argues it should come from all of us.
Dr Erica Schwartz will be the first Black woman to lead the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Senate confirmed Schwartz in a 51-44 vote on Wednesday, 5 August. Schwartz, who will run the federal agency that primarily focuses on infectious diseases, was Trump’s third nominee for the position in 18 months. Dr, Erica Schwartz becoming the first Black woman to lead the CDC Schwartz will serve during a time when the US is facing a significant rise in Measles in three decades, low childhood vaccination rates and a
A book deal from a Black author has collapsed after concerns that the writer used artificial intelligence. The manuscript Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, by Jerry Falade, was retracted from sale by its agent after receiving an offer for more than $2 million from Minotaur, owned by Macmillan US, according to The Guardian. The book, which was part of a 14-way auction, was set to publish in 2028. Jerry Falade’s book deal collapsing In an email sent to publishers viewed by the Guardian, Falade’s agents said, “Jerry Falade produced
AI operations platform Ellis AI announced it raised $10 million in seed funding from investors including First Round Capital, 645 Ventures, Harlem Capital, Khosla Ventures, Thrive Capital, Slow Capital, Kearny Jackson, and Ariel Alternatives CEO Mellody Hobson. Its founder, Ryan Williams, is known for co-creating the real estate investment platform Cadre alongside Josh and Jared Kushner in 2014. “Ellis is the first-of-its-kind AI-native operating platform for private credit,” Williams said in a LinkedIn post. “We are making institutional-grade operations available to every private credit manager, not just the largest.” About
Plans to build offices and a data center in Brick Lane, East London, have been approved. The decision was made on Wednesday 29th July by British Labour minister Matthew Pennycook on behalf of his boss, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, according to The Standard. Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said the decision is “deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity to deliver the social and affordable housing that Tower Hamlets residents urgently need.” Plans for the data center The brewery currently consists of pop-up shops, restaurants, and bars. Truman Estates owner Zeloof LLC plans
ESSENCE Ventures has announced its investment in Offscript Worldwide, the parent brand of REVOLT. ESSENCE Ventures will now have a minority stake in Revolt New Media Holdings LLC and will give Sundial founder and Chairman Richelieu Dennis a seat on the board. This deal brings together two of the largest Black-owned media portfolios in the US. Both companies have portfolios that include music, women’s lifestyle, beauty, creators, sports and gaming and live experiences. “This investment is about continuing the momentum both organizations have built and creating the scale to compete
Beyoncé now has full ownership of SirDavis American Whisky. SirDavis becoming a Black-owned company The brand was released with Moët Hennessy (the wine and spirits arm of LVMH) in 2024. “SirDavis starts its new independent chapter after a nearly four-year transformative collaboration through creation, development and launch,” a SirDavis spokesperson said, as per Global Drinks Intel. “Knowles-Carter … takes full ownership and control, making SirDavis a woman, family and Black-owned company. She builds on the tradition of creating and running her companies, built from the ground up.” About SirDavis SirDavis
The number of ethnic minorities and women appointed to S&P 500 corporate boards has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade. This data comes from new research by executive search firm Spencer Stuart, with Reuters interviews delving into the topic further. This comes after President Trump revoked a six-decade-old executive order that prohibited workplace discrimination by federal contractors. Low level of ethnic minorities and women in S&P 500 Research from Spencer Stuart found that only 40% of the 364 new independent directors selected for S&P 500 boards
Darren Jason Watkins Jr, also known as IShowSpeed, has purchased a warehouse near West Little River for content creation for nearly $11 million. The 26,600-square-foot industrial building is on a 1.8-acre lot at 8700 Northwest Seventh Avenue, as per sources close to the deal. IShowSpeed buying a warehouse for content creation The building, which is painted all black, including its windows, appears to be connected to Limited Spec Automotive, a used-car dealership specializing in luxury vehicles The seller paid $8 million for the property in 2022, purchasing it from nonprofit Miami
