Joe Budden might have gone from chart-topping rapper to podcast host, but today, he’s building a business on his own terms. The 44-year-old podcaster recently gave The New York Times a rare look into the numbers behind his booming podcast network. According to Ian Schwartzman, CEO of the Joe Budden Network, the company is projected to generate more than $20 million in 2025, the outlet reports. When A Flex Turns Into A Teachable Moment In June, Budden posted a screenshot on Instagram showing his Patreon traffic — Patreon being the fan-funded platform where his most loyal supporters subscribe for exclusive content. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the image accidentally revealed he made just over $900,000 in earnings that month, sparking headlines and internet buzz. The image showed more than 30 million visits in 30 days, per The New York Times. Budden confirmed to The New York Times that his podcast network brings in an average of $1.04 million per month through Patreon alone, based...

Despite the tumultuous landscape these days, The Gathering Spot CEO Ryan Wilson believes the tide will turn back toward prioritizing diverse communities. The U.S. has seen sweeping changes across industries. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled race-conscious admission programs at colleges and universities were no longer legal, notes NPR. In retail and big tech, companies such as Target, Walmart, Lowe’s, Meta, and Amazon pulled back on DEI commitments. At the federal level, President Donald Trump also moved to eliminate DEI programs, initiatives, and offices in the early months of his new administration, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. However, regardless of current attitudes being upheld, companies will ultimately have to include the Black community in their strategies if they hope to meet their goals, Wilson shares. “If you go back to 2021, 2022, some of these companies were falling over themselves trying to figure out how to get to Black consumers. And then now those same...

Building on the work she did at six previous funds, Himalaya Rao-Potlapally is now leading one with a focus on Black entrepreneurship. Black Founders Matter Fund Founded in 2019, the Black Founders Matter Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to investing in Black and diverse founders building solutions across a variety of sectors, including health, wealth, and economic mobility. The fund gained traction one year later following the racial justice movement caused by the murder of George Floyd. At the time, the Black Founders Matter Fund invested in A Kids Company About (founded by Jelani Memory), which launched a series of books co-authored by experts to help children navigate challenging topics such as autism, trauma, and racism. “It was a really cool business model, a really cool impactful model, and so we had invested in them. And then post-George Floyd’s murder, that book [“A Kids Book About Racism”] actually took off as one of the things that people were...

When Jo Opot was just 13 years old, she spent her school holidays managing her family’s small roadside food shack in Nairobi, Kenya. She’d start her days before sunrise cleaning vegetables and end them late, balancing the books and paying workers. “I have never worked so hard and earned so little,” she said in an interview with AFROTECH™. Those early days taught her about grit, resilience, and the struggles that small business owners face, especially women trying to make ends meet with limited support. Fast forward to today, and Opot is Founding Director of Gather Ventures, an impact fund with a mission close to her heart: investing in “ventures that both create climate resilience and drive asset creation for women and girls across Africa.” With a background that spans the United Nations, social innovation fellowships, and roles at TerraCycle and Acumen, she’s combining global experience with deep local understanding to make a difference. Why Climate Action And Women’s Empowerment...

Is a $2000 stimulus check from the IRS on the way? $2,000 Stimulus Check Over the past couple years, taxpayers have received varying stimulus checks (Economic Impact Payments) dependent on certain qualifications. Under the first Trump administration, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act ( Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) provided eligible individuals with up to $1,200, plus an additional $500 per qualifying child under age 17 in 2020, a press release mentions. Married couples were given up to $2,400, notes PhillyBurbs. Payments were reduced for those with an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000 or married couples who filed a joint return and earned $150,000. Later that year, in December 2020, a second round of payments was issued under the COVID-related Tax Relief Act, providing up to $600 to qualifying individuals; $1,200 to married couples; and $600 per child under 17. A third stimulus check was sent out in March 2021 allowing eligible...

Culture Wireless is on a mission to bring affordable internet, better coverage, and community ownership to places that need it most. When the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rescinded millions in federal broadband funds, it threatened to leave Georgia’s underserved communities further behind, according to The Current. For Culture Wireless, a Black-owned internet provider co-founded by William “Bam” Sparks (chief marketing officer), the impact was deeply personal. “Personally, it affects me because it hinders people in my community from having access,” Sparks told AFROTECH™ in an interview. “The government doesn’t understand how deeply it impacts certain neighborhoods, especially on the west side of Atlanta, where there’s a digital red line and limited access to basic tools.” For Sparks, the funding cuts weren’t just setbacks — they sparked a renewed drive to build solutions beyond traditional telecom and government efforts. Culture Wireless was created to close this...

Three Black women aim to close the racial wealth gap by building the access they want to see, launching culturally grounded, community-owned business schools by and for Detroiters. According to The Michigan Chronicle, Racheal Allen, Ebony Cochran, and Jessie Hayes are determined to build lasting infrastructure for the city’s overlooked entrepreneurs — proving that real business education isn’t just about profits; it’s about economic justice, shared knowledge, and long-term change. Ebony Cochran In June, Cochran — Michigan’s first Black woman to own a Little Caesars franchise, as AFROTECH™ r eported in 2022 — founded the Detroit Wealth Club, a 7,300-square-foot community business school on the city’s east side focused on entrepreneurship, credit literacy, financial planning, and real estate, The Michigan Chronicle reports. Offering educational programming, mentorship, peer accountability, and expert networks, Cochran calls it a movement — one she’s backed with $155,000 of her own...

Rejection led Druski to bet on himself. The comedian and content creator, born Drew Desbordes, has brought belly laughs to the masses. His content creation journey started by propping up a phone in his mother’s home. Today, the grind has led him to establish a loyal fanbase, which includes over 20 million followers, and changed the course of his life trajectory. He went from being a broke college student to being named among the 2025 Forbes’ Top Creators list  — with an estimated $14 million in earnings — all while self-funding his dreams. “A lot of those skits, you get nothing in return money wise, because it goes on TikTok or Instagram or X or Facebook. It’s a big sacrifice, but it’s worked for me so far,” Druski said during an exclusive interview with AFROTECH™. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DRUSKI (@druski) The decision to self-fund his own ventures followed after several rejections while attempting to seek a traditional deal. While he isn’t opposed to that route,...

After four years, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, founder of the clean beauty brand Ami Colé, announced on Instagram on Thursday (July 17) that she’s winding down the company. What began as a mission to create makeup that truly works for melanin-rich skin, grew into much more. It became a movement and a metaphorical home for many, just like the salon her mother once built, she noted. In the heartfelt post, N’Diaye-Mbaye called this moment “another love letter, not a goodbye.”   View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ami Colé (@byamicole) “We were a brand rooted in purpose, storytelling, and the bold celebration of who we are,” she wrote. “Let’s not forget bomb ass products!” From the earliest sketches in her Brooklyn, NY, apartment to seeing Ami Colé’s products on Sephora shelves across North America, she noted, N’Diaye-Mbaye turned a vision into reality. “This moment is bittersweet… Thank you for everything you’ve taught me about living your dreams out loud,” she wrote. She also...

Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, a founding member of TLC, revealed that the group paid $1 million per letter to reclaim the rights to their name. The total of $3 million ensured Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas retained full ownership of the TLC brand following the death of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in 2002. In a Facebook video posted by DJ Envy of “The Breakfast Club,” Watkins revealed that the band paid $1 million per letter to own the rights to their band’s name. “A million dollars per letter, honey,” she said in the video. “To buy back the name TLC.” She did not disclose from whom they purchased the rights, adding only, “You know from whom. We ain’t gonna say.” As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the monumental success of their 1994 album, “CrazySexyCool,” produced hits like “Creep” and “Waterfalls” and earned the group two Grammys. While it made TLC the first girl group at the time to achieve diamond certification, the women faced severe financial hardship shortly after. In 1995, TLC...

Chris Goode’s love for his grandmother lives on through his journey as an entrepreneur. The Kansas City, MO, native is the proud founder of the health and wellness brand Ruby Jean’s Juicery, which is making healthier food options more accessible to underserved communities. His personal call to action, and the name of the venture, was inspired by Ruby Jean, his grandmother, who stepped in to help his single mother raise four children. Ruby Jean didn’t speak much, but she showed her affection through cooking soul food, Goode explained in an interview with AFROTECH™. However, Ruby Jean developed various chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, which eventually led to her being rushed to the hospital. She later passed away after her family made the decision to remove her from life support. Goode was 14 years old at the time, and since that day, he has pledged to keep her spirit alive. “The agony in myself and my mom and my siblings and my aunts, it’s something that I would never...

NBA player Jalen Williams is paying it forward to his parents. Williams was drafted into the league in 2022 by the Oklahoma City Thunder as a 12th overall pick, notes ESPN. He was signed to a four-year rookie contract valued at $20.3 million, data from Spotrac reveals . That milestone felt like a natural next step as Williams had long believed the league was within reach due to affirmations instilled in him by his parents, according to Andscape. “I would say my parents were big on if I wanted to get to the NBA, I could,” Williams recalled to the outlet. “From when I was young, I knew what I wanted to do, so I always had a good support system in regard to that. There was never a time that I didn’t think I could.” NBA Championship Fast forward to 2025, and Williams has already secured the league’s most coveted honor as the team won the 2025 NBA Championship during Game 7 on June 22, 2025, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, NBC mentions . Williams was instrumental in the team’s stretch...

President Donald Trump is going all in on key crypto bills. His goal: to pass the first major cryptocurrency regulations in U.S. history and establish the country as the global leader in crypto. But political infighting and ethical concerns are slowing momentum. Several House Republicans have pushed back against the bills, casting doubt on what was expected to be a major legislative win, according to ABC News. GOP Infighting Halts ‘Crypto Week’ This week, House Republicans tried to move forward on several crypto-related bills, including the GENIUS Act, CLARITY Act, and Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act. The measures would define regulatory authority, set rules for stablecoins, and block a central bank digital currency. Trump backs all three and has made them a legislative priority, per ABC News. But a group of 13 hardline Republicans staged a last-minute revolt, joining some Democrats. Their protest froze House floor activity and forced leadership to cancel key votes. According to...

Chris Paul’s plant-based venture is making its way into another major retailer. In 2019, the NBA player, who was in his 15th season at the time, made the decision to adopt a plant-based diet, GQ reports. While the initial switch was performance-driven, he made the change indefinite after noticing a reduction in routine inflammation and body aches, along with improved stats on the court. “It’s been a good lifestyle change for me,” he told the outlet. Paul, who according to Spotrac has reached $400.9 million in career earnings, has also made plant-based living a central part of his business strategy. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he invested in Black-owned plant-based brand Misha’s, which is also backed by Jay-Z. In 2021, Paul also struck a deal with digital delivery service GoPuff to expand its “Better For You” product category in the interest of making plant-based products more accessible. A year later, this led to Good Eat’n being introduced with offerings such as chips,...

Jackie And Denis Asamoah are conquering the world of business hand in hand. Inception The married couple are the co-founders of FORVR Mood, a shared passion project that birthed a brand. Their company launched with distinctive candles and later expanded into a fragrance collection that includes I Am Her, You Remind Me, Hard To Get, and NDA, all intentional priced at $79. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FORVR MOOD (@forvrmood) For Jackie, it was a full-circle moment to enter an industry she believes has long been gatekept from Black founders and Black creators, she shared in an interview on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. She remembered the first beauty product she could afford was perfume — a purchase that not only helped her bond with her mother but also proved useful in managing the hyperhidrosis (a condition that causes excessive sweating unrelated to heat or exercise) she developed at age 10. “I tie it back to bonding with my mom and also attributing it to the...