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Wally Sajimi has built a solid reputation as a creative strategist, innovator, and tech founder whose work sits at the intersection of fashion, culture, and experimental technology. As the co-founder of Nietzsche Labs, a New York-based venture studio built on experimentation and the pursuit of unconventional ventures that often emerge from unexpected places, Sajimi believes in challenging the status quo — even when the end result isn’t clear early on, he shared with AFROTECH™. Inspired by his time reading Friedrich Nietzsche, the studio serves as a growing umbrella for ideas, projects, and investments across multiple disciplines. For Sajimi, it’s about fluency, not dilution. How Nietzsche Labs Came To Be “I spent time at the intersection of music, fashion, and technology — watching trends get identified, monetized, and commodified by people who didn’t originate them. I wanted to build something that moved differently,” Sajimi told AFROTECH™, reflecting on how Nietzsche Labs came to...
For Justin Laboy, it’s all about ownership. Laboy was raised as the youngest of five siblings in Queens, NY, and his lived experience made him competitive and highly motivated, he shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. He admitted he didn’t have much growing up, but sports became his roadmap to opportunity. He played basketball at a private high school and later at ASA College during the 2011–2012 season before a brief stint with KK Pelister Bitola Basketball Club in Macedonia. When Laboy returned home from playing overseas, he began promoting parties at New York nightclubs that often sold out. He was making several thousand dollars a week and learning the ropes of marketing in the process, he told AFROTECH™. “To get people to an event is difficult … I was able to convince people to do that … I’m really good at gathering people and starting conversations,” he noted. Revolt Being a gatherer also translated into his online presence. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Laboy shared...
Five Black designers are redefining denim through a bold collaboration between Gap and Harlem’s Fashion Row (HFR) that pushes boundaries and celebrates individuality. Launched on Feb. 13, 2026, the 20-piece collection is available on Gap.com and in select Gap store locations, according to a news release. The collection features styles ranging from $98 to $148. The five designers — Daveed Baptiste of Daveed Baptiste, LaTouché of LaTouché, Igdaliah Pickering of IGDALYAH, Waina Chancy of Atelier Ndigo, and Nicole Benefield of Nicole Benefield Portfolio — each present a four-piece capsule. Every collection highlights the designer’s distinct approach to artistry, construction, and material innovation, the news release states. Together, they transform denim into wearable art that merges storytelling, heritage , craft, and individuality, it notes. “Denim has always been central to Gap’s place in culture,” Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of the Gap brand, said in a statement. “This...
Entrepreneur and multidisciplinary artist Temi Coker — whose clients have included Google , Netflix, and Adobe, according to his website — is using culturally resonant art and sustainable, innovative methods to redefine how art, heritage, and home design intersect. Known for creating designs that celebrate both his Nigerian roots and African American identity, Coker has transformed his artistic vision into the 18-piece Temi Coker Home Collection, available exclusively at Walmart. Centered on his family — his wife and two children — the collection embraces emerging technologies at a time when many view them as a threat, while emphasizing duality and honoring the multiple facets of Coker’s identity. Each piece creates space for others to see themselves reflected in the work. “Being able to bring in technology as a tool to solve a problem, I think that’s what it should be used for,” Coker told AFROTECH™. As a business owner and product founder, he sees technology not as a replacement...
Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredricks was fired for pursuing his dreams, and it’s paid off. The comedian reflected on his journey in a post on X following his appearance at the 2026 American Black Film Festival Honors, where he served as a host. He stated, “I used to work at the bank. Now look at me.” The initial post sparked mixed reactions, as some perceived that he was criticizing 9-to-5 workers. He clarified that he doesn’t look down on full-time jobs, pointing to several benefits that include financial and healthcare stability, 401(k)s, and holiday pay, but added further nuance that he had been fired from the bank for his desire to be in the entertainment industry.” There is nothing wrong with working at the bank 9-to-5. I specifically got fired from that bank for specifically saying I want to be an entertainer. Now that wasn’t wise of me. I know that now,” he admitted in the video shared on X. “I kind of knew it when I told my wife, ‘They asked me what my dreams were at a one-on-one...
Hannah Bronfman is opening up about her experience as a first-time fund manager. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Bronfman became an angel investor in 2017. She is also a content creator who has been working in social media for over a decade, with 148.7 million followers and 6.6 million likes on TikTok alone. This also afforded her a unique opportunity to be gifted equity in companies in exchange for marketing, she noted at AFROTECH™ Conference 2024. She has invested in more than 70 companies, including Monte’s Fine Foods, Golde, and Topicals. Conteur Capital Now, Bronfman is entering new territory in the world of investing, becoming a first-time fund manager. She is a general partner at Conteur Capital, an investment firm focused on women’s health, technology, and health services. Bronfman offers a candid look at her journey in the new Amazon documentary series, “ The CEO Club” , where viewers get a front-row seat to her efforts to raise $40 million in capital for the venture...
Now is a better time than ever to bet on yourself — at least according to Joel Roache. The former mechanical engineer and now full-time content creator did just that when he applied for — and went on to become the first-ever grand prize winner of — Stan’s “Dare To Dream” Challenge in 2025, taking home $120,000. Stan Store is an all-in-one, creator-focused e-commerce platform, according to its website. For his submission video sharing his dream, Roache spotlighted his company, Creative Minds, a Christian-led retreat that brings creators together for several weeks to focus on connection — an element that has been central to his journey into content creation from the very beginning. “Creation as a whole, being a creative person and trying to pursue that over standard living, is very uncommon. It’s very, very, very lonely,” Roache shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. “So I wanted to talk about the pursuit of finding people who are more similar. It’s the one thing that I think is kind...
Crystal Nicole never imagined she could build a career as a content creator. Nicole’s foray into content creation started while attending the University of New Orleans, she told AFROTECH™. She studied civil engineering, a field encouraged by her mother, after originally aspiring to study fashion and design. Her mother believed there was no “true career” in those creative fields, ultimately steering Nicole toward a more traditional course of study. “She said, ‘You have cousins who are engineers, why don’t you look up engineering?’ I also am a math head; I love math. So it wasn’t a terrible idea … And I found the one sector of engineering that felt the most [like] design, and that was civil,” she told AFROTECH™. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll be designing buildings or highways instead of clothes.'” While pursuing her studies, Nicole was also navigating her natural hair journey. She had a relaxer for more than a decade and was going to a hairstylist every two weeks before she decided to go...
TikTok will remain operational in the United States following an agreement by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance , to create a majority American-owned joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. The company announced the deal’s finalization in a news release on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, averting a potential U.S. ban on the popular social media platform. The deal allows more than 200 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses “to continue to discover, create, and thrive as part of TikTok’s vibrant global community and experience,” per the release. “The majority American-owned Joint Venture will operate under defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurances for U.S. users,” the news release states. Under the agreement, three managing investors — including cloud computing company Oracle , private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX — will each hold a 15%...
Content creator Khaby Lame has just made a major move that will ensure his global presence is long-lasting. Lame was the 10th-highest-earning creator of 2025, earning $20 million, according to Forbes. The TikToker, who was once a factory worker in Chivasso, Italy, has found success by creating content without saying a word, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “You should not be in a rush to make money,” Lame said, according to Forbes. “Start by making the content you like.” Content creation has led Lame to work with major Hollywood studios and secure brand deals with Hugo Boss, Holafly, LEGO, Mr. Pink Beverages, and more, per AFROTECH™. He has at least 360 million followers across social media, and he is viewed as a “global-tier traffic entrance,” driving attention in many major regions at once, say industry observers, according to a Jan. 11 press release. Rich Sparkle Holdings, a Hong Kong-based company that also trades in the U.S. under ANPA.US, is looking to propel Lame’s brand...
IShowSpeed hit a major milestone for his 21st birthday. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, IShowSpeed, born Darren Jason Watkins Jr., caught the streaming bug while in high school, and he never looked back, even amid pushback from his mother after his first stream went viral with 30,000 views. “My sophomore year, I kind of gave up on school. I kind of gave up on everything that I had in my old life and just put everything on my stream. I streamed every day. I didn’t care about nothing else except YouTube streaming,” IShowSpeed said on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast with Shannon Sharpe. By the time he was 16, he had already become a millionaire, per AFROTECH™. Forbes reported that IShowSpeed’s streams started primarily around him playing video games such as “NBA 2K,” and in 2023, he took his streams worldwide, beginning in Europe and then Southeast Asia. In Indonesia alone, he made history during a single livestream, garnering 1 million concurrent viewers, the outlet noted. “When I...
Zoe Saldaña is approaching a milestone that few actors in film history have reached, and the moment is arriving with both statistical weight and cultural resonance. According to USA Today, the Afro-Dominican actress has officially surpassed Samuel L. Jackson to become the second-highest-grossing actor of all time, with her films earning approximately $15 billion worldwide. She now trails only Scarlett Johansson, whose box office total stands at roughly $15.4 billion. With “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continuing to perform well, that gap is narrowing fast. The Road To No. 1 The latest installment in the blockbuster franchise she’s been a part of from the beginning has been a key driver of that momentum, opening up to $88 million domestically and quickly surpassing $760 million worldwide. As with previous installments, the film’s global staying power has positioned Saldaña to continue climbing the all-time rankings in the weeks ahead. Currently, the top-grossing spot belongs to Scarlett...
Black creators are weighing in with their thoughts regarding TikTok’s recent sale. As previously reported by AFROTECH™ , TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance Ltd., must be sold to U.S. investors or risk being banned. More than 170 million Americans use the platform. On Dec. 18, tech company Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and investment firm MGX reached a deal to form a new entity that will control the U.S. TikTok app. The deal still requires regulatory approval from China and is expected to close Jan. 22, 2026. The platform has been especially beneficial for entrepreneurs selling products through TikTok Shop and creators such as Golloria George, who has 3.3 million followers on the platform and 170.2 million likes (at the time of this writing). The beauty creator has used her platform to advocate for greater representation of darker shades among brands and across the beauty industry. @golloria definetly feel like it gave me more warmth than shadow ♬ original sound –...
Beauty trend setter Pat McGrath is exploring an asset sale of her beauty company. Pat McGrath Labs was founded in 2015 and launched its first product, Gold 001, a gold-pigmented mixing liquid used on eyes, lips, limbs, or lashes. It “sold out in record-breaking time” following its launch on social media, according to the brand’s website. One thousand units sold on the site in six minutes, Modaes reported. The brand is sold at retailers including Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Bluemercury, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Revolve, and Selfridges, notes the brand’s website. At Selfridges, it became the retailer’s best-selling beauty brand after launching in stores in April 2019. McGrath’s makeup looks have also appeared on runways for Dior, Prada, Gucci, and Balenciaga, per Pat McGrath Labs. McGrath has served as British Vogue’s beauty editor-at-large since 2017, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. In 2018, Pat McGrath Labs reached a $1 billion valuation, supported by a $60 million investment from...
DeAndre Brown didn’t expect to make money as a content creator at the start of his journey. Brown has built a following around his trademarked persona, The Corporate Baddie®, which highlights how Gen Z is navigating the workforce while prioritizing their work-life boundaries and mental health. He has 1.1 million followers and 76.5 million likes on TikTok alone. This year, his partnerships include Vaseline, La Roche-Posay, and Delta. @imdrebrown The best part of being a SkyMiles Member? I’m earning miles with @delta just by living my life ✨ #deltapartner ♬ original sound – DeAndre Brown His first brand deal was with LinkedIn, and his biggest brand deal with CVS led to an $80,000 payday, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Brown admitted he initially didn’t expect to make money from social media. “I didn’t expect to make money from this when I was doing it at first. I didn’t expect it to become a business,” he admitted on the “Awf The Record” podcast hosted by journalists Mona Kosar...