Ep. 168 Lanny Smith is founder and CEO at Actively Black and Active Faith, both wildly successful athleisure brands doing numbers. An unlikely fashion mogul, Lanny is a former college star basketball player and pro athlete, but this wasn’t the road he chose, but, he’s found his path. On this episode, Lanny speaks with AfroTech’s Will Lucas about the fresh lane of athleisure, how he’s creating a movement, and building a table versus asking for a seat. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Fo...
Jun 04, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Ep. 167 Dr. Nashlie Sephus is the Applied Science Manager for the Amazon AI team focusing on fairness in AI. Based in Atlanta, she formally led the Amazon (A9) Visual Search and AR teams, which launched Part Finder, the visual search tool for replacement parts) on the Amazon Shopping App in 2018. The team for Part Finder came from from Atlanta-based startup Partpic in 2016, where she was the CTO. Dr. Sephus received her Ph.D. from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the Ge...
May 28, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 20
Ep. 166 Kobie Fuller is General Partner at Upfront Ventures. He’s got deep expertise in enterprise SAAS and frontier technologies including AR/VR. Previously, he was Chief Marketing Officer at REVOLVE, one of the largest global fashion e-commerce players based in Los Angeles. He’s got deep interest in artificial intelligence, and he’s placing bets on startups building in the space - even building some projects of his own. On this episode, Kobie speaks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about frontier t...
May 21, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Ep. 165 Ryan Leslie is a Grammy nominated musician and producer, and founder at SuperPhone which helps creatives and businesses increase engagement, drive revenue, and build better relationships with SMS / MMS marketing. On this episode, Ryan talks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about the economics of the music industry, why artists are selling their catalogs, and how creatives get wealthy. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney , @btgmpodcast ...
May 14, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Ep. 164 Isaac Hayes III is on a mission to change social media forever. With his Fanbase app, he’s empowering content creators to monetize and own their contributions to the cultural conversation. His commitment to creating an equitable landscape for the next generation of social media users has grown Fanbase to $100 Million + valuation, ad he’s the first black man in history to raise $9.2 Million Dollars in seed funding on StartEngine in a Reg CF campaign. And, he’s currently in the middle of a...
May 07, 2024•34 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Ep. 163 Ben Holmes is Vice President, Enterprise Credit Risk Management at Wells Fargo and was previously an Assistant VP at Bank of America. He also runs Boardroom Vision which was created to help the everyday Black families learn financial literacy. Ben talks with AfroTech’s Will Lucas on stage at Winston Salem State University for our Financial Literacy HBCU Roadshow, presented by State Farm. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney Learn ...
Apr 30, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Ep. 162 Aaron Samuels is Founder and Managing Partner of Collide Capital a $66M fund, so far, which is the first VC fund simultaneously backed by Amazon, Alphabet, and Twitter. He’s also co-founder and served as COO at Blavity, the largest global Black Media company for Millennials and Gen-Z, and AfroTech, the largest Black Tech conference in the world. He began his career as a spoken word artist before working at Bain & Co. as a strategy consultant and TeleSign as a Product Manager. On this...
Apr 23, 2024•31 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Alphonso David has committed his life to actualizing a more just and equitable world. Currently, he’s President & CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, focused on reimagining what diversity, equity, inclusion, and opportunity looks like in global workspaces and marketplaces, as well as achieving the notion of economic justice for the Black diaspora globally. The Global Black Economic Forum engages business executives, policy makers, entrepreneurs, activists, and consumers globally on thoug...
Apr 16, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Ep. 160 D’Seanté Parks is founder and CEO of 1000 MORE, an app that makes it easier for people from underrepresented communities, like the ones she’s from, to engage in politics — a topic that is super important to everyone’s well-being and growth but often difficult to participate in. Her app provides digestible nonpartisan summaries of legislation coming up for a vote, written in a way that doesn’t require a law degree to understand. You can also find the popular arguments for and against bill...
Apr 09, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Ep. 159 J. Byron is the Lead Developer at Woodlawn Central, a $900 million economic development project on Chicago’s South Side. The massive project will include a boutique hotel, call and data center, residential buildings, theater, urban farm and microgram. And, there are plans to integrate a lot of technology like AI, AR, and VR to assist with the community health, safety, education and tourism aspects of the project. And, they’re developing with the community, not in spite of it — this proje...
Apr 02, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Ep. 158 John and Mike Burns, known as The Burns Brothers are serial entrepreneurs with companies in a variety of verticals like organizational culture & diversity, marketing, pr& events, hospitality and lifestyle. You may have heard of their companies like Manchester Park, a creative agency, HQ House, which is a social club, or Koi Collective, a DEI strategy firm. John is an attorney by trade and community activist. Mike is a seasoned executive, coach, and former Army officer. On this ep...
Mar 26, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Ep. 157 Jarvis Sam is the Founder and CEO at The Rainbow Disruption where the mission is to partner with organizations to develop practical solutions that champion DEI in the workplace and enable systemic progress where authenticity, empathy, growth mindset, and transparency are celebrated. Previously, he was Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer at Nike. On this episode, Jarvis speaks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about how to know when we've been successful at DEI efforts, how to build c...
Mar 19, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Ep. 156 Andrew Hawkins, aka Hawk, is a former NFL wide receiver, having played 6 seasons in the league with teams like Bengals, the Browns, and the Patriots. Today, he’s a media personality AND co-founder at Status Pro, an athlete led technology company, which makes software for training and consumer entertainment. On this episode, Hawk speaks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about how to secure A-List celebrity investors, NFL contracts, and the future of VR gaming. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @...
Mar 12, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Ep. 155 Andrew McCaskill is a communications executive with 20 years of experience delivering award-winning communications and PR campaigns at Fortune 500 companies and highly successful technology start-ups. He was SVP of Global Communications and Multicultural Marketing at Neilsen, Head of D&I, Global Sales & marketing at Facebook, is an investor and advisor at Culture Genesis, and is a Career Expert & Global Communications at LinkedIn. He’s also PR Week's Top 40 Under 40. Follow W...
Mar 05, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Ep. 154 Drew Henson is an award-winning designer, entrepreneur and founder of twenty2b, a lifestyle and technology product design studio based in Toronto, Canada, founder/CEO of SEAM Technic, an IoT personal safety platform, and founder of TOQi, a cannabis accessory technology company. Armed with both a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics from The University of Saskatchewan and a Masters in Industrial Design from Italy, Drew balances the requirements of both fields naturally in any design strategy. On ...
Feb 27, 2024•42 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Ep. 153 Jehron Petty is Founder and CEO at ColorStack, a non-profit collegiate organization that helps Black and Latinx Computer Science students get degreed and hired. When he was at Cornell, he worked as an intern at google, and later turned them down for a full-time role to start his own entrepreneurial journey. On this episode, Jehron talks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about the pipeline for Black talent, personal branding while still in school, and overcoming barriers to Black students not gr...
Feb 20, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Ep. 152 Culture Wireless is a Black owned internet service provider which delivers fast, reliable, affordable internet solutions. Jerome Howard is Chief Operating Officer, working to empower communities with high-quality and affordable internet service. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @willlucas Learn more at AfroTech.com https://instagram.com/afro.tech Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 13, 2024•33 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Ep. 151 This episode features a fireside chat with Dennis Cail of Zirtue, and Abim Kolawole of Northwestern Mutual. Dennis Cail is the founder and CEO of Zirtue, a fintech company pioneering in the $200 billion relationship-based lending market segment by automating the loan process between family and friends with payments going directly to designated creditors. Northwestern Mutual’s For two decades, Abim Kolawole has held numerous leadership positions at Northwestern Mutual. Now, he serves as c...
Feb 06, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Ep. 150 Brandon Butler is Partner + Chief Culture & Innovation Officer @ Majority // CEO @ Butter.ATL, an Atlanta-based media company covering all things Atlanta, from sports and news to food and music. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @willlucas Learn more at AfroTech.com https://instagram.com/afro.tech Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 30, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Ep. 149 Permissionless often refers to public blockchains that allow anyone to participate in validating and mining transactions as well as using the system to buy, sell and trade assets. Wealth and Success are also permissionless. You don't need anyone's approval to go after your dream, start your company, or invest in your future. Since you don't need it, don't wait for it. Just GO and figure things out along the way. There is no playbook for you to specifically find your success in advance. T...
Jan 23, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Ep. 148 In the season we celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I wanted to introduce you to a lesser known character in his life that played a massive impact. The story of A.G. Gaston is one that, when you look closely, represents the power of Black wealth and entrepreneurship, allowing us to use our resources to make the changes we wish to see in the world. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @willlucas Learn more at AfroTech.com https://instagram.com/afro.tech Se...
Jan 17, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Ep. 147 Necessary to start your year off with this episode; 'A life worth living is worth recording'. These are words to live by, from a great entrepreneur and speaker. On this episode, Will Lucas, Brand Manager for AfroTech and Black Tech Green Money discusses why you should put in the work to document your journey via a personal journal, blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, and how your story has value to both your audience and future-you. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram at @willlucas Learn more ...
Jan 09, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 54
Ep. 147 Randall Yarborough is a multidisciplinary designer with professional experience in sporting equipment, apparel, and footwear. He was Senior Footwear Designer at YEEZY, working under Ye (Kanye West), and recently launched his own company, Joyshed, an athletic shorts brand. On this episode, Randall speaks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about the technical aspects of design and how to balance moving fashion design forward artistically while still driving market demand. Follow Will Lucas on Inst...
Jan 02, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 53
Ep. 146 Alphonzo "Phonz" Terrell is founder and CEO at Spill, and Kenya Parham is Global VP, Community & Partnerships at the culture-first social media app. At launch, Spill jumped to the top of the app store and still maintains a formidable position. On this episode, Phonz and Kenya speak with AfroTech's Will Lucas about how Spill makes a lasting impression in the social media landscape, why we needed another social media platform, and how they knew how much money to raise. Follow Black Tec...
Dec 26, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 52
Ep. 145 Cliff Worley is an accomplished marketing leader and growth advisor to startups. As Sr. Director of Portfolio Growth Marketing at Kapor Capital, he provides strategic coaching to help VC-backed companies effectively go to market and scale customer acquisition. He also currently stands at the forefront of artificial intelligence, speaking nationally to audiences on his secrets to leveraging AI. This conversation took place at the 2023 Annual Meeting of HOPE Global Economic Forum in Atlant...
Dec 19, 2023•32 min•Season 4Ep. 51
Ep. 144 Jon Viard is Program Lead of the SARE Task Force at Northwestern Mutual, which stands for Sustained Action for Racial Equity. Prior to leading SARE, Jon was Senior Director of Centralized Supervision at Northwestern Mutual. SARE encompasses an accelerator in NM’s ongoing commitment to fight racism, prejudice and social injustice in all forms and focuses on making bold, long-term, positive impact within black communities. Through SARE, they are supporting black entrepreneurship, black sma...
Dec 12, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Ep. 143 Your tech stack is the set of applications you use to operate your business. As you grow, your needs are certainly going to evolve, and what worked for you at one level, may not be the best fit for you at future levels. This episode offers a few categories and concepts you should consider as we approach the end of the year regarding the technology you use to run your business, no matter what industry you're in. In many cases, EOY is the best time of year to consider which software, apps,...
Dec 05, 2023•33 min•Season 4Ep. 49
Ep. 142 We’re taught to give things our best. But what if, with respect to business and ideas in the beginning, that’s the absolute worst thing you should do? My goal is that, by the end of this episode, not only are you convinced that you may not need to dive in with both feet, but also that you have an idea of what you should do next in exercise of validating your business ideas. This episode is about building your MVP: Minimum Viable Product. I hope you gain a lot of insights and inspiration ...
Nov 28, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 48
We are living in the days where the people who beg for forgiveness vs. ask for permission are going to be in position to succeed. If you’re waiting for the perfect time to start your thing, you’ll be at a disadvantage. There's a lot going on in AI as of late. The stuff happening, both in the actual tech as well as in the ecoystem of AI, is at a fever pitch. Things that used to play out over months are now happening in a matter of hours. It's time to bust a move if you're 'bout it. Jessica O. Mat...
Nov 21, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 47
Ep. 140 It is not uncommon or irregular for someone stop me at some point during my day, at least once a week, with a request for advice on a business concept or even a business move. I’m ok with that. This episode isn’t about making your first million. This episode isn’t about how to scale and sell your thing to people all over the world. Neither is it about how to raise money. This episode is about how to start. I hope you gain a lot of insights and inspiration from it! Follow Will Lucas on In...
Nov 14, 2023•28 min•Season 4Ep. 46
