Imagine being in an audience and waiting to hear from your favorite speakers. The house lights go dim, the spotlight cranks up and from the silence emerges the sounds from “This is Me,” the inspirational and audacious track from the 2017 film, “The Greatest Showman.” This setup is the dream of the COO and co-founder of StartupStarter, Lorel Scott. Scott has unapologetically busted into the business sector to change the narrative around business education and level the playing field for people of color seeking to advance their businesses. Proudly representing the intersectionality of being a Black gay man, Scott understands the nuances and challenges that exist for business leaders of historically underrepresented communities. This is where StartupStarter enters the chat.

After years of investing on his own, Nigerian angel investor Olumide Soyombo is launching his own venture to support African-based startup companies. According to TechCrunch, Soyombo — a known high profile angel investor in Nigerian tech and African startups — today has announced the launch of Voltron Capital — a Pan-African venture capital firm co-founded with Abe Choi — which will invest in pre-seed and early-stage companies in Africa. The outlet also reports that Soyombo’s goal for the new firm — which aims to start off with 30 startup investments — is to ultimately “address the severe lack of access to early-stage funding for African tech companies.” The investment sizes will range from $20,000 to $100,000 and focus on startups based in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and North Africa. Soyombo is recognized as a prominent and influential figure in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, as he has access to almost any important deals happening in the market on account of his respected reputation....

Black-owned parent company Listener Brands — which is home to award-winning textured hair care brands CurlMix and 4C ONLY — has just announced the launch of its new equity crowdfunding campaign for CurlMix to aid consumers in unlocking their chance to achieve generational wealth. The brand shares that the campaign aims to empower consumers to invest in the brands they already shop with and also contribute to Listener Brands’ future growth as they make noise in the beauty and wellness spaces. “Many of us spend years supporting companies with our hard-earned dollars, but we see nothing for it when the brand eventually sells, transferring the wealth outside of our community,” Listener Brands CEO and Co-Founder, Kim Lewis, shares in a press statement. “Our goal is to create opportunities for our community to increase their wealth. Our vision is to change the narrative on what ownership looks like. We aim to become the first Black-owned publicly traded beauty conglomerate.” As told to...

Determined, disruptive, and optimistic are three words that Issac Hayes III — founder of social networking app Fanbase — says define who he is. “I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life,” Hayes said. “I think to step into the space of entrepreneurship, you’ve got to be determined, you’ve got to have faith and optimism, and you’ve got to be disruptive because you’re going against the grain.” Hayes has always been the kid down to make a buck. From mowing lawns to cleaning pools, he has always been an enterprising young person. He was raised by his parents to earn his own money and continues to go down the same path throughout his journey as an entrepreneur. He may be known as the son and heir to his soul icon father’s — the late Isaac Hayes Jr. —  estate. However, he first began his multi-ventured 21-year career as a songwriter-producer before ultimately transitioning into scoring music for movies and television networks. Now he’s on a new path as a CEO and first-time founder of tech...

Pierre Laguerre, founder of Fleeting, a platform designed to connect companies with qualified and reliable CDL drivers, has made history as the first Black man to raise the $1.07 million maximum in all regulation crowdfunding platforms. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) , a company is permitted to raise a maximum amount of $1,070,000 through crowdfunding offerings during a period of 12 months and Laguerre’s Fleet managed to do just that. Republic , an online crowdfunding platform announced the news of Fleet’s historic accomplishment via Twitter. HISTORY ✊🏾 FIRST Black man to raise the $1.07m max in all Reg CF platforms. Congrats @PierreLaguerre5 , @chamillionaire , @e40 , @thesharkdaymond , @convoz and all of you for making this possible! #blackexcellence https://t.co/6doI7d3vXZ — Republic 🌎 (@joinrepublic) July 1, 2020 Fleeting shares were open to investors via Republic, where it amassed funds from nearly 5,000  investors, some of which took to their Twitter...

Launching a company is difficult, and limited funding is the most common barrier to entry to the startup world. Do you have a great idea, but you’re trying to figure out how to fund it? Are you already running a startup, but cash is running out fast? Here are some ways to raise capital for your startup: Save Money Saving money isn’t easy, but it’s the most straightforward way to raise funds for your business. If you’re still working a regular full-time job, commit to saving a part of your current salary to help fund your dreams. Review your monthly expenses and eliminate unnecessary expenses like subscriptions and expensive lunches. If you live with roommates or a significant other, consider sharing expenses to reduce cost per person. This might include shopping in bulk, sharing an Amazon Prime account (or any subscription for that matter), and taking advantage of family memberships at the gym. If you’re already committed to your startup on a full-time basis, you should be auditing...