The tech industry isn’t exempt from the phrase, “There’s enough room for everybody to win.” According to a Dice report, over 375,000 tech jobs were posted in October 2022 and were up by 25% from the previous year period (January 2021-October 2021). One of the U.S. cities creating an influx of opportunities in the tech sector is Detroit, MI. Last year, the “Motor City” ranked No. 1 on the list of top 100 emerging startup ecosystems in the world, per a report by Startup Genome.

Beyoncé is the gift that keeps on giving.

Everyone has that one that got away, whether it’s been a job, a relationship — you name it. However, for “Shark Tank’s” Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” it was The Lip Bar, a cosmetics company — “founded and owned by women of color” — to bring more inclusivity to the beauty industry. “I’m determined to change the way people think about beauty and their experiences with beauty,” CEO Melissa Butler told AfroTech in a previous interview. “More than anything, I’m just determined to increase the self-esteem of women everywhere.” On her route to determination, Butler and her partner appeared on “Shark Tank” in 2015 and faced rejection.    

Our history when it comes to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is unmatched! The Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC) is the latest institution to make huge waves as it has officially drafted proposed legislation to become the nation’s first-ever re-opened HBCU. Originally known as The Lewis College of Business in 1928, it first operated as a secretarial school for Black women prior to relocating to Detroit in 1939 and became a critical economic source for the city’s Black community. Stemming from royalty, PLC is a dream school-made reality thanks to Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, the founder of the PENSOLE Design Academy in Portland, OR. He is also stockholder of the previously closed Detroit-based HBCU, Lewis College of Business. Now, through a partnership with the College for Creative Studies (CCS), PLC will reopen its doors in March 2022 with a mission to serve as a home for aspiring Black creatives, business leaders, designers and engineers. It will also...

Technology doesn’t always work in our favor. After facial recognition software wrongly identified a Black teen at a local skating rink in Michigan, her parents want some answers. “To me, it’s basically racial profiling,” said the teen’s mother, Juliea Robinson. “You’re just saying every young Black, brown girl with glasses fits the profile and that’s not right.” According to Fox 2 Detroit, Riverside Arena skating rink’s facial recognition software misidentified Lamya Robinson which ultimately led to her being kicked out and denied access into the venue. “I was like, that is not me. Who is that?” said Lamya. “I was confused because I’ve never been there.” When her parents dropped her off at the rink on Saturday, they expected her to spend the day having fun and hanging out with friends but she didn’t even make it into the venue. Lamya was denied entry after her face was scanned and the rink accused her of being involved in a brawl at the venue back in March. “You all put my daughter...

A tax refund in 2009 changed this single mother’s life forever. After banks refused to give her a loan and without any credit cards to finance her dreams, Detroit-based waitress Ashley Hamilton, decided to use her tax refund to begin her real estate journey, reports Black Enterprise. Each year since 2009, she used cash to purchase single-family properties in Detroit to rehab, before ultimately using the properties as buy and hold rentals. Her initial plan was to secure one property every year with her annual tax refunds, but instead, she was able to expand her portfolio building dream by saving the rent she collected from tenants and was finally able to gain access to loans. “Not having money worked for my benefit,” said Hamilton during an appearance on the BiggerPockets podcast. “I got a tax return at the end of the year. By me only making around $20K and having two kids, I was able to get a $5K-$6K refund.” She also has Detroit’s real estate market — which had a low entry point at...

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere — thanks to this Black-owned tequila brand! Nayana Ferguson is a ceiling smasher as the first Black woman to co-own a tequila company, something she says she initially never really saw for herself, reports Click On Detroit. While in the race to climb the corporate ladder here in America, Nayana’s health took a turn for the worse when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 32. In 2012, the Detroit native found herself headed down a similar path with a breast cancer diagnosis after she found a lump in her breast. She also learned that she has Neutropenia — a disease that lowers her white blood cell count, in turn increasing her risk for infection. What all of this taught Nayana is that life is too short and so she began to truly focus on her passions. After meeting her husband Don online in 2014, they both discovered their love for tequila and made it their mission to learn all of the ins and outs about the business. A trip to the Dominican...

Two Michigan natives are making history with the state’s first Black-owned brewery. Jamaal Ewing and Terry Rostic — who’ve deemed themselves as “craft beer heads” will open Black Calder Brewing Co. — on Black Friday. The craft beer heads will release their Black IPA (7% alcohol by volume), in the Grand Rapids area, reports the Detroit Free Press. The Black IPA will be sold exclusively out of Broad Leaf Local Beer in Kentwood and they have plans to collaborate with other Michigan breweries in the coming months. During its “start-up phase,” Black Calder will contract with Grand Rapids-based Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf Local Beer with plans of opening a physical location in Grand Rapids in 2021. “Black Calder Brewing Company was established to make great beer and provide a platform for innovation, art, culture, and inclusion in the craft beer industry,” said Rostic in a news release. “We appreciate the significance of being recognized as Michigan’s first Black-owned brewery. It’s...