Black Tech Green Money

Entrepreneur and Brand Manager for AfroTech and Black Tech Green Money, Will Lucas, discusses why documenting your journey is important, the different methods of doing so, exploring NFTs and small business benefits, and the value of documenting the early days of building a startup.

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 Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Learn more at AfroTech.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Atlanta, GA. HOPE Global Economic Forums are the largest gathering in the world on behalf of empowering poor and underserved communities. The conference convenes like-minded leaders from around the world dedicated to advancing the financial well-being of all people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 small businesses, supplier diversity, accessibility for clients and other important enterprises. Northwestern Mutual recently committed $175 million to help reduce the wealth gap, and support businesses and entrepreneurs as they continue to grow and create positive economic momentum within local communities. 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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, and processes you will keep as your business grows, and what you should transition. Doing it at the end of the year gives you the opportunity to make a clean break, hopefully reducing the frustration and issues should you do this mid-year. This episode is about how you should, especially this time of year, evaluate your tech stack. I hope you gain a lot of insights and inspiration from it! 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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 from it! 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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Matthews, CEO and founder of Uncharted, stopped by the AfroTech Executive conference in Seattle 2023 to discuss how we can have a sustainable future and harness the power of AI. She’s on the stage speaking with Jonnie Bradley who is the Responsible AI Official for the Department of Energy and Sr. Program Manager for the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office.  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.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Instagram at @willlucas Learn more at AfroTech.com https://instagram.com/afro.tech Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rodney Williams is Co-Founder and President at Solo Funds, one of the leading financial technology companies for underserved communities. On this episode, Rodney speaks with AfroTech's Will Lucas about how to launch a fintech startup MVP with no venture capital, how challenging disruption can be in a highly regulated industry, and finding success when facing existential threats. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.