Advertise on podcast: Black Tech Green Money

Coltrane Curtis is the Founder and Managing Partner of Team Epiphany, the culture marketing agency he launched in 2004, which pioneered influencer marketing as a term before Twitter or Instagram even existed. Before that, he was an early employee at streetwear brand Ecko Unlimited, helped launch Complex as its first Editor-at-Large, and was a fashion VJ for MTV Style. Save 15% on AfroTech Conference 2026 Black Tech Green Money listeners get 15% off Premier tickets and higher for ATC '26. Use code BTGM152026 at checkout. The code is valid from September 15 through September 30, 2026. How to redeem: Go to ATC '26 Registration Select a Premier ticket or higher Enter your registration information Enter BTGM152026 in the Promotional Code field Complete your registration The discount applies only to Premier tickets and higher. The code expires September 30. If you want a shorter version for YouTube or a platform with a character limit: Save 15% on AfroTech Conference 2026 Premier tickets and higher with code BTGM152026. Valid through September 30. Register: https://attendee-aftc2026.streampoint.com/ 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.

Tamar Huggins built Canada's first accelerator for Black and Brown founders, then built the pipeline it was missing by opening a tech school for kids. Now she's the founder of Spark Plug AI, a generative AI platform trained on Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights era writers. She breaks down how she raised $1.4 million in a market where Black women average $30,000, why AI is a power structure and not a tool, and what building on your own terms means when everyone is renting the same few models. Save 15% on AfroTech Conference 2026 Black Tech Green Money listeners get 15% off Premier tickets and higher for ATC '26. Use code BTGM152026 at checkout. The code is valid from September 15 through September 30, 2026. How to redeem: Go to ATC '26 Registration Select a Premier ticket or higher Enter your registration information Enter BTGM152026 in the Promotional Code field Complete your registration The discount applies only to Premier tickets and higher. The code expires September 30. If you want a shorter version for YouTube or a platform with a character limit: Save 15% on AfroTech Conference 2026 Premier tickets and higher with code BTGM152026. Valid through September 30. Register: https://attendee-aftc2026.streampoint.com/ 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.

Shawni Dowell is the Founder and CEO of Possip, an AI and tech-based, human-centered company in Nashville. Possip is an engagement platform that gives organizational and civic leaders quick, actionable insights from their large and diverse communities. Save 15% on AfroTech Conference 2026 Black Tech Green Money listeners get 15% off Premier tickets and higher for ATC '26. Use code BTGM152026 at checkout. The code is valid from September 15 through September 30, 2026. How to redeem: Go to ATC '26 Registration Select a Premier ticket or higher Enter your registration information Enter BTGM152026 in the Promotional Code field Complete your registration The discount applies only to Premier tickets and higher. The code expires September 30. If you want a shorter version for YouTube or a platform with a character limit: Save 15% on AfroTech Conference 2026 Premier tickets and higher with code BTGM152026. Valid through September 30. Register: https://attendee-aftc2026.streampoint.com/ 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.

On this episode of Black Tech Green Money, we hear from industry titans Courtney Adeleye (The Mane Choice) and Monique Rodriguez (Mielle Organics) on navigating the controversial waters of acquisition and what it really takes to transition from a community favorite to a global powerhouse. Meanwhile, a new guard of tech-founders—Candace Mitchell (Myavana) and Dr. Tiffany St. Bernard (HairDays)—explain how they are training algorithms to diagnose scalp health and personalize care. And, Ciara Imani May (Rebundle) breaks down the chemistry of comfort, revealing how banana fiber is disrupting the toxic synthetic hair market. This is the business of beauty, engineered. 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.

Bryan Myers is President and CEO at [solidcore]. Will Lucas on SocialsInstagram: @willlucasTikTok: @willlucasceoFacebook: /wlucasii Black Tech Green MoneyInstagram: @blacktechgreenmoneyFacebook: /BlackTechGreenMoney Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Underwood is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 14th District and, when she won in 2018 at 32, became the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress. The direct line between a community's health and its ability to build and keep wealth, from the woman who built the Momnibus on receipts, not feelings. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stefanie Brown James is Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of The Collective, the largest network of organizations in the country dedicated to building Black political power. Through The Collective and its family of PACs and its education fund, she has helped raise more than $50 million from over 200,000 donors and helped 417 Black leaders win elected office. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christian Menefee is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 18th District in Houston. He now sits on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of books got scanned for AI training, then discarded. The real question isn't legal, it's civilizational. Will Lucas on the difference between information and history, why AI only knows what survived, and what we're letting disappear because we assumed somebody else would save it. He also has a new book out, Survive and Advance: Lessons on Living a Life Without Compromise, which is available now. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Derek Lewis is a strategic thought leader and transformational executive, and was the first-ever President of Multicultural Business and Equity Development at PepsiCo North America. He also has a new book out, Survive and Advance: Lessons on Living a Life Without Compromise, which is available now. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carter Cofield and George Acheampong are financial experts behind Melanin Money, dedicated to helping Black entrepreneurs and professionals build lasting wealth. Together, they're building the #1 Financial Education Community Designed to serve aspiring Melanin Millionaires. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin J. Pearson is the Tennessee State Representative for District 86 in Memphis, and famously stopped a billion-dollar oil pipeline as an organizer, got expelled from the statehouse as one of the "Tennessee Three" and won his seat right back, and is now going head-to-head with Elon Musk's xAI over the pollution it's putting on Black Memphis. Follow Will Lucas on Instagram: @willlucas Follow Black Tech Green Money: @blacktechgreenmoney, @btgmpodcast Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone you admire in business could be on your Board of Advisors. On this episode, I'm going to teach you how to get them. Key Topics AI-powered mentorship and advisory boards Historical mental models and practices (Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale) Building a personal board with four key roles Using transcripts and source material to deepen AI advice Levels of AI board setup: quick project, detailed knowledge base, full system 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.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imani Ellis is the founder of CultureCon & The Creative Collective Will Lucas on SocialsInstagram: @willlucasTikTok: @willlucasceoFacebook: /wlucasii Black Tech Green MoneyInstagram: @blacktechgreenmoneyFacebook: /BlackTechGreenMoney Learn more at AfroTech.comLearn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most people think the hardest part of entrepreneurship is coming up with an idea. For a lot of founders today, that’s no longer the problem. The problem is deciding which ideas deserve your time. In this solo episode of Black Tech Green Money, Will Lucas explores what happens when every opportunity feels like it could be the next big thing. From software startups and media ventures to hospitality, real estate, and AI-powered products, Will shares the reality of navigating a growing portfolio of ideas while trying to stay focused on what matters most. Along the way, he examines the difference between ideas that excite you and ideas that align with your long-term vision, why AI has made starting projects easier than ever, and how judgment—not execution—may be becoming the most valuable skill in entrepreneurship. This is a candid conversation about focus, opportunity, decision-making, and the hidden cost of chasing too many good ideas. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Should I build this?” this episode is for you. 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.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.