And this is only the most recent investment round!
Brent Faiyaz is an R&B superstar with an exciting business model that helps to ensure his longevity in the business. According to AfroTech, Faiyaz and his manager, Ty Baisden, have a 50/50 business partnership that allows them to reinvest money made through music into various business endeavors, particularly those run by Black women.
“That was basically our handshake to one another in the beginning. Those projects and his tours are the financial seeds for Brent and me to go out and make individual investments,” Baisden told reporters.
Under their Lost Kids label, Brent and Baisden have made significant investments in real estate across Atlanta and Dallas, Texas. The duo has also invested in dozens of startups, including Athletic Greens, Therabody, Audo Shake, and Seed.
“And the great thing is three of those four companies – Seed, Audio Shake, and Athletic Greens – are led by women,” Baisden added.
That’s actually their area of focus: women-led businesses. Brent previously launched the “Show U Off” grant program in partnership with Baisden in 2021. The program supports Black women in business, offering $10,000 in funding to each grant recipient “as a small investment in their professional ventures. The only qualification is that the company be based in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, & Virginia) area, Brent’s hometown, and submit a one-minute video about their business, challenges, and how funding will aid their progress.
Previously, the company has funded popular businesses like City Girls Golf, Zara Visuals LLC, the Scholastic App, and Shero Games. To date, the investment program has completed four cycles, the most recent one focused on providing $10,000 grants to Black women-led businesses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M). In total, Brent and Baisden were able to invest in 12 companies, providing each of them with a $10k grant. The duo has already donated nearly half a million dollars to businesses with Black women at the head.
“This year was a heavy one with new ideas involving S.T.E.M. companies, [artificial intelligence] technology, electric batteries, etc. Thus far, we’ve donated about half a million dollars or more to Black women-helmed businesses,” explained Baisden.
Cover photo: R&B Singer Brent Faiyaz & Business Partner Ty Baisden Invest Over 100K In Black Women-Led S.T.E.M. Companies/(l to r) Ty Baisden & Brent Faiyaz/Photo credit: AfroTech