On this episode of Black Tech Green Money, we ask a simple question: who actually owns the audience? Coltrane Curtis (Team Epiphany) takes us back to building influencer marketing before Instagram existed. Isaac Hayes III (Fanbase) makes the case that creators deserve equity, not just exposure. Roland Martin (#RolandMartinUnfiltered, Black Star Network) explains why owning the platform means owning the narrative. Thai Randolph breaks down how to win brand deals on value, not follower count. And RAUD, a Twitch streamer with more than 2 million followers, shows what all of it looks like for Gen Z. Influence is easy to rent. The goal is to own it.

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John Imah is Co-Founder and CEO at SpreeAI, an AI-driven company transforming the future of fashion and e-commerce with our photorealistic try-on technology.

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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.

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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:

1. Go to ATC '26 Registration
2. Select a Premier ticket or higher
3. Enter your registration information
4. Enter BTGM152026 in the Promotional Code field
5. 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

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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:

1. Go to ATC '26 Registration
2. Select a Premier ticket or higher
3. Enter your registration information
4. Enter BTGM152026 in the Promotional Code field
5. 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

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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:

1. Go to ATC '26 Registration
2. Select a Premier ticket or higher
3. Enter your registration information
4. Enter BTGM152026 in the Promotional Code field
5. 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

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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.

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Bryan Myers is President and CEO at [solidcore].

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Black Tech Green Money
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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.

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