*By Michael Teich* Rapper Tip "T.I." Harris has already built a reputation as a musician, producer, and actor, but now he's looking to add tech investor to his credits with the launch of his new company, TechCypha. TechCypha is a "group of entertainers, entrepreneurs, executives that all want to pool our funds together for the purpose of providing technology to add culture," T.I. told Cheddar in an interview Friday. The new company, he said, is committed to making a difference in the tech community by placing an emphasis on inclusion and diversity. Cultural relevance will be a key factor directing where TechCypha decides to allocate its funding. TechCypha's co-founder and CEO, the music mogul and entrepreneur Jason Geter, said his experience in the hip-hop industry inspired his decision to get involved in business. "Hip-hop breeds entrepreneurship," Geter told Cheddar. "We're kind of like sitting on the sidelines and we're seeing how our culture just totally influences everything, and now we want to participate in that," he said. One of the first companies TechCypha has selected to back is Culture Genesis, a digital studio for mobile apps based in Los Angeles. Culture Genesis's app, TriviaMob, which is a live game show geared towards multicultural gamers, is experiencing success with almost 50 percent retention. T.I said he is currently focused on Culture Genesis, but he looks forward to becoming more involved in companies that promote financial education. One of his priorities, he said, is "definitely financial literacy and empowering the community by way of ownership and hopefully finding a way to make my hometown Atlanta, the westside specifically, become more self-sustained." Funding more minority-led companies has been a weakness in the venture capital ecosystem. Blacks and Hispanic/Latino groups comprise of only 3 and 4 percent of the venture workforce, respectively. "We all have to educate ourselves to know how to position ourselves to go after the funding," Geter said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/t-i-launches-techcypha-to-invest-in-tech-companies).

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Load More