With the NFL in its offseason, New England Patriots Safety Devin McCourty says he's focused on securing generational wealth for himself and other athletes through a new venture capital mission called Broad Street Ventures. Co-founded by Malcolm Jenkins of the New Orleans Saints and Ralonda Johnson, current president of the organization, the group looks to educate athletes while helping them gain financially.
"For us, we wanted to create a vehicle that would allow Black and brown investors to learn about venture capital but also have access to some of the best deals in the tech and consumer space," Johnson told Cheddar.
McCourty said that his close friendship with Jenkins is what spawned his decision to invest with Broad Street Ventures.
"We played in an all-star game coming out of high school and we do a lot off-the-field things together, and I think from there he started to talk about a vision of having NFL players having access to a different kind of wealth," he said.
Both grew up in New Jersey before going on to their collegiate and professional careers.
For NFL players, unlike in some other sports like the NBA and Major League Baseball, contracts are not guaranteed, the average length of a career is significantly fewer years, and as a result, players often have to find other means to secure finances for their futures. McCourty said that Broad Street Ventures allows all athletes to learn about venture capital investing.
Ralonda Johnson added that the group provides information sessions where potential investors can not only learn the ropes but also about emerging technologies.
"Not everyone [who] attends may invest or not, but just so that they at least have an understanding of tech investing. We'll go over from seed through late stage, just as much information that we can give them," she said.
For McCourty, Broad Street Ventures presents an opportunity for professional athletes to change the perception that the general public may have of them. He said with this opportunity, sports figures aren't limited to just making plays on the field. They can invest and lift up areas and industries that they are passionate about, offering fans a closer look at the human and not just the athlete.
New York State passes the country's first 'right to repair' bill covering electronics. The Fair Repair Act would require all manufacturers who sell digital electronic products within state borders to make tools, parts, and instructions for repair available to both consumers and independent shops. Experts believe the new measure could have a drastic impact on the overall cost of repairing devices and products. Gay Gordon-Byrne, Executive Director of The Repair Association joins Cheddar to discuss.
Here are your Need2Know stories for Tuesday June 7, 2022:
Today, voters head to the polls for primary elections in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
Senator Joe Manchin said he would support raising age requirements for gun purchases to 21. Manchin told CNN he also "wouldn't have a problem looking at" a ban on AR-15 assault rifles.
Meanwhile, five players on the Tampa Bay Rays roster opted not to wear a patch added to its uniforms intended to celebrate pride month.
Saving for retirement is more important than ever as inflation lingers, but more Americans are anxious about their ability to do so. A new survey by Schroders shows that many people say they need just over a million dollars to retire comfortably — but only about one-quarter of respondents said they were likely to meet that goal. So, what should people do to retire safely? Joel Schiffman, head of intermediary distribution for North America at Schroders, joins Closing Bell to discuss the survey results, best practices for retirement planning, why a certain percentage of Americans actually plan to work while retired, and more.
Hatem Dhiab, Managing Partner at Gerber Kawasaki, explains how investors can pick up clues on the tech giant's direction by honing in on new offerings like Apply Pay Later and a pair of new MacBook computers.
U.S. stocks close Monday's session slight higher Monday as investors continue to monitor whether the economy will successfully avoid a recession. For many, fears over inflation and rising interest rates. Tommy Mancuso, president and co-founder of the Bad Investment Company, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Alex Adelman, CEO and Co-Founder of bitcoin rewards platform Lolli, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that 'incompetent, lazy politics' are behind the push for a crypto mining bill that would implement a two-year moratorium on digital currency mining at fossil fuel power plants in New York. Adelman also explains why this action is contributing to crypto miners leaving the state.
