Award-winning Afrobeats artist Burna Boy is making moves in entrepreneurship as he becomes a new investor in the minority-owned tech company MOON Ultra. On Thursday, MOON Ultra raised $15 million in a Series B funding round, with Burna Boy being one of the investors.
The Nigerian artist was among more than 20 additional sports and entertainment stars including three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning producer L.A. Reid, a press release said. According to the Nigerian singer, his decision to invest in the company was because the “MOON products are elegant and sophisticated, technical yet straightforward.”
“More importantly,” he noted, “showing the next generation of African children that something like this is possible, is what innovations like these are all about.”
Moon Ultra is a Texas-based consumer electronics company empowering storytellers and creators to level up their content. The company, described by TIME Magazine as one of its “Best Inventions of 2020,” was founded by CEO Edward Madongorere and Dishen ‘Dixon’ Yang.
Madongorere, who is the brainchild of the startup, said he was inspired to create the device by his son with autism. His design for the MOON UltraLight easily enhances the way users take pictures and videos. The Zimbabwe-born Madongorere drew inspiration from his design background, resulting in the company’s products being recognized by Fast Company, American Graphic Design Award and Time Magazine.
“It started with a mission to create beautifully designed and well-executed products, but the mission became much more than that. It became about inspiring so many underrepresented, underestimated men, women, boys and girls from Africa, the diaspora, and around the globe, to see the same potential in themselves.
“Now, leveraging our network of investors, influencers, celebrities, pro athletes and content creators, we are building a brand that stands for boldness, and empowers everyone to be seen in every way,” said Madongorere.”
About Burna Boy
Born in 1991 in Ogulu in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Nigerian has risen to become one of the world’s most celebrated artists. At just 10 years old, he started making music. He infuses his music with dancehall, reggae, Afrobeat, and pop. In the early 2010s, he emerged as one of the fastest-rising stars in Nigeria and the world.
In early 2018, he hit number three on the Billboard Reggae chart and won the Nigeria Entertainment Award for Album of the Year. 2019’s African Giant and 2020’s Twice as Tall were both widely acclaimed and charted in several countries.
In recent years, the Nigerian has been taking his success in the music field to entrepreneurship. Recently, it was reported that Burna Boy had ventured into the cannabis industry with his own brand. He launched the cannabis brand BrkFst in South Beach, Miami in partnership with Jokes Up/ Ice Kream on October 7.
