When Nadiyah Johnson launched the Milky Way Tech Hub in 2018, she was frustrated with the lack of representation among organizations aligning around the vision of Milwaukee as a tech hub.
"It bothered me to see that there was a bunch of white people coming together to shape this narrative about my city while there was a whole other city that I lived in that they weren’t addressing," said Johnson, referring to statistics and headlines that suggest Milwaukee is one of the worst places to live and work for Black people in America.
The Milky Way Tech Hub — which supports community, entrepreneurship, and science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education through various initiatives — was Johnson's solution to the lack of representation she observed.
"We’re realizing this vision of Milwaukee as a tech hub, but we’re making sure that Black and Brown people are centered so that all communities are uplifted here," Johnson said.
However, the Milky Way Tech Hub has struggled to gain acknowledgment from the broader community, Johnson said. Despite securing sponsorship from American Family Insurance, the Milky Way Tech Hub has been unable to attract other major corporate partners.
By comparison, the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, which was formed in 2019 by Northwestern Mutual, Advocate Aurora Health and four other founding companies, has at least 75 corporate and nonprofit members who have collectively pledged around $8 million in funding.
Johnson said that while funding is an important component of the partnerships she’s seeking, it’s about more than that.
“I’m never going to say a partnership just looks like funding,” Johnson said. “It’s co-creating programs and initiatives and working together toward a solution.”
The Milky Way Tech Hub and American Family Insurance — as well as Sherman Phoenix and Connect Business Consulting — partnered to create the STEAM & Dream program, which is funded by American Family and aims to prepare students of color for careers in STEM fields by providing engaging curriculum and mentorship opportunities.
“I think there is a huge opportunity,” said American Family Insurance inclusive excellence adviser JoAnne Sabir. “My hope is that American Family Insurance stands on the forefront of what’s possible and provides a roadmap for how other organizations in the space might partner.”
The Milky Way Tech Hub’s programming also includes an entrepreneurship accelerator, monthly meetups, a data science certificate program for middle school students and a product development program with Marquette University.
Additionally, The Milky Way Tech Hub is currently raising a $50 million venture capital fund that will invest in startups founded by entrepreneurs who are Black or from other underrepresented groups. Johnson said her goal is to close the fundraising round by the end of 2021 so the fund can begin investing in startups.
Nadiyah Johnson
- Title: Founder and CEO
- Company/organization: Jet Constellations, The Milky Way Tech Hub
