BlackTech Week, a Knight Foundation-backed event for Black entrepreneurs in the technology industry, launched its seventh annual event Monday.
The five-day program, presented by the Center for Black Innovation, is a hybrid gathering that includes both virtual and in-person speakers, networking opportunities, presentations and workshops in Miami's Overtown and Little Havana.
The fireside chat series kicked off Monday morning with a virtual opening party before transitioning into discussions on how Black professionals can build wealth.
The festival continues Tuesday with conversations about the intersection of politics and technology with "The Shade Room" producer and political reporter Judith Nwandu. The day will wrap up with a panel featuring Mayor of Miami Francis Suarez.
Participants will hear from speakers Wednesday on how to buy and sell products as entrepreneurs and small business owners. In-person events that day run from 1-4 p.m., with a workshop hosted by #HireBlack Initiative Founder and CEO Nianni Tolbert at Space Called Tribe, a coworking space in Overtown operated by Miami-based nonprofit Code Fever.
Thursday's BlackTech Week lineup has a STEM focus and includes roundtable discussions about the future of Black medicine and virtual reality. This includes a chat about some of the problems within the technology industry with computer scientist Timnit Gebru, a former co-lead for Google’s ethical AI team.
Fashion and beauty become the focus Friday with workshops on navigating e-commerce platforms and the PR space within the industry.
A breakdown of the full schedule and locations are at blacktechweek.com.
BlackTech Week first launched in Miami in 2014 and has, historically, drawn thousands of attendees to the city.
Center for Black Innovation Senior Program Manager Erick Gavin said it’s not clear whether more attendees will convene completely virtually this year or take advantage of the in-person activities.
“I expect that we will still do good on numbers, but whether people show up all in-person or not given that it is a hybrid event is still a bit of a mixed bag,” Gavin said.
He also said that though the conversations are geared toward the Black community, all are welcome to attend.
“We are talking about topics that are relevant to both the Black community, in general, and also within the tech innovation ecosystem and changes that are happening in Miami,” Gavin said.
The event has expanded beyond South Florida to other U.S. cities — including Austin, Texas; New York; Los Angeles; and New Orleans — as BlackTech Weekend. Its mission is to bridge the gap between minority entrepreneurs and large tech employers, investors and insiders.
Sign up here for the Business Journal’s free morning and afternoon daily newsletters to receive the latest business news impacting South Florida. For more business intelligence, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
