Plugged In
After successes in Cincinnati in 2022 and 2023, Black Tech Week is now off to Detroit, for Black Tech Weekend – a spinoff of the main conference. The abbreviated conference in October will once again bring together founders, innovators and creatives of color to experience the Black Tech experience.
BTW always looking for sponsors to drive next year’s event, which will once again return to OTR. If interested, visit www.blacktechweek.com/sponsors.
Connecting tech entrepreneurs, investors and professionals, Black Tech Week returned to Cincinnati July 18–20, 2023. In its second year in the Queen City, the event attracted more than 3,000 participants, who learned from a who’s who of panelists, speakers and experts about technology, innovation and business.
Participants heard from more than 100 speakers in 50 workshops across the three-day event. Just as important as the business of the conference was the social component of Black Tech Week (BTW), which hosted events in Over-The-Rhine throughout the week, extending networking hours and connections.
During Black Tech Week, The Bell Charitable Foundation announced a $1 million commitment to create digital equity in the communities it serves over the next five years through a series of focused grants to organizations that are expanding access to broadband Internet.
“Broadband Internet is essential in order for individuals across all demographics to access education, employment, and healthcare opportunities,” said Christi Cornette, Chief Administrative Officer of altafiber and a Bell Charitable Foundation board member. “Creating digital equity is a natural focus area for the Bell Charitable Foundation, and will benefit our current and future partner organizations and those they serve.”
altafiber, which formerly did business as Cincinnati Bell in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, has invested more than $2 billion into expanding its fiber network across the Greater Cincinnati region and Dayton, as well as Hawaii, where the company does business as Hawaiian Telcom. altafiber’s network delivers gigabit Internet connectivity to residential and business customers across its operating areas.
“Through a commitment to digital equity, altafiber enables all people to access the connectivity that is so important to our mental wellness,” said Nancy Eigel-Miller, founder of 1N5. “Whether it is through the accessibility of online tools to find a provider or resources, virtual training opportunities, or simply the ability to stay connected with friends, family, and mentors, increased connectivity in our communities will help 1N5 to impact the mental health of even more individuals across Greater Cincinnati and beyond.”
The keynote conversation with actress, writer, and producer Issa Rae was the highlight of the week, delighting a capacity crowd with her candid conversation with Black Tech Week host and organizer Candice Brackeen.
See interviews with speakers and presenters!
Black Tech Week was an integral part of Cincinnati’s largest tourism weekend of the year. The event was hosted alongside the annual Cincinnati Music Festival, presented by P&G, which thrust Cincinnati into the national spotlight celebrating Black music, culture, media, and business. According to Visit Cincy, hotels reached an average of 81% occupancy rate over the weekend.