Black Enterprise Brings Silicon Valley a Two Day Summit of Impact and Innovation
by Kimberly Gant, UX Designer | Content Creator
Black Enterprise hosted their annual BE TechConneXt Summit in Burlingame, CA, on October 9–10, 2017. They curated a list of highly renowned speakers who are experts in their perspectives industries. Entrepreneurs, tech professionals, founders, startups, etc all across the U.S. were invited to learn from industry leaders, attend informative workshops, and participate in exciting events.
There were many notable speakers at the TechConnext Summit. Whether I was listening to a SheTechs Women panel with Hahna Alexander, Cheryl Contee, Monique Woodard, and Sequoia Blodgett or a BE Tech Talk with Tara Reed, Founder of Apps Without Code, I always learned something new. As the BTW Insider, I took over the Black Tech Women Instagram Stories, so I am excited to share a few highlights from those two days below.
Troy Carter, Founder and CEO of Atom Factory, spoke on the Navigating Tech Through the Hip-Hop Lens. Originally from West Philly, his hip-hop background taught him instinct, survival skills, and grit which he uses to decide what companies or people he chooses to invest in. Entering the VC world as a newcomer, he understood that humility is key and that just because he was an expert in the music business does not mean he would be an expert in this new venture. He surrounded himself with experts in the industry in order to learn and grow and consume all of the knowledge possible. Troy also emphasized the importance of tech and social responsibility between the public and private sector.
During the Shared Space talk with Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Brian discussed with Jon Fortt, Co-Host of Squawk Alley on CNBC, the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how Intel prioritizes diversity and inclusion within the company. Intel incorporates AI technology into their products; however, Brian emphasized that in order to stop AI from going rogue, Intel engineers watch and review the algorithms that are applied. In regards to D&I, Intel is one of the leading companies in both hiring and promoting diversity and inclusion throughout all of their business groups. Brian stated that his daughters inspired him to take more action, “If I can change the world just a little bit and make their opportunities even close to equal to the opportunities I had and help to affect that change, why not?”
“If I can change the world just a little bit and make their opportunities even close to equal to the opportunities I had and help to affect that change, why not?” — Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel
One person who is changing the world through his role is Tony Prophet, Chief Equality Officer at Salesforce. With Anthony Frasier, Author/Speaker/Entrepreneur in Residence at Newark Venture Partners, he discussed real solutions to tech’s diversity issue. Tony spoke on how Ohana is the word that defines the Salesforce company culture where they aim to fully represent and embrace all communities.
There was also a roundtable that consisted of Tiffany Price, Community Engagement Manager at Kapor Capital, Roy Broderick, Jr. Founder & CEO of The Intuition Consulting Firm, Mariah Lichtenstern, Founding Partner of DiverseCity Ventures, and Leroy Jackson, Managing Director at Accenture Technology plus the West Region and North American Inclusion & Diversity Lead. They discussed the importance of companies knowing the “why” and “how” their efforts should be focused on making the world a better place. Leroy Jackson made a great point on how companies need to also focus on creating an environment that is inclusive to increase retention rather than recruiting, which only gets them in the door.
The TCX Cares: Turning Lives Around With Tech Panel consisted of formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs who have launched successful companies which are making an impact on the world. For example, Teresa Y. Hodge, Founder & Managing Director of R3 Score, developed technology similar to a FICO score that matches formerly incarcerated individuals with employment opportunities. Shaka Senghor, President and Creative Director of Mind Blown Media left us with lasting words such as “We can’t minimize our greatness, we can’t be ashamed of wanting success, and we always have to show up and be the best at whatever we do.”
“We can’t minimize our greatness, we can’t be ashamed of wanting success, and we always have to show up and be the best at whatever we do.” — Shaka Senghor, President and Creative Director of Mind Blown Media
After receiving the Corporate Tech Executive of The Year award, Bozoma Saint John spoke with Everette Taylor, CEO of Pop Social about bringing her full self to the workplace and the impact her career has had not only at amazing companies such as Apple and Uber, but also the tech industry as whole. She is determined to be apart of the fix at Uber and is excited that Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox, is now joining the Uber Board of Directors. The words of wisdom that she gave to the audience that is that “It’s ok to ask for help.”
Freada Kapor Klein and Mitchell Kapor spoke with Christal M. Jackson, Founder of Head & Heart Philanthropy, about how they are investing into underrepresented communities to provide them opportunities into the tech ecosystem through the branches of the Kapor Center of Social Impact. One program that has made a large impact thus far is SMASH, a free of cost STEM-intensive college prep program for underrepresented high school students of color.
“We do well, when we do us.” — Jessica O. Matthews
A leader who is smashing barriers is Jessica O. Matthews, Founder and CEO of Uncharted Play. Her company raised $7 million Series A round, which is the largest amount raised by a woman of color to date. She emphasized the importance of knowing that “We do well, when we do us.” Her talk left the audience with a quote that said “Igniting Greatness = Embracing My Authentic Self.”
After a few more innovative speakers and panels, it was time for the finalists of the BE SMART Hackathon to present to the judges and audience. The BE SMART Hackathon consisted of teams representing 15 HBCUs across the country, and the top 3 finalists were Morehouse College, Fisk University, and North Carolina A&T University, with the winner being NC A&T. All three presentations impressed the audience, and I am excited to see the future of all of the students who participated.
Three things that I want you to take away were spoken by Corey Anthony, Sr. VP & Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T that summarized the common theme of the Summit:
- Lead Innovation & Manage Change
- Be Who You Aspire to Be, Right Now
- Be a Continuous Leader
If you want to learn more about Black Enterprise TechConneXt Summit and the speakers list, visit their website at blackenterprise.com/techconnext. I look forward to attending next year, and I hope to see all of you there as well!
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