Blavity INC. released its lineup of guests that will be taking part in this year’s AfroTech Conference in a press release yesterday.
The tech company announced that, during the four-day event, over 100 speakers will provide insight to attendees.
Leaders like Aurora James, the founder and director of the Fifteen Percent Pledge and Brother Vellies; Chelsea Roberts, the Chief Operating Officer of HBCU Venture Capital; Daquan Oliver, founder of WeThrive Education, and Mark Cuban, the founder of Broadcast.com and majority owner of basketball team the Dallas Mavericks, amongst others will be scheduled for special Q&A panels.
NASCAR Cup Series winner Bubba Wallace will also join the Afrotech Conference alongside DoorDash to speak about diversity in tech and other career fields as well as ways to succeed in careers with no representation. Throughout his driving career, Wallace himself has been the only Black driver in NASCAR’s national series but has continued to thrive despite the lack of diversity in the sport. He holds many titles, including being the only Black driver to win more than one time at the series level.
“We are continuing to tackle the diversity gap in Big Tech and AfroTech Conference serves as the destination for those fueling more inclusivity in the industry,” said the founder and leader of Blavity INC., Morgan DeBaun, in the press release. “We are thrilled to announce our largest lineup of diverse industry speakers and brand partners looking to engage in meaningful discussions about tech disruption and Black innovation.
“I am excited for the ideas, funding, and career advancement that will come out of this experience,” she added.
Along with the panels, the AfroTech Conference will give attendees the opportunity to discuss topics like finding their way through the tech world in events like “Securing the Bag: Navigating Tech from Cradle to Career,” “Climbing to the Top of the Tech Ladder for Engineers and Managers” and “Web3, Crypto and the Black Economy: Unlocking Inclusive Access with a New Wave of Commerce.”
They’ll also have the chance to compete for prize money by pitching their business, watch a special screening of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and join Dominique Thorne in conversation as well as enjoy musical performances by artists like Wale and Bas.
Created in 2016, the AfroTech Conference is known as one of the biggest gatherings in the country, bringing together tech and business figures to discuss their careers and to celebrate Black excellence.
While the pandemic forced the event to go virtual for the first time in 2020, this year’s AfroTech Conference marks a return to Austin, Texas from Nov. 13 to Nov.17.
