A new season has dawned — and that is AFROTECH™ Conference season. The 2024 iteration of the conference is just three months away, happening Nov. 13-16 in Houston, TX.
AFROTECH™ Conference always provides an incredible opportunity for people to gather worldwide to learn more about business and tech, expand their network, and immerse themselves in a top-tier experience highlighting Black excellence and achievement. Even Jay-Z understands the vibe, evidenced by his 2017 song, “Legacy.”
“We gon’ start a society within a society
That’s major, just like the Negro League.
There was a time America wouldn’t let us ball
Those times are now back, just now called Afro-tech.”
In 2016, Blavity Inc. Co-founders Morgan DeBaun and Jeff Nelson were inspired by the conferences held by tech giants like Meta (formerly Facebook) and Google. The duo sought to create something of similar merit for a BIPOC audience, as they believed Black and brown communities are disproportionately underrepresented at these conferences.
With limited resources but a deep sense of purpose, they launched the AFROTECH™ Conference in San Francisco, CA, at Bespoke. The inaugural event surpassed expectations, with over 650 tickets sold despite planning for only 400 attendees.
After moving the conference to Oakland, CA, to navigating a global pandemic that made it virtual, and then descending upon Austin, TX, in recent years, AFROTECH™ Conference has become one of the most sought-after convenings, boasting 25,000 participants and 170 corporate and enterprise partners in 2023.
This year’s conference is on par to be even bigger and better. As with any successful event, the conference team gathered feedback and responded accordingly, as described by DeBaun in a LinkedIn post. AFROTECH™ Conference 2024 will include additional learning opportunities with top-tier speakers across new stages:
- Cybersecurity
- AI
- Data & Engineering
There will also be new summits such as the Founder’s Summit, Health & Environmental Equity Summit, and Creative & Design Summit, in addition to the Women’s Summit.
With the additional stages still comes the incredible opportunity to learn at the recurring stages, including the Main Stage, Learning Labs, and the Executive Stage. This year’s speaker lineup will showcase industry experts and influencers, such as Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, New York Stock Exchange Chair Sharon Bowen, Hyperbustle Founder Kendra Desrosiers, and LinkedIn Head of Equity Imani Dunbar.
View this post on Instagram
Attendees will also have the chance to engage in the massive Expo Hall, where they can meet recruiters and subject matter experts, in addition to curated partner events and meetups like the HBCU and Queer meetup.
There are ticket options to suit everyone, whether you’re a college student or a senior executive. You can choose from General Admission, Student, Corporate, Executive, and All-Access tiers. Each ticket level offers different access opportunities, but the experience will be transformative regardless of your choice. Select the tier that fits your needs, and make sure to secure your ticket if you still need to do so.
View this post on Instagram
Learn more about what is already confirmed for AFROTECH™ Conference ’24 and tap in with real-time updates as the vibes unfold.