Blavity Inc., the brand behind popular sites like AfroTech, 21Ninety, Travel Noire, Shadow and Act, and Blavity News, held its first ever AfroTech Executive Conference on Saturday, August 28th at the Line Hotel in Los Angeles.
Notable speakers included Steve Huffman (CEO of Reddit), Michele Ghee (CEO of Ebony & Jet), Detavio Samuels (CEO of REVOLT), Sherrell Dorsey (Founder & CEO of The Plug), Songe Laron (Co-Founder and CEO of Squire Technologies), Dave Salvant (Founder and President of Squire Technologies), Ahmad Islam (CEO of TEN35), Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay (CEO of MediaCo Holding, Inc.), Will Lucas (Founder and CEO of Creadio; Brand Manager at AfroTech & Black Tech Green Money) and more.
Morgan DeBaun, Founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., raved about the success of the event in an official press release.
“AfroTech Executive has been an immense success for industry leaders in the black tech, media and startup industries. Now we need to continue the difficult work of monitoring and pressuring companies to diversify leadership and advance racial justice in technology, ”she noted.
“By promoting high-level discussions among decision-makers about policy and long-term change, we are committed to rising to the challenge and holding companies accountable. We have come a long way, but we need to work together, keep our commitment and keep pushing for a fairer future. “
(Image Credit: Randy Shropshire / Getty Images for Blavity Inc / AfroTech)
According to the press release, the event is an extension of the AfroTech conference, which is currently the largest tech conference in the world for black techies and entrepreneurs. The AfroTech Executive brought together corporate executives, media CEOs, venture capitalists, startup founders, investors and technology innovators for a once in a lifetime personal experience to fuel community and networking. A formal reception followed immediately after the conference.
Ghee, Samuels, and Lindsay spoke specifically about the necessity and the ever changing landscape of black media. Samuels says black media is in bloom and advertisers are ready to invest.
Says Ebony wants to get involved in the content business, Ghee notes: “We’re not building this empire so our kids can’t do anything – we’re building it so they can do something great.”
Huffman and Dorsey held a discussion on how black culture and the internet interact through Reddit. For Huffman, it’s about the intersectionality of freedom of expression and yet responsible speaking in our culture: “The Internet promises that people can network all over the world, which is incredibly powerful. Reddit executives meet regularly with moderators from their black communities to get specific examples of challenges and find specific solutions. “
Laron and Salvant talked about the formulas for success for startups and shared their own path to success with their company before being surprised 2021 Startup Founder of the Year Award from Charles Kuykendoll, Global Employment Brand & Events Manager at Stripe.
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