BLACK TECH WEEK to position South Florida as hub to doing business in Caribbean and Africa

Black Tech Week

TECH EVENT – Black tech innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors will converge in Miami for the inaugural Black Tech Week from February 23-28, 2015 hosted at Miami Dade College North Campus.

Presented by Miami-based Code Fever, an organization committed to teaching minority youth how to code, create technologies, and become entrepreneurs, Black Tech Week was inspired out of the vision to change the narrative surrounding the Black community and replace it with innovation, creativity, and technology during the last week of Black History Month to stretch the trajectory of the community.

The Founders anticipate that Black Tech Week will accelerate Miami as the U.S. gateway to the Caribbean and the entire African diaspora much like the city has become a gateway to Latin America.

The week-long series of event includes innovative programming that celebrates innovators of color, tech innovation, and diversity throughout the globe. The conference also serves as a platform that supports thought-provoking dialogue about how to move the needle forward to grow Black entrepreneurship and change from being consumers of social media and technology to creators. From sessions like “Tapping into Africa with Tech” to country-inspired sessions like Startup Jamaica, Startup Haiti, and Startup Havana to a pitch competition for sustainability entrepreneurs, attendees will have multiple opportunities to connect and network with global entrepreneurs and investors. Black Tech Week provides the optimal collision points to effectuate change within the Black community and add another dimension to Black History Month being about innovation and empowerment.

A cadre of investors, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists spanning the globe will lead the discussions and sessions, including the following:

Chinedu Echeruo – Founder of HopStop, which was later sold to Apple for $1 billion
Eric Osiakwan – Angel Africa advisor, TED fellow, and investor
Brian Brackeen – Founder of facial recognition software, Kairos, with $1.2 million secured in funding and recognized as one of the Wall Street Journal’s top startup of 2013
Ingrid Riley – Founder of ConnectiMass and producer of  KingstonBeta and  Startup Weekend Jamaica events and Founder of getConnectid
Stonly Baptiste – Founder, Urban.us
Pandwe Gibson – Founder, EcoTech Visions, a Miami-based incubator supporting green businesses
Jon Gosier – Founder of Appfrica, Apps4Africa, and co-founder of big data company, MetaLayer. Also named by CNN as one of 10 African Tech Voices to Follow on Twitter, one of the 25 most influential African-Americans in Technology by Business Insider, one of three Innovators of the Year by Black Enterprise Magazine, and one of The New Faces of Black Leadership by TIME Magazine.

Additional details about Black Tech Week, including the schedule of events, confirmed speakers and participants, and registration information can be found at www.blacktechweek.com