Atlanta Tech Conference Bridges the Gap Between Music, Tech, and Black Entrepreneurship
Introduction
In an exciting convergence of the tech, music, and entrepreneurship sectors, Atlanta has emerged as a beacon of transformation. Through the innovative tech conference, Render ATL, the city is playing a chauffer role in integrating these diverse domains to foster growth in the black and brown creator communities.
The Catalyst: Render ATL
As Render ATL kicks off its three-day event this Wednesday, the city gears up to host a variety of tech power players, promising entrepreneurs, and passionate youth looking to make their mark on the tech world. Spearheaded by CEO Justin Samuels, the event aims to put Atlanta’s innovative ecosystem under the global spotlight, grounded at the crossroads of hip-hop, business, and technology.
“What I’ve built Render to mean is that the South is tired of being picked over and tired of having our talent taken away“, articulated Samuels.
Event Overview
This year, Render is set to attract over 5,000 attendees and more than 100 speakers, including the famous Pro Football Hall of Famer, Shannon Sharpe who will deliver the keynote speech. Some of the biggest names from the tech industry are serving as sponsors, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
Simultaneously, the event anchors towards developing an equitable tech landscape in Atlanta. “We wanna be a top-five tech hub. But the thing I’ll call out is [that] the fine print around that is to do it equitably“, noted Atlanta’s first-ever Senior Tech Advisor, Donnie Beamer.
The conference promises to catalyze professional connections and promote learning in areas like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and software development.
Fueling Diversity in the Tech Space
However, beyond the glitz of innovation and entrepreneurship, the conference shines a light on the need for racial diversity in the tech industry. Despite approximately a third of the tech industry being non-white, over 83% of workers in high positions at tech companies are white, according to federal data.
Contextualizing the lack of representation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said, “These are things that people 20 years ago didn’t see much of, didn’t see much of African Americans being able to lead in the technology space“.
He expressed optimism for the path ahead, believing this platform could inspire the next generation of innovators, “Folks that are coming generations behind us and even kids that are in high school, college now are saying, ‘How can I be a part of that?’“, stated Dickens.
Dickens emphasized the need for more similar events, aiming to create an empowering ecosystem for local innovators to harness the economic potential of the tech industry.
Surrounding Activities
In collaboration with Render ATL, Atlanta will concurrently be hosting Tech Week, a series of startup-centric events aiming to stimulate the city’s entrepreneurial spirit. The main conference will conclude at AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta on Friday, June 14, followed by an after-party concert featuring Grammy award winner Anderson.Paak, known as DJ Pee Wee.
