2024 Baddies in Tech wrapped! 🎉
This year was major! We crushed our goals (heyyy to our 10,000 new baddies), broke barriers, and popped off in the tech space!
From our Black Tech Achievement Award to $50,000 from Tech Equity Collective and a beautiful BaddieCon, we definitely made some noise this year. We can’t thank this growing community enough, you all are the real MVB’s.
Let’s keep the momentum going into 2025! ✨
#BaddiesInTech#YearInReview#TechCommunity#WomenInTech#BlackWomenInTech#Technology#SpotifyWrapped#HappyNewYear
Last month, Black Tech Saturdays
turned a dream into history.
For the first time ever, we hosted our pitch competition, awarding $31,000 to four groundbreaking ventures: Reaction Technologies, Celer Energy, Arke, and Birth BnB . But this wasn’t just about funding—it was about unleashing something bigger. This was about proving that when bold ideas meet a bold community, anything is possible.
What happened in that room was electric. Finalists poured their hearts into stories that embodied resilience, creativity, and determination. The competition was fierce, but the energy was unmatched. This wasn’t just a contest—it was a revolution in the making. Cheers turned into fuel, and claps into thunder. It was a movement powered by pride, purpose, and the belief that innovation doesn’t belong to a chosen few—it belongs to us.
This milestone is a testament to what’s possible when we believe in each other, and more importantly, when we invest in one another. It’s not just about who won—it’s about what we all gained: proof that our brilliance deserves the spotlight.
To the community that made this happen: sponsors, judges, mentors, volunteers, and every single person who showed up—you didn’t just create a competition; you created a legacy. Together, we showed the world what’s possible when we lean into hope, build on what works, and never stop dreaming bigger.
This is just the beginning. We’re building something that will outlast us all—a legacy of opportunity, impact, and transformation. Because when one of us wins, we all win. And trust me, we’re just getting started.
To Black Tech Saturdays, from Black Tech Saturdays: we are limitless.
Let’s carry this momentum forward and keep breaking barriers. The future is ours to create—and it’s looking unstoppable.
Who's up NEXT? TAG A company or founder that should be in the next #BlackTechSaturdays Pitch Competition
#BlackTechSaturdays#keepgoing#togetherwecan#strongertogether#bridgethedivide#closethegap#blackintech#womenintech#latinxintech#diversityintech#Detroittech#blackexcellence#blackjoy#blacklove#InnovationForEveryone#CommunityPower#DreamBigger#LegacyInActionJohnnie TurnageAlexa Turnage
🙏🙏🙏
In Diversify Tech this week,
✨ Spotlight is on Shailvi Wakhlu
💼 Patriot Software is hiring
📆 Latinas in Tech Summit is coming up
🚀 Emily Nakashima shares how she became a VP of Engineering
➡️
#WomenInTech#BlackInTech#DiversityInTech#DiversifyTech
Growing up in #SiliconValley before it became the tech powerhouse it is today, I saw firsthand how systems are built—not just to create #innovation but to protect the status quo...
When I started my #tech career in 2010, the industry’s glaring inequities weren’t just obvious; they were baked into every policy, room, and opportunity...
Being #BlackInTech felt like walking into a game where the rules were never designed for you to win...
And yet, here I am, not just playing the game but "rewriting the rules"....
For years, #Diversity, #Equity, and #Inclusion (#DEI) was treated as a checkbox, a buzzword to pacify rather than empower...
But let’s be real:
"Performative DEI never dismantled power; it dressed it up in new clothes"...
That’s why I’m on a mission to change the narrative—not just for myself but for anyone who has ever felt unseen, underestimated, or disposable.
This isn’t about filling quotas or creating comfortable spaces for #inequity to thrive; it’s about building systems where talent, regardless of background, rises and thrives!
Today, my mission goes beyond just carving out my space in tech...
It’s about creating a #GlobalBrand and presence that reflects the richness and #resilience of being Black in this industry.
This isn’t the end of DEI; it’s a beginning—a louder, bolder, unapologetic push for real change...
The movement doesn’t stop just because it’s not trending...
It’s alive in every room we enter, every script we rewrite, and every system we challenge.
This is about power, and we’re just getting started...
🎯 Post inspired by this article by DeLisha Tapscott, Ed.D
"DEI Ain't Dead—It Was Never Alive"
https://lnkd.in/giD-EBJY
Website: https://lnkd.in/gzeRNX5v#BlackUnicorn#EmpoweringGrowth#UnicornsUnite#Storyteller
As we get into Fall, it's a pleasure to meet in person with our wonderful community, to see and learn what everyone has gotten up to recently at work and on side projects!
We have a stacked lineup featuring brilliant data demos, new insights into how we work, and fun ways to level up your skills!After some light refreshments, with many thanks to our great host Excella, we'll dive right in!
Event Schedule:
6-6:45pm : Socializing and Networking
6:45-8:15pm: Talks!
Current Talk Schedule
Get Unblocked Faster: Lessons from Journalism to Help You Ask Great Questions - Rachel Kaufman
Moving from prototype to application code - Prema Roman
100% Guaranteed Method for Getting People To Let You Give Technical Talks - Abigail Haddad
What I learned my first year as a Software Engineer- Helen Pewther
Accessible Design Patterns and Expectations - Anna Yeddi, CPWA (WAS and CPACC), MSW
Wrangling Teams and Data: A New Manager's Survival Guide - Olivia Hebner
LLMs: Learning to Love Machines (and Other AI Romance Stories) - Alanna Dent
Many thanks to Anastassia Kornilova one of our lead organizers for pushing to make this event come to life!
https://lnkd.in/ehYNDKEA
Additionally if you'd like to join our Slack community please check this link out: Https://bit.ly/wwcdcslack#wgxcdc#womencoders#nonbinarycoders#lightning#innovation
🌟 The Technical.ly Awards are back! 🌟
Pittsburgh’s tech and innovation scene is thriving, and the 2024 Technical.ly Awards are here to celebrate the people, products, and programs making a big impact. From AI-driven tools to transformative programs, this year’s nominees are pushing boundaries in remarkable ways.
Categories include:
🏆 Product of the Year: Game-changing tech that’s shaping industries.
🏆 Educator of the Year: Leaders empowering the next generation.
🏆 Program of the Year: Initiatives driving community growth.
🏆 Creator of the Year: Digital voices representing Pittsburgh’s unique charm.
🏆 Power Move of the Year: Strategic steps impacting our ecosystem.
🏆 Money Move of the Year: Financial wins fueling local innovation.
Now, it’s your turn to choose! Voting is open through Nov. 18, with winners announced the week of Thanksgiving. Let's recognize the innovators who are inspiring us all. https://lnkd.in/eMmehAE5
🌟 The Technical.ly Awards are back! 🌟
Pittsburgh’s tech and innovation scene is thriving, and the 2024 Technical.ly Awards are here to celebrate the people, products, and programs making a big impact. From AI-driven tools to transformative programs, this year’s nominees are pushing boundaries in remarkable ways.
Categories include:
🏆 Product of the Year: Game-changing tech that’s shaping industries.
🏆 Educator of the Year: Leaders empowering the next generation.
🏆 Program of the Year: Initiatives driving community growth.
🏆 Creator of the Year: Digital voices representing Pittsburgh’s unique charm.
🏆 Power Move of the Year: Strategic steps impacting our ecosystem.
🏆 Money Move of the Year: Financial wins fueling local innovation.
Now, it’s your turn to choose! Voting is open through Nov. 18, with winners announced the week of Thanksgiving. Let's recognize the innovators who are inspiring us all. https://lnkd.in/eMmehAE5
At Ferna Tech, we believe the old model is broken. The idea that building for “me” overpowers building for “us” has led us astray. It’s this mindset that we’ve challenged from the start. We’re the antithesis of hustle culture, rooted in intentional action, whole humanness, and community-driven progress.
Today, what we’ve built is a community of founders. Exceptional people bringing exceptional ideas into the world:
🌍 Exceptionally creative
🌍 Exceptionally bold
🌍 Exceptionally black
🌍 Exceptionally global
→ A month ago, we took our first delegation to Lisbon, hosting the first Black Tech Meetup of its kind at Europe’s most-loved tech conference Web Summit.
→ 5 months ago, we hosted our first-ever event, the The AI Mixer London alongside our friends at Rise, created by Barclays with one of our incredible advisors Simon Small.
→ And a year ago, I was sitting, dreaming, and planning what I wanted to build—and how I wanted it to come to life.
What Ferna Tech has become today fills my cup—and others’—beyond anything I could have imagined. Now, we’re reaching for the next milestone.
We’ve applied to host a panel at SXSW London, and we need your votes! 👇🏽
1️⃣ Follow the prompts in the link https://lnkd.in/dHQzFMav
2️⃣ Search for “Blueprint”
3️⃣ Select Ferna Tech and cast your vote
Let’s make this happen, together.
#SXSW2025#FernaTech#BlackTech#GlobalInnovation#CommunityDrivenChange#TechForGood#Innovation#VentureBuilder#VentureStudio#Ferna#TeamFernaMarcus McDowellSydney Sam Kimberly Ofori Kevin L.Lauren DeSouzaSizwe ZuluFrederick Vinhal FerreiraMuchu Kaingu
Did you know less than 2% of science and engineering roles are held by Black women?
Black Girls Code are here to change that. By 2025, they're planning to serve 10,000 students (virtually and in person!), expand the Code Along video academy and open door for employment through their workforce development programs.
If you want to be part of the change and help drive Black Girls Code towards their mission, it's super easy to set up automated payments on their website: https://lnkd.in/eyS_4n7j
Launching the next generation of tech innovators starts here!
We brought 16 talented Black college students to AfroTech to inspire innovation, foster connections, and open doors to future opportunities. 💻✨
It’s not just about learning code—it’s about building community, and preparing to lead in tech after college. #BlackGirlsCode#AfroTech2024
Program Manager | Agile Expert | Mentor | Connecting Talent with Opportunities | Driving Results & Team Success
3moCongrats!