De La Soul’s 1989 hit Me Myself and I remains an anthem for self-acceptance and individuality. In 2024, Atlanta-based nonprofit Goodie Nation and its ATL(BLK)TCH program is borrowing De La Soul’s message as inspiration to create a better, more inclusive, and more authentic tech community.
2024 is the year of “We Our and Us” for the organization. And to kick that off, Atlanta’s tech community showed up in full force last week at The Gathering Spot for the annual State of the Atlanta Black Tech Ecosystem Summit. In front of a standing-room only crowd, speakers talked about opportunities – and threats – to Black and minority founders building in the Atlanta technology ecosystem. Experts and industry leaders took the stage to talk about tangible ways to improve the city’s education, workforce, and funding avenues needed to build a resilient business community.
If you missed the event, we’ve recapped the organizations that were highlighted on Summit stage. Bookmark this page, as it has the resources you need to know in 2024:
Educational Organizations In Atlanta
* Technologists of Color is an organization connecting professionals from the information technology arena. You can check out their next Meetup plans here.
* Black Product Managers Network is a national organization for diverse product leaders that hosts an active Atlanta chapter.
* Cs4ga.org: If you’re passionate about improving computer science education for the next generation, you’ll want to get involved with CS4GA. The organization is a collective impact effort to bring quality CS education to all children in K-12 systems throughout Georgia’s 182 school districts.
* Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Spelman and Morehouse is the first-ever academic center to produce, train, and support a new generation of Black entrepreneurial talent.
* Women Who Code is a global non-profit organization and the world’s largest and most active community dedicated to empowering women to excel in technology careers. You can read about Women Who Code’s roots in Atlanta here.
* Hype and its founder Kristina Newton are on a mission to empower girls of color to confidently pursue 21st century careers and opportunities in computing and technology. Get to know the STEM education program here.
* Cxmmunity is an Atlanta-based educational organization helping kids develop business-management and STEAM while finding new career paths into the esports and video game industry.
Community Spaces & Builders
* The Office of Innovation: Under the leadership of the City of Atlanta’s Senior Technology Advisor Donnie Beamer, The Office of Innovation has created the Atlanta Tech Hub to build the future of entrepreneurship in Atlanta.
* The Codehouse is a nonprofit tackling the diversity gap in technology by providing exposure and resources to the next generation of tech talent.
* The Gathering Spot is a Black-owned networking club members-only space focused on culture and community. The Gathering Spot has locations in Atlanta, DC, and Los Angeles.
* The Russell Center has grown to be the place for Black founders and serves as a business generator for Metro Atlanta and beyond.
* Collab Capital is an Atlanta-based VC fund investing in Black tech founders
* Refactor Tech: This conference in Atlanta is all about growing and showcasing powerful voices of marginalized people and allies in tech. For three days, REFACTR.TECH focuses on technology while creating a safe space for thoughtful and nuanced conversations around diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality in tech.
* BLCK VC: BLCK VC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that equips Black investors with the access, education, and community they need to accelerate their careers in venture capital.
