AFROTECH™ Conference Closes Out With Focus On Authenticity, Generating Revenue, And Mobilizing Fans In Creator Economy
AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 closed out with a bang.
The annual celebration of Black technological innovation once again delivered an unforgettable experience. This year’s conference offered an unmatched range of learning opportunities across sectors, including marketing, advertising, engineering, product, and design. And with the debut of the Blavity Creators Summit presented in partnership with Dream Con, esports and streaming officially entered the mix to cap off the week.
“I heard a lot about AFROTECH™ just from co-workers, friends… I came for the full experience, and it definitely fit the bill in terms of the programming,” shared Kamsiyochi Nwaiwu, a Nigerian cybersecurity engineer at Visa who flew from Virginia to attend the conference for the first time.
Programming on Friday, Oct. 31, included a “GirlTREK x Blavity Health Morning Walk” at sunrise with GirlTREK co-founder Vanessa Renae, before doors opened at 8 a.m. Sessions started with helpful insights for creators to leverage their authenticity to grow their community while getting to the bag with brand deals.
“Medical mythbuster” Dr. Joel Bervell hit the stage following a panel by Canva on how to stand out on social media. The doctor discussed using his knowledge to create change by leveraging digital media to address inequities in health care, which he shared has saved lives.
Dream Con was in the building, with its co-founder and chief brand officer, Johnathan Newton, joining a panel about steps to organize communities, “How Streamers & Influencers Are Mobilizing the Next Generation of Fans.” Money talks, so it’s no surprise that some gems were shared to expand the mindsets of creators looking to monetize their platforms.
Engineering attendees had several must-attend panels on Oct. 31, including a session led by GEICO engineers who are developing cloud-native platforms and implementing AI and automation on a large scale, and a separate panel presented by Bank of America on the skills needed to succeed in engineering.
The Expo Hall was still alive and well with new technologies and recruiters from top companies scouting talent. Attendees were also able to cap off their day at the Blavity House Party.
The variety of sessions and activations left a lasting impression on attendees who look forward to returning as the conference prepares to make a three-peat in Houston in 2026.
“The beauty about the experience at AFROTECH™ is the fact that you could literally just be walking around, and the amount of the wealth of experience around you is a lot,” said Emmanuel Ajala, who is in his final year of his master’s program in computer science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “You could be sitting next to a VP or a senior engineer.”
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