Black Tech Week draws Keke Palmer as attendance and sponsors surge
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Keke Palmer at ESSENCE Fest — earlier this month, ahead of her keynote at Black Tech Week in Cincinnati. Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE
Keke Palmer, fresh off the ESSENCE Festival stage in New Orleans, headlines this year's Black Tech Week, a rapidly growing Midwest-based tech summit that blends entrepreneurship, cultural influence and genuine funding opportunities for underrepresented founders.
Why it matters: The three-day event, which kicks off Monday, has become a hub for dealmaking, upskilling and ecosystem building for Black and brown innovators in the Midwest and beyond.
- Only 0.4% of U.S. venture funding went to Black‑founded startups in 2024—the lowest share in years. Black Tech Week is built to close that gap.
The Big Picture: Organizers expected fundraising and turnout to take a hit, but the opposite happened. Black Tech Week is growing — even as many major companies, such as Target, Google, Amazon, Meta, and T-Mobile, cut sponsorship funds or eliminate DEI roles due to political and shareholder pressure.
- Organizers tapped into Ohio institutions, garnering strong local support from the state's Fortune 500 companies.
- This year, Black Tech Week expanded its sponsors and added workshops focused on entrepreneurship, AI and access to capital.
What they're saying: Candice Matthews Brackeen, CEO and founder of Lightship Foundation, which acquired the event, says the event's growth is personal and political.
- "While other companies pulled back after November, we've gotten bigger," Brackeen told Axios. "The city, the county, the state — they've all shown up to support this."
Zoom in: As an Ohio native, she's proud to host a conference that helps put the Midwest at the center of innovation and culture. Brackeen points out that Cincinnati is quickly becoming a core hub, thanks to Intel, Amazon, and massive public-private investment.
- Ohio is often overlooked, she says, "but Ohio builds businesses, too."
Zoom out: When Brackeen first attended the Black Tech Week conference a decade ago, there were only a few hundred people in attendance. This year, more than 6,200 attendees are projected to attend.
- Speakers for the conference include Fawn Weaver of Uncle Nearest, Calvin Butts Jr. of private equity firm East Chop Capital and a growing slate of Black founders with major exits.
- Workshops cover AI, venture capital and the soft skills often missing from traditional tech training.
- "We go from panels in the morning to workshops in the afternoon," Brackeen said. "This isn't just about inspiration — this is where the real work gets done."
The vibe is less buttoned-up expo, more real-talk block party for builders, dreamers and dealmakers, said entrepreneur Rodney Walton, who has gone from attendee to speaker.
- "You don't have to be uptight. You can be who you are," Walton said. "It's authentic, and when people show up that way, business actually gets done."
- Walton says the conference helped him connect with investors — and even the pastor who officiated his wedding.
The bottom line: Brackeen said they are looking for business leaders who are moving the culture every year.
- "Serena. Issa. Ava. Now Keke — they're not just famous, they're making strategic business moves that shape how we all work and live," she said.
