If you weren’t at Fremont in Chicago last Tuesday you missed Black Tech Mecca showing out! Not only did they give us awesome company and good food, but most importantly they gave us an open invitation welcoming us to the mecca.

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Upon entering the event everyone was identified as one of three groups:

1. Trailblazers: Tech entrepreneurs and investors of all stages of their company life cycle
2. Explorers: Academic, parents, and students who want to explore how technology can help enhance their classrooms, tech IQ, and make them more competitive in the marketplace
3. Builders: Corporate/working professionals in tech, who are passionate about driving change within a company

This definitely made for a good conversation starter as everyone mingled. Every group has a different story to tell so it was interesting meeting people from each group.

Now we weren’t at Black Tech Mecca #Chi2.0 just to celebrate Black Tech Mecca’s one year anniversary in Chicago, we were also there to get a glimpse into the future of the mecca. And that’s exactly what the crowd got when Black Tech Mecca debuted 2 major future projects:

1. State of the Black Tech Ecosystem (SBTE) Report: The SBTE report will be a comprehensive research study that will chart the current state of the Black tech ecosystem (SBTE) in Chicago. The main goals of the report will be: to gather data that provides an estimate of the current state of the Black tech ecosystem, identify SBTE metrics that can be used to monitor changes in the Black tech ecosystem over time, and to use the final SBTE report as a tool for devising strategies and leveraging support that will help drive black academic, corporate and entrepreneurial and tech growth. To get updates about the report sign up here.
2. Black Tech Mecca Ecosystem: This platform (available now and previewed above) will allow for the black tech community to connect easier as well as collaborate and innovate more productively and authentically. Through member profiles, organization and company listings, and a community calendar, members of the platform will be able to connect, explore, and collaborate with black tech startups, organizations, and members in the Chicago tech ecosystem. Want to be one of the first ones to join the ecosystem? Fill out the form here.

I’m so excited I was welcomed into the mecca with open arms last week. I can’t wait to see the results of the SBTE report and to see what the future holds for the Black Tech ecosystem. Who else was at the Black Tech Mecca event? What are you excited to see from the mecca?