VIRTUAL CONFERENCE• FEBRUARY 23-24, 2022
Black Liberation and the Digital Economy (BLADE) is a two-day, virtual conference that showcases Black innovators who are thriving on emerging and mature digital platforms.
Sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
BLACK PROSPERITY IN DIGITAL WORLD
The digital economy is worth an estimated $3 trillion dollars which equates to about 30% of the S&P 500.
This is comprised of social media juggernauts like Facebook and Twitter as well as e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Etsy, not to mention gig and sharing economy giants like Uber, Lyft and Airbnb. Within these verticals and others, there are burgeoning economies filled with motivated self-starters monetizing everything from online education to curated spaces dedicated to motivation and inspiration.
When it comes to entrepreneurship, the focus is often placed on tech startups, or small and medium-sized businesses, but there is a vast universe of entrepreneurial activity that falls outside of those two lanes, for which we know little about in terms of the ways Black people are leveraging the digital space to make money.
This event will explore the primary digital domains where Black people are active and winning, as well as examine systemic challenges associated with truly capitalizing on the vast opportunity offered by the digital age.
FEBRUARY 23-24, 2022
Register for BLADE Con
Agenda
Day 1
11:00 - 11:10 EST • Welcome | Kelly Burton, CEO, Black Innovation Alliance
11:10 - 11:20 AM • Remarks | Philip Gaskin, Vice President, Entrepreneurship at Kauffman Foundation
11:20 - 11:30 PM • Who is Black Innovation Alliance
11:35 - 12:15 PM • Keynote by Abbey Wemimo, Co-Founder, Esusu
11:20 - 11:30 AM • Introducing the BLADE Blueprint | Tameka Key, Director of Marketing & Communications, Black Innovation Alliance and Barbara Ruth Saunders, author of BLADE Report
12:30 - 12:45 PM • Networking Break
12:45 - 1:45 PM • MASTERCLASSES
DE-FI - “Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and Decentralized Finance”, Patrick Thompson, Editor, CoinGeek
E-Commerce - “Beauty & the Digital Beast- Breaking Chains & Building the Bank”, Christie Jones Bird, Founder, Jones and Rose Skin Care
Gaming & Esports - “Power-up Your Brand with Video Games”, Marcus Howard, CEO MetArena
Publishing & Media - “Building a Publishing Platform that Matters”, Kori Hale, CEO, CultureBanx
2:00 - 2:15 PM • Networking Break
2:15 - 3:00 PM • INDUSTRY MEETUPS
Meetup #1: Content Creators
Meetup #2: Education & Activism
Meetup #3: Platform Developers
Meetup #4: Professional Services
3:00 - 3:30 PM • Panel Discussion: “Operation Black Liberation: How we leverage the digital economy to ‘get free’” w/ Monique Aiken (Managing Director, The Investment Integration Project), Ryan Johnson (Founder of Cxmmunity & HBCU Esports League) , Fallon Wilson PhD (Co-Founder, #BlackTechFutures Research Institute) and Sinclair Skinner(Co-Founder, Black Blockchain Summit)
3:30 - 3:45 PM • Audience Q&A w/ Panelists
3:45 - 4:00 PM • Networking Break featuring
4:00 - 4:30 PM • Solutions Cipher
4:45 - 5:00 PM EST • Musical Performance by Alex Harris
Day 2
11:00 - 11:10 EST • Welcome & Recap
11:10 - 11:35 AM • Keynote by Latoya Peterson Co-founder & CXO, Glow Up Games
11:35 - 12:20 AM • LIGHTNING TALKS
Talk #1: Shaina Silva, Founder, SheBuilds Global Initiative
Talk #2: Joseph Saulter, President, Metaverse of Faith at VRinCity
Talk #3: Crystal Etienne, CEO & Founder of Ruby Love
12:30 - 1:30 PM • MASTERCLASSES
Content Creation - Using Content to Build a Movement, Bem Joiner, Founder, Atlanta Influences Everything
Education & Activism - Mine Your Money: Money, the Metaverse, and the Management of Social Capital, Neferteri Strickland, Founders, Teachers& and Low Sleazy the Blockchain Evangelist, Founder, Blockchain Gospel DAO
Professional Services - The Savvy Service Provider, Craig Chavis, Business Strategist, Cre8ive Craig
1:30 - 2:00 PM • Networking Break
2:00 - 2:10 PM • BLADE Report Highlight
2:15 - 3:00 PM • INDUSTRY MEETUPS
Meetup #1: Decentralized Finance
Meetup #2: E-Commerce
Meetup #3: Gaming & Esports
Meetup #4: Publishing & Media
3:00 - 3:15 PM • Networking Break featuring Mixtroz
3:15 - 3:45 PM • Panel Discussion: Closing Panel: New Frontiers and the Future of Black Innovation w/ Jason Mills (Managing Partner, Uncommon Impact Ventures), Pamela L. Jennings PhD (CEO, CONSTRUKTS), Rob Collier (General Counsel, Rally), Catherine D. Henry (SVP Growth: Metaverse Innovation & Transformation Strategy, Media Monks)
3:45 - 4:00 PM • Audience Q&A w/ Panelists
4:00 - 4:15 EST • Day 2 Close
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE BIA
Black Innovation Alliance is a national coalition of innovator support organizations (ISOs) dedicated to ensuring that Black people gain full access to the innovation economy.
We believe that the solutions to the issues that plague our communities begin with us. We believe in the transformative power of Black genius to make the world a better place, and we affirm that our talent and ideas have value.
We invite you to