As its first major initiative of 2019, Bronze Valley signed on as a sponsor of the annual Blacktech Week conference in Miami, scheduled for February 5-9. Bronze Valley will be represented at the event by Zarinah Shahid, who also will moderate a panel discussion centered on the topic of funding resources for startups and small businesses.
Held annually since 2014, Blacktech Week is a minority-centric festival dedicated to accelerating the business ecosystem for innovators of color. The event partners with founders and corporations to attract investors, entrepreneurs and techies of every kind for five days of expert speakers, panel discussions, network opportunities and entertainment. Bronze Valley’s Shahid says participating in Blacktech Week is a great opportunity to further the organization’s mission.
Bronze Valley’s Zarinah Shahid will moderate a panel discussion at Blacktech Week 2019, February 5-9 in Miami.
“Being part of an event like this is important to us because one of the objectives of Bronze Valley is working to create an ecosystem in which minority-founded and minority-owned businesses flourish,” Shahid notes. “Opportunities to network and develop partnerships with others in the technology and innovation space are invaluable to what we do.”
Moderating a panel on investing in minority enterprises is another such opportunity, Shahid adds. Scheduled for the second day of the conference, the discussion — titled “Show Me the Money!” — will feature eMERGE Americas CEO Felice Gorodo, award-winning journalist and former Knight Foundation program director Matt Haggman and Fatima Loeliger, portfolio services director at Kapor Capital.
“The goal of this discussion is to provide startups and would-be entrepreneurs with vital and actionable information relative to funding,” says Shahid. “That’s a critical gap in the story of minority businesses, one that Bronze Valley and other people and organizations across the country are working to eliminate. Hearing from this panel of experts, having them share their knowledge, really speaks to the purpose of Blacktech Week.”
