Arlan Hamilton, Beatrice Dixon: Just 2 Reasons to Stop By Inc.’s Founders House at Black Tech Week

If you missed Inc.’s Founders House at SXSW, never fear: It’s popping up again, this time at Black Tech Week.

The five-day event is taking place in Cincinnati from July 18-22, and it aims to give Black tech professionals the chance to create life-changing connections with peers, investors, and tech enthusiasts of all kinds. This year, Black Tech Week 2022 is organized by Lightship Foundation, a Cincinnati-based organization that serves underrepresented entrepreneurs through bootcamp programs, accelerators, and more, which recently acquired the event from its founders, Felecia Hatcher and Derick Pearson, with the goal of expanding its reach and offerings. 

“I’ve been to every Black Tech Week, and every time, it’s so inspiring,” says Brian Brackeen, general partner at Lightship Capital. “Entrepreneurship, in general, is very lonely, and these kinds of events help people to realize they’re not alone.”

At this year’s Black Tech Week, attendees can listen to keynote speaker Serena Williams, TP Insights founder Sherrell Dorsey, Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant, Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk, and other entrepreneurs, in addition to attending sessions on topics like fundraising, hiring technical talent, and the future of video commerce. 

From Tuesday, July 19 through Thursday, July 21, starting at 2 p.m., attendees can also swing by Inc.’s Founders House, located just one block away from Cincinnati Music Hall, where the conference is based. There, they can relax, enjoy refreshments, and attend talks curated by Inc., with entrepreneurs like Beatrice Dixon, founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company, and Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital. Talks on topics like mental health for the Black community and pivoting a business will give attendees plenty of fodder to discuss during Founders House happy hour, each day at 5 p.m.