Tech hubs are popping up all over the place outside of Silicon Valley. BLKTECH Interactive has expanded its presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, by opening up a 1,200-square-foot office space at Camp North End located in Charlotte’s burgeoning innovation district. This will be the first community initiative supporting technologists and entrepreneurs of color throughout North Carolina that gives them an actual place to call home.
“We’re beyond enthusiastic to expand our work through BLKTECH Interactive’s initiative across North Carolina with the installation of BLKTECHCLT at Camp North End,” said Sherrell Dorsey, founder and president of Build the Good, a community development consulting firm that runs BLKTECHCLT. “As neighbors in Charlotte’s growing smart innovation district, we’re looking forward to continued growth and collaboration as we move into the hub of neighbors working toward an inclusive and innovative ecosystem.”
According to a recent press release, BLKTECHCLT launched in 2016 at Google Fiber and has since hosted interactive, inclusive technology experiences throughout Charlotte at Hygge, Tresata, Camp North End, and AvidxChange. In its first year in operation, BLKTECHCLT partnered with Carolina Small Business Development Fund to provide entrepreneurs of color access to $100,000 in microloans to help jump-start their business endeavors. Other partners have included Venture for America, the City of Charlotte, Airbnb, the Knight Foundation, and the Path, among others.
The goal for BLKTECH Interactive is to develop data-driven programming to support the growth of black tech entrepreneurship across the state by hosting skill-building workshops and events, connecting entrepreneurs to mentorship and funding, and connecting corporate employers to a local database of black tech talent, stated the release.
“BLKTECHCLT represents the best of what the North End Smart District should be,” said Damon Hemmerdinger, co-President of ATCO Properties & Management, the developer of Camp North End. “Sherrell and her colleagues are working to ensure that the economic opportunity that will be created in the North End is available to all Charlotteans, and Camp North End is very proud to be able to host their work.”
Find out more about the BLKTECHCLT initiative at blktechinteractive.com.