>>> ARGUMENT "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE,
BLACK WOMEN ARE THE FASTEST
GROWING GROUP OF ENTREPRENEURS
IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH THE
NUMBER OF BUSINESSES OWNED BY
AFRICAN AMERICAN HAVING GROWN BY
OVER 300% SINCE 1997.
AND THIS YEAR, BETWEEN BLACK
HISTORY MONTH AND THE BEGINNING
OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, A
SPOTLIGHT BEING PUT ON WOMEN OF
COLOR AS THEY UNITE AT THE THIRD
ANNUAL BLACK WOMEN'S TALK TECH.
CELEBRATING BLACK FOUNDERS IN
TECH, THE THREE-DAY CONFERENCE
FOCUSES ON HELPING WOMEN OF
COLOR BUILD THEIR NEXT BILLION
BUSINESS.
AS PART OF OUR ONGOING CHASING
THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON POVERTY
AND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA,
TONIGHT WE TAKE YOU INSIDE THE
CONFERENCE THAT IS SHAKING UP
THE TECH INDUSTRY, ONE STARTUP
AT A TIME.
JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF
THAT, THE CO-FOUNDER OF BLACK
WOMEN'S TALK TAKE, IS
ISOSA IGADERO.
LADIES, WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> IT'S A MARVELOUS CONCEPT.
TELL ME HOW THE NOTION OF THE
CONFERENCE GOT STARTED?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT REALLY GOT STARTED ABOUT TWO
YEARS AGO WHEN MYSELF AND MY TWO
OTHER CO-FOUNDERS OF THE
CONFERENCE JUST KEPT MEETING
EACH OTHER AT DIFFERENT EVENTS
IN THE ECOSYSTEM.
AND WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT EACH
OTHER, HEY, I HAVEN'T SEEN A TON
OF BLACK WOMEN, TECH FOUNDERS IN
THESE SPACES.
I WONDER IF THERE ARE ANY
OTHERS, RIGHT?
SO WE CAME TOGETHER AND DECIDED
LET'S PUT TOGETHER A DAY OF
ACTI
ACTIVITIES THAT WE'D WANT TO
HEAR AS FOUNDERS AND INVITE
OTHER BLACK WOMEN WHO POSSIBLY
ARE DOING THIS.
SO THAT'S WHAT FIRST
ORGANIZATION TO BE NOW THIS YEAR
EXPECTING A THOUSAND PEOPLE.
>> I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT
THAT, THE EVOLUTION OVER THE
YEARS.
BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT -- LET ME
ASK YOU THIS.
PEOPLE MIGHT LOOK AT THIS AND
SAY WELL, IT'S TECH.
WHY IS THERE SUCH A SIGNIFICANCE
THAT WE INTRODUCE NOTIONS OF
DIVERSITY INTO TECH?
WHAT'S THE ANSWER TO THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE WAY RESEARCH HAS
DEMONSTRATED OVER THE YEARS THAT
DIVERSE TEAMS ACTUALLY PRODUCE
BETTER IDEAS.
THEY'RE SPEND LESS MONEY.
THEY ACTUALLY WORK MORE
COHESIVELY TOGETHER.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT BRINGING
DIVERSITY INTO TECH, YOU CAN
ONLY IMAGINE THE IMPACT THAT
THAT COULD HAVE ACROSS THE
DIFFERENT TECH SECTORS THAT
EXIST.
>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONFERENCE.
SO THE FIRST TIME YOU GOT A
CLASSROOM FOR ABOUT 30 PEOPLE.
AND YOU GET A LOT MORE.
WHAT DID YOU DO?
WHAT WAS THIS -- SORT OF
INFORMAL AT THE TIME.
>> YEAH.
>> WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE
FIRST CONFERENCE?
>> WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST
CONFERENCE, WE GOT ALL THESE
DIFFERENT EXPERTS IN THE FIELDS
OF TECHNOLOGY THAT WERE BLACK
WOMEN, KIND OF IN THE TECHNOLOGY
SPACE SPEAKING TO THEIR
PERSPECTIVE.
SO WE HAVE GOT A PANEL OF
INVESTORS.
WE GOT A PANEL OF WHAT WE CALL
UNICORNS, FOLKS WHO HAVE
ACTUALLY RAISED OVER A MILLION
DOLLARS, WHICH IS A HUGE FEAT IN
THE PEOPLE'S COLOR TECHNOLOGY
RIGHT NOW, WOMEN WHO ACTUALLY
RAISED OVER A MILLION.
WE HAD ABOUT FIVE OF THEM.
AND I THINK AT THE TIME THERE IS
14.
WE HAD EVERYONE KIND OF TALKING
ABOUT WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS IN
THE FIELD RIGHT NOW, WHAT ARE
SOME CURRENT TRENDS.
HOW DO YOU HIRE YOUR FIRST
EMPLOYEE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN
YOU'RE TRYING TO NEGOTIATE TERMS
WITH AN INVESTOR, RIGHT?
DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WOULD KIND
OF AFFECT YOU RAISING OR SCALING
UP YOUR STARTUP.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE DID IN THE
FIRST DAY.
WE ALSO HAD A PITCH COMPETITION
WHO ANGEL RICH WON THE FIRST
ONE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO GIVE
HER, BUT WE GOT HER --
>> AT LEAST SHE GOT THE TITLE.
>> AND SHE ALSO GOT ACCEPTED A
AS FINALIST FOR ANOTHER
CONFERENCE THAT BLOCK ENTERPRISE
WAS HAVING AND SHE WENT ON TO
WIN THAT, AND THEN SHE WENT ON
TO GET AN ARTICLE WRITTEN IN
FORBES NAMING HER THE NEXT STEVE
JOBS.
AND SHE CATAPULTED INTO THIS
REALLY SUCCESSFUL POWERHOUSE
WOMAN.
AND THEN LITERALLY FROM THAT
CONFERENCE, WE FOUND THAT THREE
WOMEN ACTUALLY GOT FUNDING AS A
RESULT OF JUST CONVENING.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE
PITCH CONTEST.
THE FIRST TIME SOME LITTLE
TROPHY OR WHATEVER IT WAS,
SAYING YOU WON.
THIS TIME IT'S VERY DIFFERENT.
>> YEP.
SO THIS TIME WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE
TO GIVE $100,000 TO THE WIN
OTHER TELEPHONE PITCH
COMPETITION, WHICH CAN BE A VERY
SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
YOU SEE A LOT OF PITCH
COMPETITIONS IN ANY TECH SECTOR.
10 K HERE, 20 K THERE, 50 K EVEN
SOMETIMES.
BUT TO HAVE A PITCH COMPETITION
WHERE YOU'RE GIVING AWAY A FULL
$100,000, THAT'S A LONG WAY PAST
PROTOTYPING AND INTO CUSTOMER
ACQUISITION THAT AN ENTREPRENEUR
CAN GO TO GET THEIR STARTUP OFF
THE GROUND.
>> HAVE YOU HAD SUCCESS?
YOU MENTIONED THE FIRST ONE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, HERE IS A
BETTER QUESTION.
WHAT IS SUCCESS?
WHAT ARE THE SUCCESS STORIES?
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE IT COMING
OUT OF THESE CONFERENCES?
WHAT YOU LOOKING FOR?
>> I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST
UNIQUE PART OF BLACK WOMEN TALK
TECH DURING OUR ROAD MAP TO
BILLING THIS CONFERENCE IS IT'S
LITERALLY AN EXPERIENCE LIKE NO
OTHER.
EVERY PERSON THAT COMES IN, YOU
SEE A SEA FULL OF BLACK WOMEN
WHO ARE CREATING LITERALLY THE
NEXT BILLION TECH STARTUP, IN
VARIED FIELD, FROM FASHION TO
FINANCE TO HEALTH CARE TO
CRYPTOCURRENCY TO CANNABIS.
IT LITERALLY VARIES IN TERMS OF
WHAT SECTOR IT IS.
BUT NOW THEY'RE ALL IN A SPACE
WHERE EVERYONE IS TALKING THE
SAME LANGUAGE.
>> OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE GENERATING
SUCCESS STORIES.
BUT THIS EVENT ITSELF IS A
MARVELOUS SUCCESS STORY.
>> OH, YEAH.
>> THE NOTION A COUPLE OF YOU
BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER.
>> I KNOW.
>> AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN NOW IN
THREE YEARS IT'S BECOME.
THIS AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE NOTION
OF PUTTING PEOPLE IN A ROOM AND
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITY AND
INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION.
AND IT SOUNDS EXACTLY WHAT'S
TAKEN PLACE HERE.
I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR
SPENDING TIME WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> IT'S JUST A FABULOUS,
FABULOUS THING THAT YOU'RE ALL
DOING TO CREATE THESE
OPPORTUNITIES.
AND WE'LL TALK SOME MORE NEXT
TIME AROUND AND SEE HOW THIS
WHOLE THING HAS BEEN
PROGRESSING.
>> FOR SURE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
US.
>> GOOD LUCK TO BOTH OF YOU.
WE'LL TALK AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
