New Conference for Tech Innovators in South Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Today, Plug In South LA announced a new tech conference Urban Tech Connect for emerging and established entrepreneurs in South Los Angeles. The conference will bring together Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs and founders, innovators, business and civic leaders, and venture capitalists to create a hub for entrepreneurial growth and development in South Los Angeles. It will pave the way for the next generation of tech and digital media entrepreneurs, harnessing local talent from underserved communities and connecting them with opportunities in the thriving tech centers in neighboring Los Angeles and Orange County.

Urban Tech Connect will take place at Thursday, May 17, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.

Urban Tech Connect is a critical meeting of the minds. South LA is a tech desert. We sit on the edge of some incredible tech and entrepreneurial communities and yet there are virtually no resources dedicated to cultivating entrepreneurialism in South LA. We're going to change that. We are reaching into our local communities to tap the talent we know is there and we're connecting them with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. We believe the next Snap will come from South LA and we're building the community to nurture it.

Derek Smith, Founder of Plug In South Los Angeles

Urban Tech Connect is designed to connect aspiring and established founders in South Los Angeles with venture capitalists, executives, and other business leaders. Attendees will have space to network, work on-site with their teams, meet and learn from successful entrepreneurs and business professionals, and be inspired. It will also convene stakeholders who are dedicated to cultivating inclusive economic growth in redeveloping areas like South and Southeast Los Angeles.

A partial list of participants includes:

Matt Barnes, NBA Retired, Investor

Marlon Nichols, Co-Founder, Cross-Culture Ventures 

Brent Bushnell, CEO, Two Bit Circus 

Sky Kelley, CEO, Avisare

Iddris Sandu, Architect

Derek Smith, Founder of Plug In South Los Angeles

Keith Coleman, Chief Strategy Officer, Tesla Foundation

Anna Barber, Managing Director, Techstars LA

Tracy Gray, Founder and Managing Partner, 22 Fund

Brian Martinez, Global Business Operations, Airbnb

Cassie Betts, Founder, Made In South Los Angeles

Anthony Mays, Software Engineer, Google

Register online at: http://pluginsouthla.com/events

“Urban Tech Connect is a critical meeting of the minds. South LA is a tech desert. We sit on the edge of some incredible tech and entrepreneurial communities and yet there are virtually no resources dedicated to cultivating entrepreneurialism in South LA. We’re going to change that. We are reaching into our local communities to tap the talent we know is there and we’re connecting them with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. We believe the next Snap will come from South LA and we’re building the community to nurture it.” - Derek Smith, Founder, Plug In South LA

ABOUT PLUG IN SOUTH LA

Plug In South LA is a vibrant center for tech and digital media entrepreneurs in South LA. Its purpose is to fuel economic development and revitalization in South LA by cultivating existing, untapped local talent. The startup ecosystem promotes inclusive economic growth, bolsters local businesses, and connects South LA startups, ideas, and talent with established technology clusters in Los Angeles and Orange County. Programs for founders, venture capitalists, business leaders, and young aspiring entrepreneurs include bi-annual summits, monthly lunch and learn events, and a mentoring program.

Where you live is closely connected to your well being and life changes. The black and Latino residents of South and Southeast LA are less likely to find the resources they need in their city. And far too many young people are falling through the cracks in their transition to adulthood. One in four young black people in South LA is disconnected — neither in school or working — leading to lower incomes, higher unemployment, and negative physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood (www.measureofamerica.org/los-angeles-county). In 2017, Los Angeles-based startups raised $7 billion in capital, yet $0 went to infuse startups in South LA (www.represent.la).

Plug In South LA is dedicated to cultivating entrepreneurialism in South and Southeast Los Angeles. Plug In South LA intends to bring tangible economic benefit to the region by creating more good local jobs, building a pipeline of latent talent to feed the broader tech community, prioritizing sourcing from local businesses and suppliers in South LA, and providing exposure to entrepreneurialism and careers in tech and digital media for local young people.  

“Plug In South LA is ground zero for creating new economic opportunity in South LA. It’s changing the entrepreneurial outlook in the region by bringing people and businesses together to create new opportunities, and ideally, new startups.”

To learn more:

Website: www.pluginsouthla.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PISouthLA

Source: Plug In South Los Angeles

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