About Southern California’s Premier Tech Conference – Urban Tech Connect
Once again, it’s on. Urban Tech Connect returns Thursday, May 16, 2019, at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center. Build with industry thought leaders as well as potential future investors who will offer authentic advice, invaluable insight and meaningful inspiration. Whether you’re looking to raise significant funding or be successfully acquired, Urban Tech Connect is uniquely designed to empower the next generation of South Los Angeles founders and entrepreneurs.
Who Should Attend:
- Angles, VCs, & Successful Entrepreneurs, Early Stage and Seed Stage Founders
- Professional resources Providers (Banking partners, Legal advice, Incubators / Accelerator directors)
- LA’s tech and digital media ecosystem professionals
- Philanthropic Leaders
Attendees
Speakers
VCs & Product Managers
Keynotes
Here’s What to Expect on the Agenda
Lobby 2nd Floor Are you still working through fundraising, product, strategy, or marketing challenges? Sign up for our office hours meet-and-greet. Founders will have the opportunity to personally connect with VCs, angel investors, and tech talent. Legal professionals will also be on hand to help address founders’ specific questions. Founders Lounge Space is set up to allow founders to get work done while networking around the conference. Come solo or bring your team to work onsite. Meet other successful founders, VCs, tech talent, and angel investors. Founders Lounge How much money do I actually need to raise a seed round? This session answers pressing startup financing questions. Theatre Theatre Anthony D. Mays grew up in Compton as a foster kid who had suffered physical and sexual abuse. At eight years old, he taught himself how to program computers, and went on to graduate from UC Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Now a software engineer for Google, Anthony shares his remarkable journey. Theatre Songwriter, rapper, producer, DJ, and businessman Arabian Prince might be best known for helping found N.W.A. But it’s his passion for technology that led him to launch a special effects studio, collaborate with major companies on video game titles, and lower the barriers to entry for young technologists. He discusses championing the next generation through the Open Labs initiative from his Inov8 Next incubator. Founders Lounge Startup funding could come from many different channels. Discover how to unlock capital through sources like pitch competitions, grants, angel investors, and kickstarters. Theatre The innovation-based economy is already here. From accelerators to emerging technologies to the jobs of the future, find out exactly what you need to get on the smartest path forward. Rooftop/Cabaret Room Theatre Theatre Engineer and entrepreneur Brent Bushnell is the co-founder and CEO of LA-based entertainment company Two Bit Circus, where he works with a cross-disciplinary team to inspire, engage, and reinvent the way we play. In late 2018, they opened a 50,000-square-foot entertainment complex with a variety of immersive entertainment and a parallel nonprofit to inspire the next generation about invention. Brent shares why storytelling and immersion are instrumental for reshaping our world. He also demonstrates how to transform your passion into entrepreneurial solutions for some of the biggest problems out there. Theatre Market researchers estimate that spending on legal cannabis could reach $57 billion by 2027. But the burgeoning industry — from cultivation, manufacturing, and retail to media and marketing — lacks inclusivity. Entrepreneurs dig into ways for Latinx and African American founders to break down those barriers. Theatre Master data, branding, partnerships, and collaborations in this informative session from thought leaders with firsthand experience in successful marketing. Find out how to hack your business growth and set yourself apart in a crowd. Theatre Early and Pre-seed startup founders from in and around South Los Angeles, get ready to rock the room. These rapid presentations are the perfect time to show everyone — including VCs in the audience — what you’ve got. Lobby/Founders Lounge Theatre Money talks, and impact investing speaks the language of transformation. Find out where forward-thinking investors are uncovering great startup potential, from under-represented groups to overlooked sectors. Our experts bring you up to speed on accelerators, opportunity funds, and impact investments. Theatre Abraham Jankans shares his journey building, growing and bootstrapping his company despite the odds being stacked against him. Theatre In this panel, founders and VCs share the stories behind the success. These experts also discuss how funding works after a Series A round, determining how much to raise, and what you need to know about the VC landscape in Los Angeles. Theatre Ben Horowitz and Chris Lyons quoted Diddy’s “Victory” when they announced Andreessen Horowitz’s new Cultural Leadership Fund. Shining together in this case means an exclusive fund aimed at African American cultural leaders with proceeds going to nonprofits that enable more young African Americans to enter the tech industry. Lyons discusses this innovative entrepreneurship model. Theatre Rooftop
9:00 AM
Registration
9:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Office Hours
9:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Co-Working & Roundtable Sessions
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Roundtable: Raise a Seed Round
10:00 AM
Welcome Remarks
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM
From Compton Foster Kid to Google Software Engineer
10:30 AM – 11:10 AM
Championing Next-Gen Technologists
10:40 AM – 11:10 AM
Roundtable: Think Outside the Bank
11:10 AM – 11:55 AM
Cultivate Those Geeky Roots in South LA
12:00 PM – 1:10 PM
Networking Lunch
1:10 PM
Afternoon Welcome Remarks
1:20 PM – 1:35 PM
Experiential Entertainment for Global Impact
1:35 PM – 2:05 PM
Tipping the Scales: Accessing the Cannabis Industry
2:05 PM – 2:35 PM
Marketing Master Class
2:35 PM – 2:50 PM
Plug In South LA Lightning Demos
2:50 PM – 3:00 PM
Power Break
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Tap into Transformative Startup Capital
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Art of the Possible: Bootstrapping Your Venture to Growth
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
Getting to Yes and What’s Next
4:15 PM – 4:45 PM
Fearless Tech Pioneering
4:45 PM
Closing Remarks
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Reception
This section of the conference is designed to help Founders make connections with Venture Capitalists, Seed Angeles, and Subject Matter experts to help Founders tackle a specific challenge or opportunity. Meet people who you might otherwise not have an opportunity to meet and who might serve as a resource on your entrepreneurial journey. Meet & Greet (aka Office Hours) from 9:00 am to Noon
Location
Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
4708 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
Location
The Plug @ Urban Tech Connect
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Urban Tech Connect Sponsors
Stakeholder
Crowdfunder
Angel
About Plug IN South LA
Plug In brings together entrepreneurs, founders, VCs, innovators and emerging talent for conversations and networking focused on creating a community and hub for innovation in South LA. Come join our kick off Tech Summit & Digital Media program in our movement to identify and accelerate the beautiful in tech and digital media.
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