Kiratiana's Thoughts: Tech, Culture, Travel and Sports

14 Mar 2011

TECH: I won a Samsung Galaxy from Samsung at #sxsw

Yesterday was a great day at sxsw! I won a Samsung Galaxy Tab - just by hanging out in the Samsung Bloggers lounge. It was definitely a great way to end the day after focusing sooo much on my presentation on Saturday!

Kiratiana Freelon

3 Mar 2011

TECH: I'm Speaking at SXSW Interactive... and I'm Scared

I'm speaking at SXSW Interactive on March 12 and I'm scared.

I'm scared that I won't do well.

I'm scared that I won't live up to the hype.

I'm scared that I won't live up to my own expectations.

On March 12, at 4:45, I will be talking for 12.5 minutes on the top of minority new media entrepreneurship. The name of my Future 15 presentation is "100% Viable, 1% Visible: Minority New Media Entrepreneurs." I pitched this talk as a panel in August of last year. I had just read that Comcast wanted to create a $20 million dollar digital fund for minority digital owners, and soon after Black Web 2.0 published an article on how blacks make up 1% of Internet Start-Up Founders.

Then I thought to myself, "Do I know any African-American Internet Start-Up founders?" The only person I could think of was Wayne Sutton, of Tri-Out, a location-based technology in North Carolina. As someone who has transitioned from being a social media super star to founding a tech start-up, Wayne Sutton is definitely a person to follow. The only Start-Up "superstar" that I could name was Omar Wassow of Blackplanet.com Fame and he isn't even in the internet start-up game anymore. At the same time, I could name at least 10 people who worked as Investment Bankers and 10 others as corporate lawyers. Why the discrepancy?

With the due date for the SXSW interactive panel picker looming in August, I decided to submit a panel idea that would get people talking about the lack of minorities in New Media Entrepreneurship.

After three rounds in which I was rejected, it wasn't until late December that I learned my panelpicker suggestion had been accepted to SXSW. But not a panel. A 12.5 minute presentation called the Future15.

*SIGH*

"You mean I have to do this by myself?" - This is what I thought.

The good news is that since my panel was accepted to SXSW Interactive, the issue of minorities in tech start-ups has blown up all over the web. Kalimah Priforce wrote this enlightening and inspiring piece on the subject: Startup America Should Look More Like America. The subject has blown up on Quora with some great questions posed on the topic.

All of this is coming at a time when President Obama just launched Startup America, whose goal is to increase entrepreneurship among Americans in high-growth industries.

The pressure is building.

Yes. I am presenting by myself. I had to think hard about this opportunity to get over my fear.

When I present at SXSW, I won't be doing it on behalf of myself, it will be for the minorities who have only just begun thinking about becoming a tech entrepreneur. Those who should have became tech entrepreneurs. Those who didn't receive enough funding to make their "good" idea become a "great" idea.

I am going to do the best 12.5 minute presentation in my life and you should be there.

"100% Viable, 1% Visible: Minority New Media Entrepreneurs.", March 12, 4:30pm - Austin Convention Center, Conference Room E