The AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 is in full swing!

Thousands of attendees have flocked to Houston for the third day of powerful panels, fireside chats, and workshops, while also visiting the expo hall to connect with recruiters and try out the latest gadgets.

Day 3 also marked the final day for student ticket holders.

To set the tone, Senior Vice President of AFROTECH™ and Live Events at Blavity Inc. Simone Ashley Tyler affirmed this year’s theme, “Building What Is Next,” during the packed opening ceremony.

“We’re not just talking about building the future. We’re talking about what it looks like for us to build it together. Over the next few days, you’ll experience a lineup that reflects the brilliance and range of our culture, from groundbreaking sessions on AI, venture capital, and entrepreneurship to curated meetups,” she told the audience.

Building on the momentum of Tyler’s nearly eight-minute speech was a conversation held with “Classic Man” artist Jidenna. Jidenna shared his personal ties to technology, including through his father, who he views as “Nigeria’s Steve Jobs.” He was on a team that created West Africa’s first commercially produced PC, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.

Jidenna has been building out Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs).

“I have always been into tech. So this is not new for me, but I think it’s new for those who may know me as a ‘Classic Man.’ So I’m excited and I think that everybody in this room has way more dreams in their head and it’s probably used about 2% to 10% of their mind thus far in their careers,” he said during a panel moderated by Tyler.

Baratunde Thurston took over the stage following Jidenna’s panel, bringing his humor to discuss humanity, technology, and interdependence.

A number of heavy hitters also took center stage yesterday, including Stacey Abrams, who received applause following her remarks on AI’s disruption, which extends beyond the job market.

“There are other facets that are coming after our lives, our resilience, our fortitude, our imagination, our existence, and they’re not shy about it,” she said.

John Wall was also present to discuss his journey from basketball player to commentator and technology’s influence today. Separately, Chris Lyons, president of Web3 Media at a16z Crypto, emphasized that now is the time to be in technology and generate wealth.

“At the end of the day, we need to make sure that we’re owners of our products. We need to make sure that we are understanding where the next generation of wealth is happening,” Lyons said on a panel about the future of tech.

“Obviously, it’s within the technology industry,” he added.

Lanny Smoot, who has 74 patents in the Walt Disney Company, discussed his latest product update which is the HoloTile floor. He believes it will change the virtual reality landscape.

“Virtual reality has always allowed people to be in multiple places, all of that sort of thing, but of course if they walk too far they trip on the couch. So, I’ve invented a floor that allows anything on its surface, including people walking, to walk as long as they want to in any direction. The floor will always correct that and keep them on it,” Smoot said.

Day 3 was jam-packed with sessions and workshops covering the medtech, energy and sustainability, AI, engineering, cybersecurity, civic engagement, data and infrastructure, and marketing and advertising sectors.

Learning opportunities included the future of gaming, agency in AI, smart investing, leadership and innovation in tech from a neurodivergent perspective, and insights from LinkedIn on AI-powered job searches.

#RolandMartinUnfiltered Live has been making waves at the conference, featuring live tapings and interviews that highlight leadership, representation, and Black entrepreneurship.

“AFROTECH™, it has become a cultural phenomenon that is bigger than me. It’s bigger than Morgan, our CEO and founder,” said Jeff Nelson, Co-Founder & COO of Blavity Inc., during an exclusive breakfast held with media.

“It’s bigger than Blavity, the company. It’s bigger than any individual, and it’s bigger, quite frankly, than us collectively as a company,” Nelson continued.

Be part of the innovation. Secure your ticket today.