CINCINNATI — There are approximately 1.1 million minority-owned businesses across the nation, according to the 2020 Annual Business Survey. The Black Tech Week conference in Southwest Ohio is featuring some of them.

What You Need To Know

  • Cincinnati is hosting the Black Tech Week Conference for the first time

  • It's highlighting more than 50 Black-owned tech companies across the country

  • Serial entrepreneur Dawn Dickson was one speaker at the conference

  • She was the first female CEO to raise and secure token offering over $1 million

The Black Tech Week Conference in Cincinnati is highlighting more than 50 black-owned tech companies across the country. One of those companies is right here in the Buckeye state.

Dawn Dickson, a serial entrepreneur, was introduced to Cryptocurrency in 2013. Nearly 4 years later, she started PopCom, a retail technology company. 

“Initially, I got into crypto to make money as trader,” she said. “I was an entrepreneur, as I still am. I had just started my business. I was kind of struggling and at the time trading was an opportunity to generate some extra income.”

But after several trials and error she built what she describes as a successful company. In 2019, the Columbus-native became the first female CEO to raise $1 million in cryptocurrency from her company's shares. 

“Now that more Black women, women in general, just other groups of people that are not represented in these spaces are now seeing that they belong and I look forward to just seeing us continue to flourish,” she said.

Dickson is one of dozens of Black women to speak at the conference this week. The purpose of the week-long event is to help serve tech professionals, enthusiasts and members of the black tech community. She says she hopes to inspire other aspiring entrepreneurs to go after their dreams. 

“When you look back at how all great companies started, they looked terrible,” she said. “So don’t feel bad about if it doesn’t look the way you want, of if it’s not how you want it to be in the future. Just get started and the rest will work out.”

Black tech week was first hosted in Miami in 2016. Now, 6 years later, it’s making its first appearance in the Buckeye State. 

“It’s not just important just for Black Tech but for the State of Ohio to see that we are a force to be reckoned with,” said. “Black Tech is a thing, and we’re here to stay.”