The Black Tech Experience | S2E3

So my first experience as a tech in Orlando was not what I expected. You know, I mean, you go to school, you have these expectations about graduating, and that's the hard part. You graduate and then everything's easy. They see your degree and your qualifications and then you're just in.

And, you know, within the first 45 seconds of sitting in the room of my first job, I realized, like, that may not be the case. Hello, everyone out there. My name is Kai Isaac. I have had the privilege and the honor of being in the Orlando space in the tech scene and on the entrepreneur side for the last 20 years.

During that time, you know, I've been able to see Orlando grow as a black tech and then as a black C-level executive. And it's been a pretty incredible experience. You know, it's been something that really helped me to understand that I chose the right city to make my home. So it'd be great to hear from some of the people that currently operate in the Orlando tech space as black entrepreneurs and business owners.

You know, how would they describe the Orlando tech culture? I describe the culture really as inclusive. I've found personally that I've never needed to go to any specific group or any particular like meetup that caters towards my culture. I'm both Black and Hispanic.

My parents are Cuban and Trinidadian. I've always felt that I can express that. I've never felt limited by that here in Orlando. I've been able to participate in the general overall Orlando tech community and feel welcomed and feel at home in that community.

And it's one of the reasons why I've stayed here to help grow the community of technology. So thank you. That was Kyle from 302 Interactive. Over the last 10 years, I've had the privilege of being a black CEO of my company and with that company traveling to more than 46 cities.

During that time that travels, I've learned a lot, you know, a lot about businesses, a lot about myself and a lot about people in general. It's an interesting situation to spend time on the phone with people and, you know, travel somewhere across the country, walk into a room and almost hear the music stop. and hear the words, I didn't realize you were black. You know, not as an insult or not anything to meaning, but just as a matter of honest surprise.

Some other folks or other places in the world in which it's very, oh, that's a black founder. Oh, that's a white founder, right? But here in Orlando, it's just, hey, everyone's a founder. Let's treat people the way that we should just treat other humans and all celebrate that we're great founders, right?

I want to be celebrated because I'm a great founder, not just because of my skin tone, right? I want people to know that I built the biggest and best business because of my ability and not just like something that I was born with. So that was Jordan, the CEO of Yak. So when I first started traveling, going through networking events and going through other professional functions as a black CEO, coming from Orlando, I definitely had a bit of culture shock You know there are some cities out there that were absolutely amazing and terrific to be in And there were others that were you know in the shortest term possible unwelcoming You know unwelcoming to those that weren like them and didn quite fit in which was a pretty quick thing to determine as the only black CEO in a room at times.

So one thing that you quickly learn going through different cities, providing a job service, is that cities can be very adversarial. One thing that has always been easy to find in Orlando has been collaboration. You know, as a black business owner, when I began to travel the country and wanted to, you know, make those connections and find these commonalities to, you know, do business on, one thing that I quickly saw was that a lot of businesses that I approached were very adversarial.

The assumption was either they were going to get the project or I was going to get the project because most likely only a limited number of Black companies will be allowed in. What I would say Orlando is uniquely strong at is providing an active community that's centered around collaboration rather than competition. I work out of the Orlando game space, and folks in the Orlando game space are constantly trading work and tips and sharing employee skill sets and really trying to make sure that we as companies are individually growing.

And I've always appreciated that about the community here, that I've been able to build my company the last seven years through the community network that I have here. So culture means a lot more than just the language you speak or the color of your skin. You know, when you start to look at it on a city level, culture is really just a way that we treat people, you know, how we behave in different situations. One of the incredible things is that there's no real barriers here.

We've never felt that any particular client, you know, on the city level or as a new company or even a very large company here was inaccessible to us. There's a culture here in which you can invite someone out to lunch, that you can bump into them at a networking event. And that person is open, eager to have a conversation on where there might be some collaboration between the two companies. I think for me, really, I haven't felt like I need a community for me, if that makes sense.

I am Hispanic. I am Black, Cuban, and Trinidadian, and I'm a technologist. And as a technologist, I participate in the Orlando tech community. I don't feel like I need my own group, my own section of the tech community.

The tech community has been extremely welcoming to me. I feel like any door that I've needed to knock down, I've been able to knock down, and that's been great. I haven't really felt limited by the color of my skin or, you know, my background or anything like that, particularly here in Orlando. I can honestly say that right now, the culture of Orlando makes me proud.

You know, I'm proud to have the city as my home. I proud from a business perspective to welcome people here from anywhere in the country and know they receive the same terrific treatment that I have But that wasn always the case I can remember being in a room for orientation and getting asked questions like if I was the diversity hire, you know, if by some measure my technical skills weren't where they should be, but since the company hadn't hired anyone black yet, you know, that alone got me into that room.

So I feel like within the last 10 years is where I really started to re-engage with the Orlando tech community. You know, I've been part of the Orlando Tech Association, the Orlando Tech Council, and, you know, other initiatives that really have been here to foster Orlando's tech community as a whole. As I've transitioned through these different rooms and through these different organizations, one of the things I can say is that every single one felt inclusive. One of those is Black Orlando Tech.

Next, you'll hear from Rose, the executive director of that organization. The culture within those safe spaces is amazing. Great conversations, amazing collaborations, and awesome fun and support. For me, this gives me the strength and encouragement I need to navigate the tech scene beyond BOT.

Over the years, we have seen the culture of being Black in tech in Orlando improve with some support from allies within the local community and the local tech community. We have started to see some inclusiveness among these other organizations. I hope to see this increase and expand in the near future. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need any labels.

We wouldn't have to define things as being black, white, Hispanic, Asian, or anything else. But when you're first breaking into the tech scene or any new market, it can be easier to be surrounded by people that you know understand you. Groups like Black Orlando Tech are important to have in every city. They help to focus in on issues and questions that might be unique to a very specific group of people.

Now, keep in mind, you don't have to be black to be part of Black Tech Orlando, but it does help to have an organization that deals specifically with some of the questions that you may have as you make your way into a new industry. Over the last half decade or so, I've had the opportunity to work with Black Orlando Tech on many occasions, and it's been phenomenal to see them help so many Blacks find their footing in the Orlando Tech ecosystem. The Black Tech scene in Orlando is still a work in progress.

Black Orlando Tech has stepped up in the past four or five years to be, in my opinion, the prominent hub for Black Tech professionals in the Orlando area and surrounding areas. Our objective is to continue being the architect and builders of the Black Tech ecosystem here. In a culture that we're working hard to remove labels, it is important to identify that labels are useful. In many cases, label help us to quickly identify where something might be helpful for us.

Now on the other side we still do have to ask the question do we still have to have labels Actually not just here in Orlando but really across the globe is giving other black folks a seat at just like the general table, right? And so what I mean by that is really the point that I touched on earlier, how there's these lists out there for black folks and top black entrepreneurs and top black this and that, where, you know, the change that I think we need to see is just, hey, instead of just making a separate list for black folks, just put black people on the list.

Just put women on the list. Just put the best people on the list. That's really the agenda that I want to push to people is, hey, let's just celebrate people for who they are and not exclusively just for what they look like. Because in a weird way, that actually diminishes the work that you do, right?

I actually had a guy when that black founders list came out, come up to me and say, hey, I recognize you from the black founders list, but I don't know anything about your company. In a sense, that actually made me sad. I'm like, man, this guy doesn't know about my company, but he just knows me from this list. That like kind of pisses me off in a sense, right?

Because I'm like, I built one of the best companies. I'd rather you know that than just like, hey, I just made it on some lists. So lists are and will always be a bit of a tricky conversation. They serve good.

You know, there is something inspirational about aspiring to be a black CIO or CEO or CTO and seeing a collected list of those people to let you know what's possible. On the other side, there is this marginalization that happens where people might think that if not for being black, you might not be on a list. So, you know, where is the middle ground? Where is the right fit to properly acknowledge people for what they're doing in the broad spectrum that they're actually accomplishing it, but also to show young, aspiring Blacks what is possible.

So just as we know that no list is perfect, neither is any city. It seems like the same people or circle of people are chosen to lead new initiatives. I would love to see fresh, new, diverse groups and individuals being given a shot at some of these opportunities and projects. I think it would foster new ideas and strategies and perspectives, focus on some of the issues that have been consistently problematic and have yet to be resolved.

Orlando has been and still remains to be one of the leading cities in this country for diversity in tech. It's one of the most welcoming, open environments for techs of any color to be successful, to find their footing, to get their start. and it's a city that didn't get there by accident. It's a city that's fought long and hard and made the necessary changes to be able to say, we're open, we're welcoming, we're a place that you can come build your business here and not feel like you're being judged for anything that doesn't matter.

If you'd like to hear more about the people or organizations mentioned in this show, please check out our show notes below.