PATHWAYS.
PEOPLE.
POSSIBILITY.
Our Why
BTI is a Charlotte-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit building a stronger, more connected tech ecosystem through community-rooted pathways, cultural experiences, trusted partnerships, and shared spaces that help people grow, build, and belong.
We help underserved tech professionals, career shifters, founders, HBCU alumni, and emerging talent access clearer pathways to opportunity, stronger community connection, and more visible support across Charlotte’s tech and creative economy.
BTI sits at the intersection of economic opportunity and cultural connection—creating local pathways, shared spaces, and trusted community infrastructure that help more people participate in Charlotte’s tech future.
BTI exists because too many talented people are still navigating tech without the right relationships, guidance, or consistent community around them. We create the local infrastructure that helps make opportunity feel more human, more visible, and more reachable.
WE CREATE WHAT'S MISSING
BTI strengthens the local conditions that help people move forward: trusted community, practical pathways, and shared spaces where ideas, relationships, and opportunity can grow.
Shared Spaces & Belonging
.png){kind=small}
-
Consistent co-working and gathering spaces where people can build real relationships
-
Wellness-centered conversations that make room for the whole person
-
Culture-forward experiences that create belonging, ease, and repeat connection
-
Community touchpoints that help people feel seen, supported, and part of something bigger
Pathways Into Opportunity
-
Tech-driven pathways for career shifters, HBCU alumni, and people already in tech
-
Career readiness support tied to real growth, including resume, LinkedIn, and story development
-
Labs, hackathons, and learning experiences that turn interest into action
-
Structured support that helps people move from curiosity to confidence to opportunity
Culture, Visibility & Real Connection
-
Intentional events that create real conversation, not forced networking
-
Community experiences where peers, mentors, collaborators, employers, and creatives can connect
-
Visibility moments that help founders, professionals, and emerging talent be seen
-
Spaces where culture and opportunity meet in a way that feels local, human, and real
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS
These mission-aligned partners help BTI expand local access to learning, tools, shared space, and opportunity. Together, we strengthen the ecosystem around Charlotte residents—making it easier for our community to build skills, find support, and stay connected to real pathways in tech.
_edited.png)
_edited.png)
COLLABORATE WITH BTI?
Collective Power is how speakers, founders, vendors, creators, and community builders plug into BTI in ways that create real local value. From activations to ecosystem partnerships, this is where collaboration becomes visibility, trusted community access, and shared momentum across Charlotte.
MISSION
Our mission is to build a more connected and community-rooted tech ecosystem in Charlotte by expanding access to opportunity, strengthening cultural connection, and creating pathways that help people grow, build, and belong.
VALUES
We believe strong ecosystems are built through community, trust, creativity, shared learning, and intentional access. We value culture as infrastructure, connection as strategy, and opportunity as something that should be visible and reachable for more people.
One Ecosystem. Two Pathways. Many Starting Points.
BTI pathways are designed to meet people where they are while strengthening the local ecosystem around them. Whether someone is an HBCU alum, a career shifter, or already in tech and ready to grow, each pathway offers community-rooted support, clearer direction, and access to tech-driven opportunities.
BTI pathways are built with flexible entry points because opportunity should not only be available to people who already have enough resource, connection, or financial advantage in place. This structure exists to reduce barriers, expand access, and make support more possible for people at different stages of their journey.
Career-Shifter Pathway
Designed for professionals moving into tech from nontraditional backgrounds through community support, career guidance, partner-based learning pathways, and intentional ecosystem access.
(4)_edited.png)
2025 IMPACT REPORT
FIRST YEAR (2025)
In our first year, BTI helped strengthen Charlotte’s tech ecosystem by creating consistent places to gather, clearer growth pathways, and stronger local partnerships across community, culture, and opportunity.
Community Reach
4,200+ technologists reached through programs, events, and partnerships
Curated Experiences
11 community-rooted events and activations curated for founders, learners, and professionals
In-Person Engagement
1,500+ community members, technologists, and collaborators connected in person
Strategic Partnerships
Secured 7 mission-aligned partnerships with Google for Nonprofits, Go Greater Charlotte Saylor Academy, Coursera, DataCamp, and Grow Google to advance equitable access in tech
Venue Activation
6 Charlotte venues activated for tech meetups, pitch nights, and learning labs
Tech Founder & Career Pathways
Supported 45 participants in pursuing tech opportunities and helped one founder move from visibility to traction through BTI community activation and support
THE STATE OF THE
BLACK TECH ECOSYSTEM
State of Tech Diversity
1.6%
In AI and machine learning roles, Black professionals represent only 1.6% of all workers globally
1.3%
Black founders received just 1.3% of $288B of capital deployed
7%
Black students earn only 7% of STEM bachelor’s degrees
5%
Cohorts allocate less than 5% of their curriculum to soft skills, career navigation, or interpersonal development
Diversity. Inclusion. Equity.
THE PLAYBACK ROOM
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER
I created BTI because I know what it feels like to carry something great before the world has made room for it.
I know what it feels like to have vision, ability, and purpose — but not always the access, relationships, or infrastructure to help it grow. And I know I am not the only one.
There are brilliant people in our community who are not lacking talent. They are lacking pathways. They are lacking rooms that recognize them. They are lacking systems built with their reality in mind.
BTI exists because we cannot keep waiting for old systems to make space for us.
We have to build what should have been there.
An ecosystem where people are seen, prepared, connected, and positioned to lead.
Not just invited into the future.
Ready to shape it.
— Brandon Barnes
Founder & Executive Director
The Black Tech Initiative
