AFROTECH 2026 RETURNS TO HOUSTON FOR ITS 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH ITS MOST EXPANSIVE PROGRAMMING YET

Five days of programming will span AI upskilling, health innovation, govtech, entrepreneurship, executive leadership and the creator economy.

AfroTech builds on a decade of impact with expanded opportunities for executives, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to connect, exchange ideas and drive business forward.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Blavity Inc., the digital platform and tech company powering culture, today announced the return of AfroTech Conference 2026, taking place November 2–6, 2026, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, AfroTech returns to Houston with a program built around the technologies, industries and ideas defining the next decade, bringing together leaders across technology, business, healthcare, entrepreneurship and culture for five days of learning, connection and business exchange.

This year's theme, "Build What's Next," is backed by tangible investment in the leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners and P&L leaders driving the future. AfroTech is advancing its commitment to train one million people in AI, reaching a year-round community of 75,000+ professionals and 150+ global companies, and expanding its flagship conference with hands-on AI training, a dedicated two-day HealthStack conference, executive and policy programming, and new opportunities for entrepreneurs, creators and business leaders to turn connections into business, skills into opportunity and ideas into action.

"Ten years and 500,000 AfroTechies later, we built our own room. The question now is what gets built inside it. AfroTech was about creating access to an industry that too often felt closed off. Today, the opportunity is bigger than access," said Morgan DeBaun, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Blavity, Inc. "The next decade is about ownership, influence and building companies, products and ideas that shape where technology goes next. AfroTech is where those relationships can start, where business can get done and where people can see themselves not just participating in the future, but building it."

AfroTech 2026 will convene entrepreneurs, executives, technology professionals, creators, investors, policy leaders and builders from around the world, with 300+ speakers across 15 tracks and 11 stages.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS & INDUSTRY LEADERS
AfroTech's 2026 stages will feature executives, founders, technologists, healthcare leaders and cultural voices, including:

• Andrew Yang, Entrepreneur, Bestselling Author & Co-Founder, Forward Party
• Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), U.S. Representative for Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District
• Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Chief Medical Officer, Hers
• Vic Mensa, Musician, Actor, Filmmaker, Founder and Philanthropist
• Dr. Timnit Gebru, Founder & Executive Director, Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR)
• Dr. Uché Blackstock, Founder and CEO, Advancing Health Equity
• Carrol Chang, CEO, Vandela
• Louis Carr, President of BET
• Vanessa E. Wyche, Director, NASA's Johnson Space Center
• Vindell Washington, Chief Clinical Officer, Verily

"We're at a point where technology is changing faster than traditional systems of education, hiring and professional development can keep up," said Jeff Nelson, Co-Founder and COO of Blavity, Inc. "That changes what a conference has to deliver. AfroTech 2026 is built around giving people practical exposure to the technologies reshaping their industries, access to the people making decisions and a clearer path from learning to application, opportunity and growth."

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS — BUILD WHAT'S NEXT

AfroTech 2026 will feature five days of programming, live demonstrations and collaborative sessions exploring how technology is transforming business, healthcare, work and society:

AI EDGE TRAINING SUMMIT - Tuesday, Nov. 3
A beginner-friendly AI experience focused on practical skills, tools and workflows for an AI-enabled economy.

HUMAN CENTERED AI SUMMIT - Tuesday, Nov. 3
A summit designed for leaders navigating both the technical possibilities and broader implications of AI, pairing deep technical sessions on agentic AI, edge infrastructure and compute economics with live demonstrations, conversations around algorithmic harm and product-scale strategy. Programming will explore not only how AI is built, but who it is built for and at what cost.

IDEA HOUR - Tuesday, Nov. 3
A live pitch experience with Arlan Hamilton where attendees can share their ideas, receive real-time feedback and connect around entrepreneurship and business-building.

HEALTHSTACK CONFERENCE - Wednesday, Nov. 4 - Thursday, Nov. 5
A two-day conference blending clinical perspective with technical depth across AI, digital health, MedTech, telehealth, maternal health and the future of care.

SMART CITIES - Thursday, Nov. 5
Programming at the intersection of smart city technology, clean energy and civic innovation, exploring next-generation urban and rural solutions using AI and technology.

CREATORS SUMMIT - Friday, Nov. 6
Programming focused on building personal brands, creating content with emerging tools, monetizing expertise and turning visibility into opportunity.

EXECUTIVE TRACK
Dedicated programming for executives and C-suite leaders designed to foster peer-to-peer connection and candid conversation around the forces shaping business, technology and society. Programming includes private, invite-only roundtables and networking focused on the future of work, leadership, health innovation, AI, smart cities and the ownership economy.

AFROTECH AUTHORS PAVILION
In partnership with Penguin Random House's Storehouse Voices, the AfroTech Authors Pavilion will spotlight authors through a dedicated Expo Floor experience designed to drive book discovery, conversation and purchases.

PARTNERS
AfroTech 2026 is supported by partners including When We All Vote, Black Enterprise, Penguin Random House, SynergyGrid, GreenPower Ventures, Dream.Org, American Heart Association, African American Mayors Association, Howard University and more.

REGISTRATION & INFO
Visit www.afrotechconference.com for tickets, the full agenda, sponsorship opportunities and press inquiries.

ABOUT BLAVITY INC.
Founded in 2014, Blavity Inc. is the leading media and technology company serving Black millennials and Gen Z. Its portfolio includes AfroTech, 21Ninety, Home & Texture, Travel Noire, Blavity House Party and Talent Infusion, reaching over 100 million people monthly. Please visit blavityinc.com.

ABOUT AFROTECH CONFERENCE
AfroTech is the global hub for Black tech, innovation and entrepreneurship. The AfroTech community convenes over 75,000 professionals and 150+ global companies a year and hosts its flagship AfroTech Conference for a week of keynotes, panels, networking and culture-driven tech programming. Please visit afrotechconference.com.

SOURCE AfroTech