https://www.facebook.com/BoldTV/videos/441411356216824/
Silicon Harlem is a nonprofit community organization that launched in 2013. It partners with national politicians and entrepreneurs to help develop the tech scene in Harlem. It also supports tech education initiatives to help build up the neighborhood’s broadband infrastructure and bring more innovators to the area. Silicon Harlem hopes to lower, if not eradicate, crime in Harlem, lower unemployment rates, increase quality education opportunities and grow jobs.
The first steps
In 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio deployed the largest, continuous free Wi-Fi network in the United States, right in the center of Harlem. According to Clayton Banks, the executive producer of Silicon Harlem, providing free access to the internet is a means of bringing Harlem into the 21st century economy.
Silicon Harlem also launched a program to enhance the skills and prepare students for 21st century careers. The Apps Youth Leadership Academy was launched in 2014, and allowed 20 high school students to go through a seven-week summer program to teach them a variety of skills including: how to build a mobile app, how to build a website, how to manage as a team, how to pitch an idea, basics of coding and design as well as problem-solving and feedback.
The nonprofit community organization is also behind an event called Harlem 2 Haarlem, which was designed to connect startups with investors.
Harlem 2 Haarlem
The Harlem to Haarlem 2017 International Pitchfest is bridging the gap between Silicon Harlem in Harlem, New York and HaarlemValley in Haarlem, Netherlands. Each country chooses three startups to pitch their ideas to a panel of experienced judges, and investors will be in the crowd to speak with the entrepreneurs after the event.
Takeaway
Harlem 2 Haarlem is an incredible opportunity for startups to gain some exposure even if investors aren’t scrambling to make a deal with them. It also brings innovation into the neighborhood and connects two places that otherwise wouldn’t have interacted with each other. Silicon Harlem is definitely making a difference in the neighborhood, and hopefully Harlem will become the tech hub they envision it to be.
Have something to add to this story? Comment below or join the discussion on Facebook.
Header image: Adobe Stock