Founded seven years ago, Milwaukee Tech Week is now under new ownership. The Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition, which previously spearheaded Milwaukee Tech Week, has passed the event on to the organizations Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos in Tech.
Having these two organizations take over Milwaukee Tech Week is part of an effort to celebrate the achievements of Wisconsin’s tech scene in a more cohesive way and foster collaboration. Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos in Tech have already been running another event, WI Tech Month, since 2021.
Last year, WI Tech Month included over 80 events held across the state. The first week of WI Tech Month has traditionally been dedicated to Milwaukee and how to leverage technology to advance advocacy, equity, justice and inclusion.
“We were very well positioned to take on Milwaukee Tech Week. The structure of WI Tech Month allowed for a seamless transition. In conversations with the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition, I understood they were interested in offloading the work and we were well conditioned to receive it,” said Nadiyah Johnson, founder of the Milky Way Tech Hub and its parent company Jet Constellations.
Milwaukee Tech Week events will now be incorporated into WI Tech Month. WI Tech Month provides a platform for companies, organizations and individuals to showcase their innovations, expertise and accomplishments. The Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition will continue to host signature events during WI Tech Month including Meet the Meet Ups, Startup Showcase and the Healthtech MKE Pitch Event.
Moving forward, both the Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos in Tech want to use Milwaukee Tech Week to create synergies between Wisconsin’s neighboring tech ecosystems. Having counterparts from cities like Chicago and Detroit come to Wisconsin is one goal.
“This is shaping up to be the largest tech initiative in the Midwest and I think it’s wise for Milwaukee to package it in that way so we can be seen as a leader in the tech space,” said Johnson.
Benjamin Juarez, co-founder of Latinos in Tech, added it’s beneficial for both organizations to take over Milwaukee Tech week as the Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos in Tech are entrenched in their respective communities and know exactly what those communities need to thrive.
“We’re not just community leaders but we’re also developers and engineers. You don’t see that often with some of these initiatives,” said Juarez. “We understand our communities, but we also understand the tech community.”
This year, Wisconsin Tech Month programming will be focused on artificial intelligence and leveraging the technology in an inclusive way. Within the next month, organizations looking to submit ideas for WI Tech Month events will be able to do so online.
“One of the benefits of Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos in Tech taking over Milwaukee Tech Week is (we want) to amplify the collective voice of Milwaukee’s tech ecosystem,” said Johnson. “In the past, Milwaukee Tech Week was not a very strong part of WI Tech Month. We’re now able to ensure the programming is far more cohesive.”
