Black Tech Fest: Where Tech & Culture Collide feat. Ashleigh Ainsley MBE | TDA - E805

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The Day After – Sept 23rd

This episode balanced culture, politics, and community innovation.

The panel welcomed Ashley Ainsley MBE, co-founder of Color in Tech and the visionary behind Black Tech Fest. He spoke about starting Color in Tech in 2018 after noticing the lack of Black representation in the industry, and how by 2020 the team launched BTF - now one of Europe’s biggest tech festivals, attracting over 7,000 people.

Ashley explained how BTF differs from traditional corporate conferences: it’s held in disruptive, authentic spaces (like Tottenham’s old IKEA), blending job fairs, networking, DJ sets, food vendors, and afterparties. The aim is to make tech accessible, inclusive, and culturally relevant.

The conversation highlighted:

• Corporate partners like Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, Netflix, and more supporting the movement.

• Success stories, from attendees landing jobs at JustEat, Apple, and Goldman Sachs, to young people discovering careers in cybersecurity and software engineering.

• Challenges with funding and infrastructure - from paying borough fees to managing last-minute ticket surges - but also the determination to keep events accessible, with free student passes and affordable tickets.

• Wider reflections on UK tech, government policy, and why so many top firms move to the US instead of scaling at home.

Ashley stressed that Black Tech Fest is about changing narratives: showing that Black people can lead in tech, business, and creativity, while building a global platform that centres community and opportunity.