Why I think BaddieCon is a Must Attend Women in Tech Conference

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending BaddieCon in NYC, a conference hosted by Baddies in Tech. Baddies in Tech is a non-profit professional development and networking community for women of color in tech founded by Allie Joy Tsahey . Their mission is to inspire, empower, and connect Black, Latina, and Native American (BLNA) women in technology by providing access to the resources, opportunities, and networks needed to build successful careers in the field. Our vision is to double the representation of BLNA women in computing roles to 10% by 2030.

I first discovered Baddies in Tech in 2020 on Instagram when their primary method of community communication was a small WhatsApp group. Since then, they have scaled their community to over 40,000 women, actively encouraging and sharing resources on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Discord, and their own website.

Let me give you a little context on why I place importance on attendance conferences and joining professional development communities

My journey into tech followed a traditional path, involving lots and lots of schooling. I started at community college, eventually moved on to a bachelor's program, and after a few years of work experience, pursued a master’s degree. At community college, I had my first programming professor, a Black woman named Darlene Cross. She was a militant woman who stood about 5'1 and played absolutely no games, but she was the one who ensured I stayed in the technology field during times when it felt incredibly challenging (especially between the ages of 17-20).

Professor Cross was also the one who explained to me how transformative conferences can be for finding opportunities, building connections, and speaking in your field. This is just one of the many messages she left me before her passing in January 2017 ??. There were many times when I was not just the only woman but the only woman of color. While I didn’t let that stop me from finding community and opportunity, I often think about how much more enriching my experience in undergrad and early career would have been if groups like Baddies in Tech had existed then.

Now that we have some context, back to BaddieCon

Attending BaddieCon had been on my radar since last year, as it was the first time they were hosting the conference. There were a number of reasons I couldn’t attend, but I put it on my vision board to be there and maybe even be a speaker next year. If you know anything about me, I LOVE cheering women on, especially in the tech space. I was absolutely elated when the Baddies in Tech team reached out and asked if I would be interested in being an ambassador for the conference this year. That role involved creating social media content and getting women excited and engaged about the upcoming conference. As someone who has a tech and lifestyle platform, this was the perfect opportunity to combine all the things I love in one place! I’ve attended over 20 conferences in the last 10 years, ranging from academic to technical to social-based ones. They can be daunting if you’ve never been, so I was ready to share my knowledge with individuals who might be attending their first conference. Out of all the conferences I’ve attended, this was the first one built by women of color in tech, for women of color in tech. Of course, it was completely inclusive, but there is MUCH to be said about that statement.

Not sure about you, but NYC is not my favorite city to travel to. Before the pandemic, I used to travel every year to NY for NYFW, and it would make me feel like I was on an episode of Survivor. But with this trip ahead of me, I was thinking positively and looking forward to enjoying the conference activities (as well as celebrating my provisional passing of the CISSP ??).

The conference kicked off with a social event at Soho Works , a beautiful co-working space in Dumbo. This was sponsored by Baddies in Tech , Kenisha Jones , Founder of Black Girls Can Incorporated , and Cinneah El-Amin, M.S. , Founder of Flynanced? . Even though I’ve attended so many conferences and events and talk to customers day in and day out, I found myself nervous about the week since I was attending by myself. This social hour was the perfect icebreaker for me to ease into the week and connect with the women I’ve been engaging with online all summer! The room was full of women deep into their careers, laughing and sharing excitement about the next few days. For me, it was extra special to see Cinneah shine as she hosted this event because we are both from Baltimore, and I am so proud of all I’ve seen her accomplish over the last few years. Not only did she help bring a major credit card to market that many Americans have in their wallets, but she also started her own platform helping women break into tech! Seeing a friendly and inspiring face was the perfect start to the conference week!

My overall experience at BaddieCon was amazing. I connected with so many women I might have chatted with briefly online or started talking to in line while waiting to enter a session. I attended several sessions, but I wanted to share a few takeaways from those that I found particularly notable:

• Streamlining Success: Harnessing Automation for Business Growth by Jai Jonae , who is a school teacher turned automation expert helping people scale their businesses through her passion for Logic. Someone needs to get this woman to make Logic Apps in Microsoft Defender! She detailed how she stumbled into the world of automation and never looked back. Sometimes we randomly find ourselves in something that may not necessarily align with our plan. If you love it, go for it and give it your all!
• Beyond Development: Exploring Tech Career Niches panel by Ayana Gardner , Kellie P. , Kourtney Hayes, MBA, CEH , and Stella Ihenacho. MBA, CSM?, PSM? II, ICP-ACC . Kourtney dropped one of the biggest gems, which I share with people all the time: the importance of subscribing to newsletters. No matter what industry you are in, especially tech, you should subscribe to newsletters to stay current on what is going on and to be aware of different opportunities in your field.
• Concept to Capital: A Funding Roadmap with Women of Color VCs panel by Bianca Phillip , Zaria Pompey-Smith , Frances Simowitz , and Zimri Rodriguez . My ideal retirement job is to return as an angel investor in tech startups. This panel taught me that there are ways to dive into the VC space now without having millions of dollars in the bank. The inner workings of the venture capital space are not widely known, but the women here broke down insights that help not only women of color founders but also encourage more women of color to become investors. The biggest message here is: don’t be shy about sharing with your community what you are doing or raising money for. Oftentimes, women are the first to keep their big plans to themselves when they should really be telling the world!
• Baddiepreneur Accelerator included a pitch competition where six individuals from the community competed for a $5,000 grant from Baddies in Tech based on the outcome of the judging. There was also a $2,500 community vote prize as well. My personal favorite and winner of BOTH prizes was Dr. Lola Omishore PT, DPT, OCS, ATC , founder of TheraMotive a mobile Physical Therapy solution. She is a physical therapist that built a solution FOR physical therapist which is absolutely amazing. Her presentation absolutely blew me away! I felt like a proud parent when I heard her name called as I was chatting with her before she went up to do her presentation!

These are just a few of the sessions I attended, but I left with so much more! I do not think I missed out on much when it came to finding community and opportunity in undergrad and early career, but I do feel that my experience would have been much more enriching if groups like Baddies In Tech and conferences like BaddieCon had existed then. I’m excited to keep encouraging the next set of women behind me to strive for more.