This blog was guest written by Claudya Martinez.
Something amazing took place over the course of four days on October 8-11 that brought together 1,000 Latinx tech visionaries in the cities of San Francisco and Oakland. That something amazing was LTX Fest 2019.
What is LTX Fest?
Latinas in Tech, Kapor Center, and Latino Community Foundation came together and asked themselves:
“What if tech and philanthropy united with a focus on culture, innovation, and people?”
Their answer to that question is LTX Fest, “an intersectional and intentional celebration of innovation and call to action powered by love and culture.” You could call it a Latinx tech conference, but it is so much more than a tech conference because it includes culture and philanthropy in a revolutionary way.
How exactly does LTX Fest bring together tech, culture, and philanthropy?
When you bring together Latinx visionaries in tech and encourage them to incorporate the wealth of their culture to build strategies that continue to revolutionize not just tech, but philanthropy as well, the results are powerful and that power extends to our communities.
In other words: What happens at LTX Fest doesn’t stay at LTX Fest. Attendees leave motivated to embrace their leadership capabilities and do great things that extend beyond tech into our communities to build a strong collective future.
What happens at LTX Fest?
This year the event offered:
- Pitch competitions
- Art
- Poetry
- Dance
- Mental health resources
- Healing activities
- Panel discussions
- Mini TED-style talks
- A mercadito with awesome merch
Wait, what about the philanthropy part?
One of the most incredible takeaways from LTX Fest is the realization that we don’t have to have the resources of Bill Gates to be philanthropists. We can all be philanthropists right at this moment. In fact, we come from a long line of philanthropists. We come from families that feed anyone who stops by, chip in to help financially when someone is in need, and do without so that others won’t have to. Philanthropy is part of our heritage and strength, it always has been.
Now do you see why LTX Fest is so much more than a tech conference? It’s Latinx in tech embracing our culture and paying it forward to create a better world.
