City Startup Labs (CSL) made a recent acquisition of the assets of BlackTech Interactive/ BlackTechCLT, a firm started in 2016 in Charlotte by Sherrell Dorsey, Enovia Bedford and Freda Hendley (read announcement).

BlackTech Interactive was focused on developing and fostering Black tech talent. Since that time, it established the BlackTech CLT brand and played an important role in developing a burdening ecosystem, as well as created a significant following through a series of events, workshops and trainings.

City Startup Labs intends to reestablish its entrepreneurial work with the African American millennial population with an explicit focus on supporting tech startups. One avenue of for this support is through its relationship with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as a University Business Partner with the Office of Research and Economic Development.

According to Henry Rock, Founder and Executive Director of City Startup Labs, “we will expand upon the great work of founders of BlackTech Interactive/BlackTechCLT and drive the deployment and commercialization of innovations among a population that we’re very familiar working with. We see a huge opportunity to support bringing ventures to market in areas such as, AI, data analytics, fintech, med-tech, blockchain, renewables, IoT, etc. This is what’s happening now and into the foreseeable future and we want Black tech talent to be poised and ready to not just participate in but also to advance innovation in these and other yet to be determined technologies.”

CSL has selected Rashaan Peek as the new director of BlackTech Interactive/BlackTechCLT. Her background with nonprofit management and social enterprises will bring structure and organization to the execution of this vision.