Black history in the making: the tech trailblazers building the future

WHEN TWIN brothers Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham launched their insurtech company Marshmallow, they were told the insurance industry was too traditional, too entrenched to disrupt. But by 2021, the brothers had joined the exclusive unicorn club for companies valued at over $1 billion. In the process, they became tech trailblazers, rewriting the rules of what a Black-founded tech company could achieve in Britain.

Their story is no outlier.

Across fintech, healthtech, AI and creative industries, Black entrepreneurs are helping to reshape technology while simultaneously tackling systemic barriers that have long kept people of colour at the margins of innovation.

It is proof, say observers, that Black history is not only something to look back on each October, it is being written today.

That message is at the heart of this year’s Black Tech Fest (BTF), the UK’s largest gathering of Black professionals in technology.

Set to take place tomorrow  (October 9) at London’s Drumsheds, it will host 7,000 attendees, over 150 speakers and a line-up that includes global giants like Microsoft, Uber and Citi alongside grassroots innovators.

Organisers say it will be the biggest BTF yet and the clearest demonstration of the idea that “Black Futures Matter”, that Black history is being made today and will shape the future.

A festival for the future

Co-founded in 2020 by Colorintech, Black Tech Fest began as a virtual conference to tackle the lack of diversity in the UK’s tech sector.

In just five years, it has become a cornerstone event, bringing together students, start-ups, industry leaders and investors to celebrate Black excellence and debate how technology can be harnessed for inclusion and innovation.

Ashleigh Ainsley, one of the festival’s co-founders, believes what they have built since the event was launched is groundbreaking.

“I’d say what we’re doing with Black Tech Fest is historic” he tells The Voice. “ It’s the largest gathering of Black professionals in the tech sector that I know of, and every year it continues to grow.

“Looking back at last year, we had people from companies like Microsoft, Google, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Expedia, Just Eat and many more – even competitors who came together to be part of it.”

This year’s programme spans three stages. The “Future of Work” track will explore career journeys from apprentices to C-suite leaders.

“Tech and AI” brings together top engineers and product chiefs from Monzo, Spotify, Microsoft and IBM to discuss everything from generative AI to ethics and bias.

“When I think about innovation and technology, it’s not just about looking back; it’s about shaping the history that’s being created now and in the future. If we only focus on the past, we risk missing what’s happening right now and what’s ahead.”

Ashleigh Ainsley

“Innovation Meets Culture” highlights the intersection of creativity and technology, with appearances from comedian Munya Chawawa, cultural fashion houses like Daily Paper, and executives from Uber and BT.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve put together for this year’s Black Tech Fest,” says Ainsley. “We’ve created a world-class programme across three stages.

“For me, that’s what Black Tech Fest is about: world-class conversations rooted in our community.”

Why Black Futures matter

The timing of the event – in the first week of Black History Month – is no accident.

However Ainsley is clear that BTF is about looking forward and shaping history rather than merely looking back.

“At Black Tech Fest, we see ourselves as sitting at the intersection of innovation and culture” he says.

“For me, innovation is about creating something new and looking to the future. That’s why I don’t see Black Tech Fest simply a celebration of Black history.

“Yes, the people on stage are iconic and have achieved incredible things, but what excites me most is what they’re going to do next and the contributions they’ll make to the technology of tomorrow.”

Technology, he argues, is moving too fast for the Black community to be left behind.

“Take facial recognition as an example. It’s being rolled out across councils and law enforcement, but studies repeatedly show that it performs less accurately for people with darker skin tones, particularly Black people.

“This has serious implications. We need our community to understand the risks, but more importantly, we need people from our communities involved in building these technologies.”

It is this urgency – ensuring that Black voices are at the table when the technologies of the future are being designed – that makes BTF more than just another conference.

Breaking barriers in tech

But the barriers are real. A landmark 2020 study by Extend Ventures found that just 0.24% of venture capital investment in the UK between 2009 and 2019 went to Black entrepreneurs.

Only one Black female founder raised significant Series A funding during that decade.

Meanwhile, a 2023 report by BCS and Coding Black Females showed that while Black women make up 1.8% of the UK workforce, they account for just 0.7% of IT professionals.

The report found that many needed more skills and qualifications than their peers to secure roles, faced microaggressions in predominantly White teams, and struggled to progress to senior positions.

Despite this, Black-led VC funds and founders are making breakthroughs.

Eric Collins’s Impact X Capital has successfully backed minority-led tech companies, while Black Seed, a Brixton-based venture firm, has raised over £5m to invest exclusively in Black-owned start-ups.

Observers say Marshmallow’s unicorn success proves the economic value of inclusive investment.

Entrepreneurs like Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of Stemettes, and Sharmadean Reid, creator of Beautystack, are building new pathways for women in STEM and digital industries while London-based investor Chenelle  Ansah is directing millions into climate tech and fintech ventures.

And programmes like the UK’s Black Founders initiative – backed by Sony, Channel 4 and Digital Catapult – are helping early-stage Black-founded start-ups in deep tech and creative industries thrive.

“By raising the profiles of Black-led VC funds and founders, giving them visibility, and showcasing their expertise, we create the conditions for them to influence the future of technology in meaningful ways,” says Ainsley.

“Because the truth is, if we don’t change who is at the table, the same groups will continue to be disadvantaged—women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities.

“We’ve seen that pattern repeat throughout history. I want us to break that cycle.”

Innovation and resilience

Ainsley insists representation must be more than tokenism.

“I’ve never accepted the excuse from the organisers of mainstream tech events that ‘we can’t find diverse speakers.’ Every year, our line-up has been majority women and overwhelmingly Black professionals.

“These people exist—they’re just not always given the platform they deserve. By showcasing them, we challenge the industry to rethink its assumptions and prove that the talent is out there.”

His own story is proof of what persistence can achieve.

Raised in Catford in south London he recalls his mother ensuring he had strong literacy skills before starting school, giving him a head start.

Denied access to an Oxbridge prep programme despite high grades at GCSE and A level, he taught himself how to apply and eventually earned a place at Oxford University.

“I think the theme running through my life is that I don’t like being told I can’t do something,” he reflects.

“When people say I’m not capable or it’s not for me, I take that personally and use it as fuel to prove them wrong. I set my own limits—others don’t get to do that for me.”

Tech entrepreneurs look ahead

Ainsley and his team are determined to ensure that the innovation shaping society is not built without the voices of those most often excluded.

Whether it is AI in policing, financial tools closing the racial wealth gap, or creative tech giving Black culture global reach, the future is already being written.

As Ainsley puts it: “When I think about innovation and technology, it’s not just about looking back; it’s about shaping the history that’s being created now and in the future.

“If we only focus on the past, we risk missing what’s happening right now and what’s ahead.”

For those gathering at Drumsheds this October, the message is clear: Black history is alive in the here and now – and Black futures matter.