Katherine Olives
At the Zahn Innovation Summit on March 6th, youll hear from local government officials, investors, and entrepreneurs. Each of our guests will share their expert opinions and advice on technology, entrepreneurship, and more. As a teaser, I sat down with one of our featured guests who will speak on our investor panel, Clayton Banks, Co-Founder and CEO of Silicon Harlem.
The mission of Silicon Harlem is to transform Harlem and other urban markets into Innovation and Technology hubs. Under Claytons leadership, Silicon Harlem has been able to partner with the Department of Education for New York City to establish an after school STEM based startup accelerator, collaborate with the NYC Mayors office to assess wireless broadband in Upper Manhattan, and coordinate a virtual startup incubator for tech based entrepreneurs.
To Clayton, Silicon Harlem is citizen-centric. He says, This isnt about how great we can we can be, its about what we believe our citizens deserve. Its about making sure their voices are heard and represented across the board. I make sure Harlems voice is always at the table when it comes to tech.
In his short interview with me, his passion for technology, innovation, and Harlems multidimensional community came across. Clayton loves what he does, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him to get a feel for what he thinks the future looks like.
Katherine Olives: What are the biggest trends in the tech and entrepreneurship scene in Harlem right now?
Clayton Banks: There are several trends that are very significant, and these trends are setting up for the future. Most important are the things happening in the community and infrastructure in Harlem. There are systemic things happening, and Silicon Harlem tries to address these them. The biggest problem is the lack of broadband adoption. Forty percent of households in Upper Manhattan are not accessing the internet from their homes. Since the internet impacts every aspect of life, from health to employment, not using it is detrimental. Everyone should be accessing the internet from their homes. So why arent they? The wires are here, theres access, its just too expensive. Theres an affordability issue that were trying to solve.
KO: Is Silicon Harlem working to solve that?
CB: Absolutely. Were trying to create an alternative way for homes to get online for a reasonable cost.
KO: Thats so important. Are there any other trends youre seeing? Or issues in this particular part of the city?
CB: Another issue were seeing is lack of digital literacy. We want to see the community improve from a skills perspective. How can they use the internet to not only watch Netflix, but improve your quality of life? Thats why were focusing on everyone–from pre-schoolers to grandparents. We want to improve digital literacy in the entire community. Nine out of ten people dont know the speed of their internet, but they pay for it. Were teaching them how to participate in the digital economy.
KO: Any other ways you see more individuals participating in tech?
CB: Another growing sector is IoT. Citizens need to understand how smart technologies are going to impact their communities, and why they need it. More and more advanced technology will come out in the next year that has the potential to save money for households, and improve efficiency in peoples individual lives. The bottom line is that everyone needs advanced and smart tech, but the only ones who are going to get it are the ones who have the money and the knowledge.
KO: Its definitely going to be an exciting time. Its a great time to be an entrepreneur!
CB: Exactly! My generation has done some big things–we introduced the internet to the world and figured out how to connect folks. We found huge issues with communication, so we tried to fix that. Now at the next level, the new generations–Millennials and GenZ-ers–theyre going to have to take on new problems, and unfortunately some of the problems left over from us. You take an area like Harlem or the Bronx and ask yourself: Why is this particular area marginalized? Why dont they have resources? With the advanced tech platforms that are coming, 5G for example, itll allow young minds that are coming out of school to solve some of these age-old systemic issues.
KO: You think the new generation of entrepreneurs will be solving issues in the social sector?
CB: Absolutely. There are simple problems that have plagued us for many years like the amount of rats and vermin we have in the city that can be solved better by new ideas, new solutions, and new technologies. What if we can create smart garbage cans that alert sanitation when its almost full? Having problems like this tells me that the government needs the private sector to help them, and this is where the new crop of entrepreneurs will find opportunities.
KO: I would love to be part of the generation that eradicates rats! What are some of your other visions for the future of tech in NYC, and especially Upper Manhattan?
CB: Let me tell you something, the greatest opportunity the city has is to empower the startup community, the tech community, and really all tech-enabled companies. Theyll have to give tech companies and startups a landscape to root themselves in the city, to grow here, and to produce jobs that were going to need in the future. Rather than entrepreneurs running to Silicon Valley or another city, theyll be able to get gainful employment right here. Thats a huge opportunity for the city. Tech is the economic engine that sustains us, it creates a great quality of life, and it can be a robust career. Honestly, I believe the entire city is due for an upgrade. This city is about to be the most intelligent major city in the world–from using blockchain to decentralize single-vendor facilities, to smart technologies to enhance quality of life and reduce costs–its going to be momentous.
KO: Absolutely!
CB: Weve been on the verge of an upgrade for awhile, and its going to start with infrastructure. Baked into that is connectivity–we have to make sure telecommunications are built into future advances. People want to live in cities, and the greatest opportunity we have is to empower our startups and connect Wall Street to them. Theyre landlocked Downtown, and we need to bring them Uptown. They need to see whats happening up here–at CCNY, at the Zahn Center, at Silicon Harlem–weve encouraged more and more co-working spaces to pop up here, and we worked hard to get WeWork up here. Now the WeWork Uptown location is the most diverse location in both the types of startups and the types of entrepreneurs working out of there. Its at capacity, and most of the ideas working out of that space are there to benefit the local communities.
KO: Thank you for saying all of that, I think sometimes the work thats happening in our area is overlooked. There are amazing things happening in the city around tech and innovation, especially in Upper Manhattan, and its time New York was known for that. I think Silicon Harlem has been on the forefront of that.
CB: One of the things that weve been able to do is attract an unprecedented amount of money into Upper Manhattan and Harlem for research and test-bedding over the next five years. This is an accomplishment that has never been seen in NYC or any other major city. With this, Harlem will never trail in tech again, and we can improve the quality of life for those who are being left behind.
KO: Thats incredible!
CB: Thank you, were very excited. Were having an event to celebrate this sometime in March, and well announce that soon. Its a big feat.
KO: Ill say! Its so exciting. So in my opinion, Silicon Harlem was Silicon Harlem before the coining of Silicon Alley. Do you think Harlem is leading NYCs charge into a smart future–and if so, how?
CB: Harlem has always been a community of leading change. Its baked in our DNA to be a leader and an agent of change. Whether its cultural changes, artistic changes, music and food–all these things that define New York City–they started in Harlem. Creativity is in our veins, so I think Harlem is poised to take the next big change–technology–and run with it. Having this DNA in us in Harlem, getting through the Depression, the 1960s, all of the major life-changing moments in our country, Harlem has been on the forefront and its built to be leading in anything thats innovative. Even our transportation is innovative–its easiest to get in and out of the city from Harlem. Harlem is multicultural, there are so many different experiences represented there, there are major hospitals, twelve colleges, and countless young minds being trained and educated here that will contribute to the world in a big way. Harlem has the bones for entrepreneurs. A large number of businesses are owned and operated by families, and theres a stable set of corporations invested in Harlem. We have great elected officials working here, and there are a lot of nonprofits in the area that are adopting technology as a way to keep their missions alive.
To hear more from Clayton Banks, save your seat at our upcoming Summit: https://goo.gl/nWxQ29