“Who is The Midwest Tech Project?”

The Midwest Tech Project is a Think Tank, Advocacy, Mentoring, and the only Diversity in Tech organization in West Michigan. Co-Founded by Jonathan Jelks and Alvin Hills IV (AJ) with the mission to expose and connect people of color to the world of technology and tech related industries.

Our inspiration was birthed out of the 2015 Forbes article that ranked Grand Rapids, Michigan as the second worst city nationally for African Americans economically. Our vision is to help create and organize tech culture, develop an effective tech talent pipeline, and expose people of color to career pathways in tech.

The 21st Century economy will be anchored by technology and we understand that without exposure, training programs, and access to entrepreneurship resources, people of color will struggle to find lucrative employment for generations to come. With our robust community calendar of events such as The Power Up Tech Fair, The Man/Woman vs Machine Robotics Expo, our Bilingual Tech Fair at Cesar Chavez Elementary, and City Hacks Tech Week, our vision is to connect community to the information, education, and access to technology companies looking for talent to employ.