As a social enterprise focused on serving a social purpose, we do not simply hold events through the year. One important aspect of our work is listening to the people we serve, learning from their feedback and using this learning to make even better impact. This way, we involve the community in creating the solutions they want. In this post, we break down what the Showcase participants told us.
Overview of Feedback
Feedback from the 71 showcase attendees has been grouped into four main themes:
1. Discovery and Learning
Most participants learned something entirely new about Black innovators in technology. They valued this new learning and were inspired by it.
“I learned that Black people have created some well known software and gadgets. ”
– F, Participant“I didn’t know there were so many Black people innovating in tech. ”
– J, Participant“Black innovators aren’t taught in school and are significant, and made an impact in history. ”
– P, Participant
2. Inspiration and Aspiration. Participant Activity Sheet
Seeing 30 contemporary innovators overcome challenges inspired participants to imagine themselves as creators and problem-solvers. We confirmed that representation inspires self-belief and aspiration.
“Tech is something that I didn’t have much information about, but this event has been informative. It has given me a lot of insight into career paths. The innovators’ stories help me see what is possible. I am now going to do a bit more research as I want to get into tech. ”
– S, Participant“A lot of Black people are making impact in the tech space, more than I initially knew, and I could be one soon. ” – M, Participant
3. Participant Activity Sheet
Some visitors asked about starting their own tech ventures or up-skilling digitally. We learned how they liked to learn and what signposting would help them.
“Being dyslexic and autistic, it is helpful seeing the information laid out visually, in bite-sized bullet points. I am seeing career opportunities that I didn’t know exist, that they don’t teach you in school or careers support programmes. It is giving me ideas of things I could do. I am interested in polishing my digital skills. ” – O, Participant
“How can I get started with my app idea?” – U, Participant
4. Community Impact and Representation
Participants valued seeing Black people solving real-world problems, fostering pride, belonging, and possibility. We saw how this representation and visibility changed perceptions.
“I am inspired by all the stories of these innovators, ordinary people tackling challenges in their communities, inventing things to solve problems. I think young and older people could be inspired, especially by seeing people like themselves doing things. ” – R, Participant
“Interesting to see Africans creating tech to solve local and world problems. ” – P, Participant
In our next blog post, we outline what we are now doing as a result of these insights.
In the meantime, why not visit the link below to see the full impact report:
http://tekshaqq.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BDIS-IMPACT-REPORT.pdf
