local Black and Brown creators, students, organizers, entrepreneurs, and engineers with a desire to give back to their communities.
George Nuñez, the founder of Bronx Tech Hub, launched the event in 2023. He aimed to leverage the power of technology to create economic opportunities, address societal challenges, and help bridge the digital divide.
“I left finance, tech, startups, and being in product management, and I decided I wanted to come here and pay it forward, which is why we ended up starting Bronx Tech Hub,” said Nuñez at his Tech Build-a-thon at Sankoufa Haus last Friday.
Tech Week featured a series of engaging activities, including panel discussions, networking sessions, small business workshops, a job fair, and an intimate hack-a-thon. Participants competed to build a workable application using Amazon Quick, an AI-powered assistant platform, that benefited the Bronx community in under an hour for a cash prize.
“I’m not a fan of banning AI, but I’m more supportive of leveraging it to then get where you need to go,” said Nuñez.
The event was sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, Sankofa Haus, and Fordham University. Judges this year included Abran Maldonado of Create Labs; founder and CEO of Matchstick Muhammad Saleh; and Silvia Diaz-Roa, who works in startup banking for the financial institution.
“I don’t think the big models or engineers always have this community in mind when they’re building, because this isn’t the billion dollar market here [in the Bronx] — this is boots on the ground, grassroots communities here,” said Maldonado. “Not every idea needs to be a billion-dollar idea. Nowadays, you can build for nuance. You can build a product that just serves NYCHA, or just serves the small businesses on the Grand Concourse in the South Bronx.”
Creators used their competition time to come up with a wide range of ideas. Adam Martinez, 22, created the Bronx Tenant organizer to help residents in the Mott Haven community find legal and housing assistance. Hector Bonilla, 29, presented Civil-It, which is a mashup of Reddit and the city’s 311 service for residents to report quality of life issues. Gerson Castillo, 32, created the Bronx Bike Safe app, to help cyclists track road hazards citywide. Jannelle Cortes came up with Bronx Walks to curate self-guided tours of Mott Haven for Bronx visitors.
“I don’t actually have anything specifically going on other than wanting to come into a space that is comfortable or familiar — being in a space with the culture, but getting dedicated time to build things,” said first-timer Phillip Ellison, 40. He created an accountability app to help his family build healthy exercise habits.
Ultimately, the grand prize for the Tech Build-a-thon was awarded to Emelyza Blanco, a 23-year-old Houston native and biomedical student at the University of Texas Health. Her winning entry, the Healthbridge application, is designed to connect low-income families with essential health services at local clinics and hospitals.
“Whatever goals you have … sky’s the limit,” said Blanco.
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