The Lead

Events by Category

The Insights

April 8 — 5:30pm CDT (In-Person)

No pitch deck required. Show up after work, grab a drink, and meet the people who make Memphis tech feel smaller, friendlier, and easier to navigate. Sometimes the best connection starts with a side conversation. Hosted by Lia Fannin (Robert Half Talent Solutions) at Brookhaven Pub & Grill.

Join the conversation

April 8 — 6:00pm CDT (In-Person)

Leadership matters here. Kimberly Bailey is unpacking how major Memphis institutions move difficult tech projects forward, while Code Crew students remind the room who is coming next.

Lead the discussion

April 9 — 9:00am CDT (Virtual)

This is a signal moment. Memphis leaders are gathering to talk about how talent actually grows here. Who gets supported, what works, and how to build stronger pathways into tech, leadership, and opportunity. Featuring more than ten voices from across the city, including local Microsoft Power BI leader DeNisha Malone.

Be part of the summit

April 10 — 7:00pm CDT (In-Person)

A lot happens in this room. Someone is soldering, someone is swapping ideas, and someone else is seeing the space for the first time. It is one of the clearest windows into Memphis maker culture.

Drop in and make something

April 11 — 11:00am CDT (In-Person)
Event held at Anti Gentrification Cxffee Club at 3386 Bowden Ave Memphis TN, 38122.

Bring what you’re building. Laptops open, coffee on the table, ideas moving across the room. Whether you’re early in your journey or deep into a project, this is where Memphis tech feels approachable.

Bring your laptop and build. No RSVP required.

April 7 — 10:15AM (In‑Person)

No pressure. Just a table where Memphis tech talks honestly about what’s working with AI. These quick conversations help you compare notes, swap wins, and stay connected to the city’s growing automation culture.

Join the conversation

April 8 — 11:00am CDT (Virtual)

If you’re deciding how AI should show up at work, this is your briefing. Leaders across Memphis are experimenting fast; this session focuses on what happens next when governance, security, and trust have to catch up. Hosted by ProTech Services Group, Inc.

Strengthen your AI strategy

April 10 — 10:30am CDT (In-Person)

Rare access. Oak Ridge National Laboratory leaders are pulling back the curtain on the supercomputing infrastructure shaping energy, research, and industry. If you care where Memphis fits into the next decade of AI and science, this is the room. Located at the FedEx Institute of Technology at the Uni. of Memphis.

Explore the future of computing

April 9 — 12:00pm CDT (In-Person)

Few conversations get this honest. Hear what it takes to pass a company from one generation to the next without losing the trust, clarity, and momentum that built it. Led by founder Denise Stewart and CEO Bryan Burnett of Travel Nurses, Inc.

Hear the real story

April 9 — 11:00am CDT (Virtual)

Hiring mistakes get expensive fast. This session gives founders a clear read on contractors, employees, and the decisions that can slow a young company down. Worth the hour if growth is starting to get real. Hosted by the Mid-South Hub and the Turner Family Entrepreneurship Clinic at Vanderbilt Law School.

Protect your startup

April 9-11 | Virtual

This three-day virtual conference breaks down the science of effective mentoring. How to define success, measure impact, and design programs that grow with intention. Featuring more than ten voices from across the city, including local Microsoft Power BI leader DeNisha Malone through the Memphis Grizzlies, it offers a practical, community‑rooted look at how Memphis can strengthen its talent pipeline through thoughtful, data‑driven support.

Register for the summit

April 17-19 | In-Person

This CodeCrew‑hosted hackathon brings entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and community leaders together to build solutions in climate tech, clean energy, cybersecurity, logistics, med tech, and more. It’s a hands‑on space for Memphis creators to collaborate, prototype, and push meaningful innovation forward.

Apply to hack

April 24-25 | In-Person

BDPA’s Dumb Hackathon invites Memphis creators to try new tools, test weird ideas, and build without perfection. It’s a welcoming gateway into hackathons for anyone curious about making, experimenting, and finishing something real alongside a supportive community.

Build something creative

May 14-15 | In-Person

Part of the respected global DevOpsDays series, this regional event blends DevOps and AI insights with practical, practitioner‑led sessions. A strong option for Memphis teams looking to sharpen delivery, resilience, and modern engineering practices.

Grab your ticket

At the Grizzlies STEM Career Day and The Gentlemen's League's 6th Annual Boys of Color Conference, BDPA Memphis volunteers (Arielle, Coriano Harris, President Naim Hakeem, Bryce Sharp, and Arlinda Ibezim) spent the week making that case directly to hundreds of Memphis middle and high schoolers.

The pattern they kept encountering: students with real creative and technical instincts who had silently disqualified themselves. Art-focused students who had never heard of UI/UX. Gaming-obsessed kids who didn't realize they were already thinking about networks every time they played online. Bryce even built custom educational software, translating binary math and HTTP architecture through gaming to expose students to those concepts.

What these sessions revealed is what BDPA Memphis calls creative technical identity. The idea that the "creative person" and the "tech person" were never two different people.

Memphis tech has three steady backers making this newsletter possible: Tech901, Uncomplicated Inc., and Memphis Technology Foundation.

That support means the community gets covered — not just the big moments, but the rooms, the builders, and the quiet progress that doesn't announce itself.

If that kind of work resonates with you, consider joining them.

P.S. Got a win to celebrate or feedback on the new layout? Hit reply. I read every message.