RBTC Celebrates a Landmark Year

RBTC 2024 Year in Review

In 2024, RBTC made major strides in cultivating and expanding the Roanoke Blacksburg tech ecosystem. We implemented new events and programs, grew our reach in and out of the market, and contributed to talent growth within the industry.

RBTC 2024 Community Metrics
RBTC 2024 Talent Metrics
RBTC 2024 Events Metrics

RBTC finished the year with 215 total member organizations. Three of our niche communities picked up a lot of steam this year: Blacks in Technology (BIT), Women in Technology (WoTech), and ChangeMakerZ. BIT grew to more than 100 members, who supported each others’ growth and networking across 40 events throughout the year. WoTech saw similar success, with over 100 members coming together across 20 events, including the beloved WoTech Summer Camp leadership conference.

In addition to supporting current tech professionals, RBTC implemented the ChangeMakerZ program to develop new leaders for the region. The new talent-focused program attracted enrollment from 14 young professionals and participation from 11 local tech companies.

Speaking of talent…

This past year was all about attracting and developing talent for the region. Participants in the ChangeMakerZ program worked to elevate their leadership skills and refine or develop their AI skills. This culminated in a student-focused track at the inaugural Disrupt Up conference, featuring ChangeMakerZ participants and college students.

As always, RBTC focused on regional collaboration. We hosted key events such as the RBTC Talent Coalition, Experience Conference, and the Future of Talent Summit. We also supported developmental initiatives like the Virginia Tech CECE Talent Pathways Initiative and the Digital Certification Program, offering promotional marketing and distribution of information.

RBTC got in front of more eyes than ever this year. With over 9,000 link clicks between Facebook and LinkedIn and an impressive 35.2% email open rate, we were able to drive nearly 27,000 users to our website from January 1 to November 30. This marked a 49% growth compared to the same window in 2023.

TechNite was back in 2024 with $10,000 worth of endowment, drawing 500 attendees. We distributed 10 unique awards to winners from a pool of 68 nominees.

TechNite was joined by Disrupt Up, our first emerging tech conference. Disrupt Up has already made waves inside and outside of the region, drawing 250 attendees from multiple states and over 22 Virginia colleges. A staggering 50 experts shared their knowledge on this year’s topic, artificial intelligence, across 2 days.

Thank you for a highly successful year. RBTC has even more on the horizon for 2025, so stay tuned.

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