Show notes
Morgan DeBaun joins Earn Your Leisure for an in-depth conversation about building Blavity, raising $12 million in funding, and creating AfroTech. She explains what inspired her journey, why she might have approached fundraising differently in hindsight, and how Blavity generates revenue without compromising its integrity for advertising dollars.
We break down the business behind AfroTech, including Morgan’s strategy for scaling the conference, securing corporate sponsorships, measuring its economic impact, and selecting the right host city. She also explains what corporations look for before sponsoring an event and why entrepreneurs should focus on building great companies that can shape the future.
The conversation also explores the future of technology: the lack of Black representation in tech, why cybersecurity may be the most important career to pursue, which college degrees are still worth the investment, and the growing risks of artificial intelligence. We discuss AI regulation, data centers, China’s global influence, artificial superintelligence, and whether the Black media industry is facing a serious crisis.
EarnYourLeisure #MorganDeBaun #Blavity #AfroTech #Entrepreneurship #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #Cybersecurity #CorporateSponsorship #BlackMedia #BlackTech
00:00 AI Power Imbalance
00:19 Media Money Pressures
00:41 Cybersecurity And Regulation
01:33 Meet Morgan DeBaun
02:58 Blavity Origin Story
05:56 Building Black Tech Pipeline
07:18 Venture Capital Tradeoffs
09:58 Ads Subscriptions And AI
15:03 AfroTech Scaling Playbook
16:23 Sponsors Recruiting And ROI
21:28 Metrics Ecosystem And Parties
23:36 Choosing Cities Going Global
28:05 Tech Wealth Gap And Inclusion
31:16 Careers Cybersecurity Energy
33:27 Degrees To Pursue Avoid
35:46 Degrees AI Can Replace
36:14 Which Majors Matter
37:09 Career Path Strategy
38:16 AI Regulation Power Grab
39:36 Rogue AI Accountability
41:52 Global Race Reality
44:01 Fear Versus Literacy
45:06 Teaching Politicians AI
46:50 Data Centers Environment
48:32 Propaganda And Perception
52:44 AGI Superintelligence Debate
57:57 AI Agents Daily Workflow
59:31 Privacy And Model Choice
01:00:20 Future Of Black Media
01:03:22 AfroTech 2026 Preview
01:04:25 Handling Critique Online
01:06:41 Mission Over Discourse
01:10:41 Closing Thanks And Outro
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