Cleveland leaders hope FutureLAND conference will help grow the region's tech ecosystem

A group of Cleveland leaders and entrepreneurs is hoping to jumpstart Cleveland's innovation and tech ecosystem by launching the inaugural FutureLAND conference that is taking place this Thursday and Friday at multiple venues, including in the Flats East Bank and Tower City. The conference is being supported by the city of Cleveland, the United Black Fund, and Jumpstart, and it's being sponsored by MCPc, a Cleveland based IT company. 

The idea behind the two-day event is to highlight the region's diversity in tech, arts and culture, and learn more about the barriers facing entrepreneurs, especially entrepreneurs of color, who might not always have equitable access to capital. 

This hour on the "Sound of Ideas," we're going to spend some time talking about the conference, and some of the issues revolving around diversity in tech that will be addressed during FutureLAND, with some of the organizers, panelists and participants. 

Later this hour, we'll learn more about the concept of intermittent poverty and hear about a local resource to help families who are financially struggling. 

-Teleange Thomas, FutureLAND Organizer & Chief Operations and Relationships Officer, JumpStart 
-Justis Mendez, FutureLAND Guest Speaker & Managing Partner, onesixone Ventures 
-Aaron Marks, FutureLAND Director & Director, Circle 
-Jizal Seikali, CEO, DenTemp 

-Jonathan Morduch, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, New York University, Co-author, "Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty"
-Carrie Miller, Acting Executive Director, HFLA of Northeast Ohio