Future of AI Innovation: HBCU AI Supercomputer
Join The Garvey Institute, UduTech and partners for an urgent Black History Month conversation on building a sovereign AI supercomputer anchored at HBCUs.
We’ll unpack why AI infrastructure matters for Black communities, how HBCUs can lead in research and innovation, and what it will take—politically, technically, and financially—to make this real.
This session is designed for:
HBCU leaders, faculty, and students
Black technologists and ERG members in tech companies
Funders, philanthropists, and ecosystem builders who want to support HBCU innovation
We’ll address the big questions and objections people have raised—everything from “Why not just use ChatGPT?” to “Can HBCUs actually run and sustain a supercomputer?”—and share concrete next steps for those who want to contribute time, capital, or strategic support.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Julius W. Garvey, M.D.
Founder, Marcus Garvey Institute for Human Development
The youngest son of Pan-Africanist icon Marcus Garvey, Dr. Julius W. Garvey has spent nine decades turning his father's vision into living institutions — from a pioneering career in thoracic and vascular surgery to leading the campaign that secured Marcus Garvey's posthumous presidential pardon in January 2025. As Founder of the Marcus Garvey Institute for Human Development, he convenes this moment with one mandate: ensuring the communities his father fought for don't just access the future — they own it.
Alex Tsado
Founder & CEO, Udu Technologies Inc (UduTech)
Alex Tsado deployed the first Nvidia AI GPUs to the world's largest cloud providers — and has spent the decade since ensuring that power doesn't stay concentrated. As Co-founder of Alliance4AI.org, he builds frameworks that put Africa, HBCUs, and the Global South on the AI ownership map, works with governments on national AI strategies, and runs the GPU Hub platform so underserved innovators can access compute, not just consume it.
Dr. Muhsinah L. Morris, Ph.D.
Director of Metaverse Programs & Professor of the Practice, Morehouse College
As the world's first Metaversity Director at Morehouse College, Dr. Muhsinah Morris launched one of the boldest immersive learning experiments in HBCU history — proving HBCUs don't trail the frontier, they define it. A Ph.D. chemist, 2025 Leading Woman in AI, and Tennessee State University AI SuperUser Fellow, she represents exactly what sovereign AI infrastructure exists to unleash: world-class HBCU talent ready to lead Tier 1 research, not follow it.
Dr. Godfrey Madigu
Dean, Strathmore Institute of Mathematical Sciences (SIMS)
Over 20 years, Dr. Godfrey Madigu transformed Strathmore University into one of Africa's most recognized academic institutions — earning Platinum Plus ACCA accreditation and pioneering programs in Financial Engineering, Actuarial Science, and Data Science. He brings to this conversation the institutional architecture and long-range vision that building sovereign AI infrastructure across the Global South demands.
Evan Poncelet
Executive Director, Venture Black | Founding Managing Partner, Dreamward Ventures
Evan Poncelet is a software engineer turned infrastructure builder who understands that barriers blocking communities of color from the AI economy are engineering problems with engineering solutions. From NLP-driven platforms at Cisco to scaling Africatown Community Land Trust's technology campus, to co-founding Venture Black and Dreamward Ventures to open the venture-scale opportunity window for underrepresented founders globally, Evan has spent years building the on-ramp to exactly this moment.
Pierre Akinroluyo
Founder & CEO, Albino Whale Holdings | Managing Director, Wilson Holdings Group
Pierre Akinroluyo moves capital at the scale this mission actually requires. With 20+ years across technology, energy, sports, and infrastructure — including the Ghana LOI Railway Project and the Tesla Gigafactory Nevada — he has raised over $10 billion in the last three years, including a $7 billion raise for global sports and media. As CEO of Albino Whale Holdings and Managing Director of the multi-generational Wilson Holdings Group, he brings what few can: the capital relationships and infrastructure credibility to turn a declaration into a funded reality.
Sylvie Bello
Founder & CEO, Cameroon American Council (CAC)
Sylvie Bello has spent 20+ years proving insfrastucture is built at the intersection of press, policy, and philantrophy. As Founder of the Cameroon American Council — operating across 30+ U.S. states and internationally — she has shaped federal, state and local policies on technology and workforce, launched #FreedomCoders to build AI pipelines for underrepresented communities, and produced research on Black billionaires and African family office investment cited by the Milken Institute and Motsepe Foundation in 2025. Sylvie is a consensus builder in communities, bipartisan connector in Congress, and a culturally sensitive innovator in corporate circles.