Amanda Spann
Amanda Spann is an American marketing consultant and app entrepreneur, known for creating tech businesses to support and engage with the Black tech community.{{Cite web |last=Nxumalo |first=Gugulethu |date=2024-08-30 |title=Amanda Spann Partners with HBCU to Help Founders Scale Tech Ventures |url=https://urbangeekz.com/2024/08/transforming-app-ideas-into-ventures/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=UrbanGeekz |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Dickey |first=Megan Rose |title=The 30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/30-important-women-30-or-under-in-tech-2013-4#18-amanda-spann-and-kat-calvin-13 |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}
Early life and education
Spann is a graduate of Florida State University and Georgetown University.
Career
Alongside her partner Kat Calvin, Spann co-founded Blerdology: The Science of Black Nerds, a social platform that unites the black tech community.{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=A Day In The Life: Women Tech Innovators |url=https://www.npr.org/2014/02/21/280753195/a-day-in-the-life-women-tech-innovators |website=NPR}}"[https://thegrio.com/2012/11/22/black-girls-hack-holds-first-non-profit-hackathon-targeting-african-americans-in-tech/#google_vignette Black Girls Hack holds first non-profit hackathon targeting African-Americans in tech]". TheGrio. 2012. Retrieved 2024-10-30.Evans, Erin E. "[https://www.bet.com/article/8eri67/hacking-the-science-of-black-nerds Hacking the Science of Black Nerds]". BET. Retrieved 2024-10-15.Kim, Larry. "[https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/20-women-entrepreneurs-worth-watching.html 20 Women Entrepreneurs Worth Watching These inspiring leaders prove there are unicorns among us]". Inc. 2018. Initially known as Black Girls Hack,{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Winston |date=2013-02-25 |title=5 Future Leaders in Technology |url=https://www.blackenterprise.com/5-future-leaders-in-technology/ |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=Black Enterprise |language=en-US}} Blerdology is tailored towards the African American community and encourages engagement from tech enthusiasts through events such as hackathons. The first Blerdology hackathon was held in November 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia and consisted of fifty black tech enthusiasts competing to create mobile apps.
Spann serves as the communications and content manager for the IBM Cloud Category.
Spann is the co-founder of TibHub, a platform designed for entrepreneurs in the African diaspora.McDonough, Ashley. "[https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/amanda-spann-profile/ This Black Woman Is Opening The Door For People of Color In Tech]". Essence. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2024-10-15.Christian, Bonnie. "[https://www.wired.com/story/black-history-month-uk-pioneers/ Celebrating Black History Month: the men and women blazing a trail in STEM and modern culture]". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-10-15. Founded in 2014, TipHub serves as a community for sharing ideas and innovations, empowering its members to collaborate and succeed in their ventures. Annually, Tibhup hosts an annual US-based residency program, called the Diaspora Demo Day, in which 14 individuals from the African Diaspora are provided with mentorship and support for their start-up businesses.{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Women's History Month: Black Women in Tech |url=https://lasentinel.net/womens-history-month-black-women-in-tech.html |website=LA sentinel}}
Another contribution of Spann's is Happii, an initiative that provides young entrepreneurs with accessible tools and support they need to start and grow their businesses effectively. Happii is divided into several business verticals, which includes products like TipOff App, CultureCrush App, and DubbleTap.com, online coaching, and e-learning and produce development. Spann is also known for her involvement with AfriDate, a dating app specifically designed for African American singles, connecting users through shared ethnicity and nationality.
Spann is recognized as a key partner in an App Accelerator program that collaborates with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), such as Clark Atlanta University.Moore, Kianga (2024). "[https://www.ebony.com/amanda-spanns-app-accelerator-clark-atlanta/ How Amanda Spann’s App Accelerator Is Helping Non-Technical Founders Thrive Through HBCU Partnerships and Tech Automation]". Ebony. Retrieved 2024-10-31. The App Accelerator program provides a framework to first time app building for non-technical individuals.{{cn|date=March 2025}} With the support of Clark Atlanta University, along with PNC Back, The App Accelerator program hosts a 15-week program designed for non-technical individuals, called Idea to App, which allows them to bring their app ideas to fruition. This initiative aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the HBCU community, enhancing access to technology and business development opportunities for underrepresented founders.