Impact stories
The people behind the numbers.
Ten thousand participants is a statistic. These are some of the individual stories behind it — career changes, funded ventures, and certifications earned.
On camera
Watch their stories
Filmed conversations with participants, founders, and mentors from the BOT community.
The room behind the numbers
Every story on this page happened in a room like this one — full of people who showed up for someone else’s turn.
All stories
From Meetup to Founder: How Brian Clincy Is Teaching Tech to the Culture
A software developer found BOT at his first Orlando meetup, taught a backend cohort, and turned his students’ demand for more into G-Coded.
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From Music Producer to Technical Founder: How Jay Grubbs Scaled Event Video Partners in Orlando
A music producer who had never heard the term “technical founder” on building the software his company runs on, and 400% bottom-line growth.
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“Our City Is Richer”: Sarah Elbadri on a Decade of Building Orlando’s Tech Community
Sarah Elbadri, Deputy District Director for Congressman Maxwell Frost, on why BOT is the software to the hardware of Orlando.
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10 Years of Impact: Orlando Tech Leader Orrett Davis’ Perspective of BOT
Orrett Davis, Executive Director of the Orlando Tech Association, on the meetups, workforce development and community that built Central Florida’s tech scene.
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From Project Coordinator to Certified PMP: Naziah Riaz’s BOT Journey into a New Career
Breaking into tech or leveling up within it can feel impossible without the right guidance, community, and credentials.
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From Intern to Director: How BOT Alum Emmanuel Anderson Turned a Camera and a Chance into a Career in Tech
He arrived with a camera and no tech background. He is now a Director at an independent music distributor.
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From Classroom to Canva: How BOT’s Tech Cohorts Helped STEM Professor Dr. Maya Byfield Transform Her Classroom and Business
A STEM professor on the cohort that reshaped her teaching — and the business she built on the back of it.
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How Jena Mehlberg Uses Tech to Streamline the Beauty Industry
A beauty-industry founder on pipelines, CRMs and finding out she belonged in tech after all.
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Why BOT Is Needed: Mark Bennett on Closing Orlando’s Tech Access Gap
A conversation about the gap between Orlando’s growing tech economy and the people still locked out of it.
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From Practice Room to Paycheck: How Sam Carmant Nailed His Interview and Changed His Life
Sometimes having that extra hand can make the difference between landing the job and staying in the job market.
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The Strength of Impact: Kunal Patel’s Thoughts on Innovation
Impact is defined as a sudden effect or influence on an event, person, or place.
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From Program Participants to Winning Founders: How Prodisphere Co-owners Ebose and Mehul Changed the Game
For ten years, Building Our Tech (BOT) has consistently created opportunities for people in tech to learn, build, and…
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From Startup Program Graduate to Investor Showcase Finalist: Isabella’s Journey with BOT
For many early-stage startup founders, breaking into the tech ecosystem can feel intimidating.
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How Founder Sophia Vazquez Grew Her Business with BOT
Sophia Vazquez is the founder of Pilot Pair.
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From Student to Mentor: How Natesha Mortimer Turned Introversion Into A Superpower
Natesha Mortimer is the founder of Data Swale, an analytics and technology company.
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Prepared to Launch: How Roosevelt Pacheco Propelled His Tech Career
In today’s revolving job market, it’s becoming increasingly more important to differentiate yourself from the…
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From Pitching to Prepping: Wilfredo Lasalle Jr.’s BOT Experience
Wilfredo Lasalle, Jr.
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From Learning to Launching: How Dr. Andrea Ortega Is Bridging the Gap in FinTech
Dr.
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10 Years of Impact: How BOT Founders Josh & Mike Ignited Change in the Tech Community
Every movement begins with a spark and the passion to transform into a thriving, life-changing community.
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From Surviving to Scaling: Jonathan Martinez’s Journey Through Adversity
At our core, Building Our Tech (BOT) believes access changes everything.
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How Senior Software Engineer Michael Hardy Leveraged BOT’s Community and Programs
Michael (Mike) Hardy grew up in Jackson, MS.
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Finding Community in Tech: How Systems Engineer Maya Davis Strengthens the Tech Ecosystem
When you think of a nonprofit tech organization, what typically comes to mind is career transitions, startup support,…
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Fostering Success: How Airess Leveraged Cloud Computing Resources to Conquer AWS
Black Orlando Tech’s mission is to empower professionals to chase their career goals.
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How Tech Startup Founder Chris Cyrille Built SNTIMNT.AI with Support from BOT
Chris Cyrille is the owner and founder of SNTIMNT.AI, a crypto-quant fund engineered to uncover patterns in volatile…
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