Duo Join Silicon Harlem to Kick Off “Tech Talk with Charlie & His Friends” Series
Congressman Charles B. Rangel sat down with Samsung’s Executive Vice President David Eun and local tech enthusiasts on November 4, 2013, at Silicon Harlem’s launch of “Tech Talk with Charlie and His Friends,” hosted by its executive producers Bruce Lincoln and Clayton Banks at MIST Harlem. The discussion highlighted Harlem’s exciting, fast growing technology sector and its rich history of artistic, innovative, and entrepreneurial talent. This event was part of Rangel’s effort to foster an environment for synergy and experimentation which will help transform Harlem into the next Silicon Valley in America.
“It is no secret that tech companies and start-ups from all over America are flocking to New York City,” said Rangel. “In the City, Upper Manhattan embodies the traditional spirit of the Harlem Renaissance, that special something which attracted dreamers and visionaries like Langston Hughes, W.E.B Du Bois, and legendary entertainers such as Duke Ellington at The Apollo Theater to inspire the world.”
Rangel’s guest, Eun, shared the Congressman’s sentiment: “New York is on an upward swing. You have these forces, amazing institutions of higher education, and capitals of finance, technology, fashion, advertising and media all here; and so it could be, and should be a fantastic place to drive innovation for the future.”
As the current Head of Samsung’s Open Innovation Center, and former President of AOL Media and Studios, and former Vice President Strategic Partnerships and Content Partnerships at Google Inc., Eun has a unique perspective of modern technology and its global impact on development.
Eun, who is Korean-American, spoke about the parallels between South Korea’s infant technology sector of the early 90s and Harlem’s golden opportunity in becoming a competitive global tech giant. He explained that Harlem’s attractive, viable commercial space, coupled with its multi-ethnic residential community was exactly what entrepreneurs look for when launching their businesses.
A Korean War veteran, Rangel has witnessed South Korea’s rise as a war-torn nation to becoming the world’s 13th largest economy, which has been largely driven by its high-tech industry in the recent decades. During his last visit to Korea in the summer, Rangel was impressed by the success of public-private ventures in Technovalley and of start-ups like the Naver Corporation (Korea’s “Google”). “When I served in Korea during the war, it was as flat as a pancake and very poor,” said Rangel. “Now if you visit South Korea you will see skyscrapers and buildings that weren’t there. It really has changed at an incredible speed and Harlem can learn from them.”
Following their conversation, Rangel and Eun took questions from a diverse and overwhelmingly eager audience that included tech entrepreneurs, investors, public officials, community organizations and curious members of the local community. Many attendees expressed their desire to see Harlem’s government representatives and tech executives partner up to offer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) education programs for children.
“Silicon Harlem is not just hardware. It’s software and it begins with ideas,” said Lucious Conway, of Recovery Coaching Services of New York. “Children envision and imagine outside the box; they think big naturally and we kill that over time. I think the beginning of this transformation starts with creating a space where we can reignite it.”
Rangel and Eun agreed that investing in STEM education and gigabit infrastructure—necessary for transmitting commercial bandwidth—is key to South Korea’s achievements and crucial for local high-tech start-ups and small businesses looking to compete with other cities that foster innovation.
“I am passionate about building a better life and future for my constituents. I truly believe that we can bring about a second Harlem Renaissance and transform Harlem into America’s center of invention and innovation,” said Rangel in his closing remarks, as he thanked Eun and the audience for their interests and enthusiasm in his vision.
Rangel has long been a supporter of tech incubators like Harlem Garage and its goal of transforming Uptown New York into the new hotspot for digital products and services. Harlem Garage is just one of the many incubators that are beginning to pop up around the DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) region and midtown Manhattan. Samsung has similarly launched Samsung’s Accelerator program in Chelsea, New York, geared to entrepreneurs who wish to focus exclusively on product development, without the administrative distractions of building a company.