Tech Con '20 Round Up

This year’s Tech Con was different from any others. Because of the current COVID-19 situation, it was done virtually. It might have felt different, but our team worked hard to make it flow naturally. The positive side of that is the event saw the highest attendance it’s ever had.

This year’s theme, “Innovation: Converging Ideas, Data, and Technology,” showcased the Technology team’s strengths of adapting, increasing awareness and addressing problems.

Before we delve deeper into what made this year’s Tech Con special, let’s break down what Tech Con is.

For the past 10 years, the Rocket Companies^® has held Tech Con. This event brings together Rocket Mortgage^® Technology teams across the Rocket Companies^®, along with guests from the community.

Each year centers around a different theme, with keynotes and breakout sessions playing off that theme. This year, one of Tech Con’s featured keynote speakers was Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital. Along with the keynotes there were 31 breakout sessions.

There were 4,000 attendees who participated in the 2-day livestream. Along with the live video, each session was recorded and team members can watch any of the sessions on the Tech Con page.

With this year’s theme centered around innovation, there were several approaches to the subject. Breakout session topics ranged from designing creativity and unique ways to show your data, to learning new skills and bridging the digital divide. No matter what level of tech knowledge or area of expertise, there was something for everyone.

Arlan Hamilton’s keynote on the second day covered her personal journey to founding Backstage Capital. Backstage Capital focuses on getting underrepresented (or in her words, “underestimated”) people in tech funding for their companies. Over 99% of funded startups in Silicon Valley are founded by white men. She organizes investors and works to make them aware of their blind spots, while leveling the playing field for people of color, women and those who are LGBTQ+.

Rocket Companies^® place a large importance on the continued growth of its team members. Whether that’s through offering interns free coding workshops or supporting our team members with home office supplies, we know our success is determined by our team members.

Tech Con is a great example of the continued investment in our team. It offers talks that address everything from coding to equitable tech access in our communities. Every Rocket Companies^® tech team member is encouraged to attend, and this year, team members are able to take Professional Development Hours to be fully engaged in event.

We know that innovation thrives in community. While bringing everyone together physically is impossible now, Tech Con gives us a rallying point. There are ideas here to explore. As one of our ISMs says, “Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped.” The innovation is the starting point. With our shared ideas, we can get to work on implementing change.