BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Sloss Tech returned to Birmingham’s Lyric Theatre on Friday, with the summit welcoming tech entrepreneurs from across the nation.

Growing the tech sector is a priority for Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and his administration. Over the years, Sloss Tech has proven itself to be a shot in the arm to Birmingham’s growing and vibrant tech scene put on by TechBirmingham.

Mayor Woodfin sees it as an opportunity for the Magic City to shine.

“Sloss Tech is a time of convening the greatest in the Southeast — that is, of those who are in the tech space,” Woodfin said. “Birmingham has a lot to offer. The work has been done. I’ve expressed over and over again that Birmingham just needs to be the best version of itself.”

Jennifer Ryan is the CEO of the tech startup Croux, a new app for the hospitality industry. She’s been based in Birmingham for 7 years and finds the tech sector open and encouraging.

”I have access that I probably wouldn’t have in a bigger city,” Ryan said. “Building a company here has been interesting and exciting but I’ve really felt the support of people that are 10, 20, 30 steps ahead of me.”

Elizabeth Anderson is the CEO of Lunar Lab, a UX design and product strategy consulting firm. As a woman in a male-dominated field, she feels tech creates equal opportunities for everyone.

“Tech is really built for everyone, it should be built by everyone, so women’s voices are so important to be a part of the room,” Anderson said.

For CEO Deon Gordon and the TechBirmingham team, Sloss Tech is an opportunity to get everyone in the same room to grow, dream and celebrate.

“That sense of optimism and urgency that this is our moment in time and let’s leverage it,” Gordon said. “Sloss Tech is an opportunity to come together and celebrate those wins — to celebrate how far Birmingham has come, that’s one of the main benefits of this.”

Gordon and his TechBirmingham team are already planning ways to make next year’s event bigger and better.