Being the only black face in the room is difficult. Here’s why I sought out spaces where I felt at home. I’ve always been aware that I’m black. I’ve also always been aware from a young age, that being black meant I was different, and incidents told me this wasn’t a “good” thing. My parents never sat down and explained to me what being black and female meant, but as a child, I knew. I knew it when kids would make fun of my name in primary school. I knew
This article was originally posted here. Written by Jennifer Opal It is the end of British Science Week where we celebrate all things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths). As we celebrate incredible pioneers in science, I thought, “Why not share how you became a Junior Software Engineer?” (When I say you, I mean me! Haha!) Let’s start with my background… So what was I doing before I discovered coding? Well, I was previously working with a Young Offenders Team of a Council back in London & volunteering with young
Originally posted by Women of Silicon Valley, written by Raquel Small Isabel Céspedes Artist, Event Producer, Creative Director for Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech | she/her Isabel “Isa” Céspedes is an Artist, Event Producer, Diversity and Inclusion Creative Strategist, and the Creative Director for Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech. Her interactive experiences provide safe spaces for Black women to come together as tech professionals to exchange ideas and support community professional growth. Originally from Oakland, Isa brings the rich tradition of Black art and socio-political dialogue to her
Three days ago 157 people lost their lives in my worst nightmare. Just six minutes after takeoff, Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 heading for Nairobi, crashed near Bishoftu, Ethiopia after a struggle by the pilots to gain control of the aircraft. Initial reports predictably focused on the safety record of the airline (we see you Financial Times) and the number of Western lives affected or lost (a fail). However, just 48 hours later outlets like The Points Guy, The Atlantic, and NewsOne quickly called BS on the hierarchical value of lives evident in early reports
Still assuming you need a degree, have to spend $$$ on coding boot camps or need work experience to get in the game? Fake news! The industry standard model behind the ‘coding boot camp’ is changing. With so much untapped potential talent [and revenue streams] some boot camps realize that charging upfront is not optimal. Several companies are now experimenting with how to offer their courses for free or very cheap to prospective customers. Everybody is racking their heads over how to take a slice in the big higher education pie
One of my favorite aspects of social media is coming across amazing work by activists, creatives, and academics. I get especially excited to see work by fellow women of color, whose perspectives are often left out of mainstream media and activism. So naturally, when I discover that posts by women of color are being filtered out of my feed, I am skeptical and upset but not surprised. This recently happened as I was using Gobo, a social media aggregator and filtering platform created by my colleagues at the MIT Center
A key component of our thesis at HBCUvc is how university-affiliated networks influence venture capital ecosystems. According to Richard Kerby’s “Where Did You Go to School?” — forty percent of venture capitalists attended Stanford or Harvard. Stanford and Harvard are also ranked as the top two universities for producing the most funded startup CEOs. I wanted to know which HBCUs are already producing talent in the venture capital ecosystem. I compiled a list of 59 HBCU grads who are working in venture capital or have worked in the industry in the past five years.
This article is tech founder’s Thompson Aderinkomi follow up to the popular article “How Getting Fired From My Own Company By VC’s Taught Me To Start Again Without Them…” Originally posted on Medium Building a company is like me building my wife an enclosure to expand and protect her garden from squirrels. I made it up and had no idea what I was doing, I’ve never built anything in my life. The same is true for most founders including me. But that did not stop me from building the enclosure and nor should it
“HBCUvc is solving for the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in Venture Capital (VC) to create inclusive and equitable economies.” That’s my formal pitch when I meet people at industry events. I admit it contains a lot of buzzwords. Depending on who’s in my audience, I will alter my pitch and say: “We’re creating Black and Latinx venture capital investors so that more entrepreneurs of color will receive funding, and ultimately create job and wealth opportunities for communities of color.” In response to either version of this pitch, the curious audiences will ask
This post was originally posted here. I sometimes struggle to figure out the best way to convey something that is important to me to others. That may come as a shock to many of you because of all the articles and blogs I write, and the speaking gigs I have, and the fact that I’m in the business of recommending things to millions of people — but it’s true. For much of 2014 and 2015, I banged my head against a plane window flying back and forth between Austin and Silicon Valley
