Accelerator program 1000 Black Voices is committed to breaking down the barriers many Black tech founders face. As a part of this mission, 1000 Black Voices gave thirteen Black-owned startups from its accelerator program the opportunity to participate in New York’s Trade Mission. What is the Trade Mission? The Trade Mission aims to tackle the issues Black and brown founders face in the industry by providing founders with a step-by-step process for scaling and accessing capital. The trade mission, which ran from December 5 -7, took place in partnership with
From tech conferences to business challenges, HP’s global chief information officer (CIO) Ron Guerrier, is spearheading the tech giant’s work with HBCUs to build and foster Black talent into tech. Throughout his pathway to IT leadership, Guerrier has made it his priority to speak up about the lack of diversity in the industry. The trailblazer’s new partnership with HBCU is a further testament to his commitment to helping his community break into the sector. HP’s partnership with HBCUs Through Guerrier, HP will be working alongside HBCUs to build a
Originally published on Medium by Glenesha Grant as part of her “5 Coffees, 5 Days w/ Black Product Managers” series. Our fifth and last feature is with Sefunmi Osinaike, Co-founder of Co.lab and author of “How to Product.” Sefunmi Osinaike is currently working on the Co.Lab program that gives people the experience they need to land jobs in the tech industry. Specifically around Product Management, Product Design, and Software Development. His first PM role was at Microsoft. Before he got into product management, he was building a product to help students better manage
Tech platform, Goodie Nation, has announced a partnership with the Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund to donate $1M to improve tech career prospects for Black professionals. The program, which has opened its application to all Black and allying organizations, will provide members with tech industry resources and access to exclusive opportunities. Additionally, selected organizations will receive a year of access to Tech Equity Collective programming, tech industry resources, access to a network of Black professionals, and access to opportunities. The Tech Equity Collective, a Google initiative, is designed to help
A holistic career accelerator platform for indigenous founders, Natives Rising, has received extra funding to help support and grow the number of indigenous women graduating college with STEM degrees. The non-profit organization, co-founded by Danielle Forward and Betsy Fore, is on a mission to close the racial gap, which sees only 0.6% of scientists and engineers from a Native American background break into the industry. According to a recent National Center for Education Statistics report, a small number of Black and Indigenous women – approximately 4% – end up leaving
Originally published on Medium by Glenesha Grant as part of her “5 Coffees, 5 Days w/ Black Product Managers” series. Our fourth feature is with Brittany Bankston, Product Lead @ MainStreet and CEO & Co-founder for Black Product Manager Network. Brittany Bankston is currently a Product Manager Lead at MainStreet, a Series A fintech start-up targeting small businesses. She got her first Product role after grad school, in Intuit’s Product Manager rotational program. Prior to Product Management, she studied Biomechanical Engineering and went into Medical Device Design. I started by asking questions to learn more
Jermaine (Jupiter) Murray, also known as ”The Job Father,” is paving the way for Black people in tech by using his LinkedIn page to help professionals secure jobs and recruiters diversify their hiring practices. According to recent reports, Black representation in tech is barely improving, with Black professionals only making up approximately 13% of the industry. Additionally, only 7% of Black people can break into high-tech, proving that the tech industry has an issue embracing and retaining Black talent. The recent layoffs have also shown how precarious Black people’s jobs
Originally published on Medium by Glenesha Grant as part of her “5 Coffees, 5 Days w/ Black Product Managers” series. Our third feature is with Sayo Hassan, Product Manager @ Neo Financial. Sayo Hassan is a part of the Product team at Neo Financial (currently on maternity leave) as a Product Manager. Before she went on maternity leave, she worked on the Accounts team (i.e. Credit + Savings account). I started by asking questions to learn more about Sayo’s story and her journey into the product management field as a Black professional.
Automation Workz, a Detroit-based cybersecurity and tech re-skilling firm seeking to create a real-life ‘Wakanda,’ has secured ByBlack certification. Developed by the US Black Chambers, Inc. and presented by American Express, ByBlack is an extensive national Black business directory and the only national certification exclusively for Black-owned businesses. The certification provides Black entrepreneurs with advanced ways to reach their target client base and access valuable business tools. Creating a real-life Wakanda Automation Workz, founded by urban economist Ida Byrd-Hill, is a cybersecurity reskilling firm and creator of the first tech grit assessment to
Originally published on Medium by Glenesha Grant as part of her “5 Coffees, 5 Days w/ Black Product Managers” series. Our second feature is with Quadri Oshibotu, Senior Product Manager @ Alcumus — North America and Founder of Product Hall. Quadri is an experienced Product Manager with multiple years of experience building world-class products. He is passionate about building products that have a positive impact on people’s lives and helping people grow through teaching, training, and mentorship. I started by asking questions to learn more about Quadri’s story and his journey into
