Every June, Pride Month celebrates LGBTQ+ communities worldwide and honors their contributions to society. It’s also a time to recognize the ongoing struggle for representation, equality, and acceptance. In the tech industry, the LGBTQ+ community is underrepresented, with only 11% identifying as LGBTQ+. A McKinsey and Co. report found that while Black people make up 12% of the US workforce, only 8% are in tech jobs, resulting in a relatively low number of Black LGBTQ+ individuals in tech. Despite these challenges, many Black LGBTQ+ people are paving the way for
Goldman Sachs is standing firm in its commitment to support Black women through its One Million Black Women initiative as it expands its Black in Business program, according to The Guardian. Launched in 2021, the One Million Black Women initiative pledges $10 billion in investments and $100 million in philanthropic funding over a decade to address racial and gender inequality. Doubling Down On Black In Business Program This fall, Goldman Sachs is expanding its Black in Business education program, doubling the number of entrepreneuers it accepts. The Black in Business
The Tech Talent Charter (TTC), a diversity-focused organizaton partly funded by the UK government, has announced that it is closing. Founded in 2015, the TTC aimed to bridge the diversity gap in tech by collaborating with industry leaders to foster a more inclusive environment. Despite significant achievements, shifting industry priorities and economic pressures have led to the difficult decision to dissolve the organization. The Tech Talent Charter When the TTC was launched, women held fewer than 15% of tech roles in the UK, and broader diversity data was scarce. Over
This year, on Juneteenth, angel investing group Untapped Investing announced its launch to support Black and underrepresented founders. Founded by Mica Eades Mayo, Attica Alexis Jacques, and Felicia Mayo, Untapped Investing aims to create lasting change through purpose-driven ventures. Empowering Underrepresented Founders By investing in Black and underrepresented founders, Untapped Investing aims to generate opportunities that lead to generational wealth and sustainable growth. This collective effort will reshape the venture capital landscape, ensuring that visionary founders, historically overlooked, receive the support they need to thrive, they wrote on LinkedIn. Untapped
A growing trend among America’s largest corporations reveals a shift in how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) metrics influence executive compensation. According to a review of approximately 1,200 companies by Farient Advisors, the proportion of corporations using DEI metrics to set compensation has decreased from 33% to 28% in 2023. High-profile companies like Best Buy Co., Johnson & Johnson (J&J), and Lazard Inc. are among those that have de-emphasized or removed DEI from their executive pay criteria. Conservative Pressure and Corporate Response This shift is partly attributed to conservative activists
Black executives believe that their companies have maintained a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) despite anti-DEI pressure, a survey by The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) has found. The ELC, which aims to increase Black representation in C-Suites and corporate boards, surveyed 180 top Black executives across various sectors. The results showed a strong and resilient commitment among Black executives to DEI in corporate America. DEI Is Linked To Job Satisfaction Despite today’s landscape with anti-DEI, nearly 3 in 4 (72%) Black executives feel their companies’ commitment to
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) within the tech industry over the past five years has seen a decline, a new report from Tech Talent Charter (TTC) highlights. The UK not-for-profit’s 2023 annual benchmarking report points to carelessness, budget cuts, and a shift in priorities as factors threatening to reverse progress. Concerning Changes And Leadership Buy-In The TTC report warns of “concerning changes” across the tech landscape, citing a lack of leadership commitment and a risk of DE&I initiatives becoming performative rather than intentional. It emphasizes the importance of genuine efforts
Braze is hiring on POCIT Mohammad Akhoundzadeh manages a team of Solutions Architects at Braze, a leading customer engagement platform. Originally from Afghanistan and raised in the UK, Mohammad discovered his knack for technology early in his childhood, solving household tech issues whenever the opportunity arose. A proud practicing Muslim, Mohammad is also the Vice President and Treasurer for Braze’s employee resource group, Muslims@Braze. He enjoys the collaborative aspects of his work as much as the technical and believes that fostering a community of like-minded peers at his workplace enhances
Crunchbase has announced the expansion of its Diversity Spotlight feature to include companies in Europe. This expansion will allow up to one million additional companies on Crunchbase to add Diversity Spotlight tags to their profiles, enhancing the visibility of diverse founders and investors across the continent. Crunchbase’s Diversity Spotlight Crunchbase introduced its Diversity Spotlight feature in 2020 to centralize and highlight data about companies with diverse leadership and the investors who fund them. This feature indicates diversity in an organization’s leadership team, including founders and CEOs for startups and managing
A Georgia federal jury has awarded $535,000 in damages to a Black tech worker who alleged he was fired in retaliation for complaining about racial discrimination. The jury handed down the verdict on June 4 in favor of Matthew Reed, a former employee of Beko Technologies Corp. Retaliation and Discrimination Claims Matthew Reed began working at Beko, which develops and manufactures compressed air technology, in 2016 as a production technician. According to Law360, Reed claimed that despite his excellent work performance, his supervisor denied him raises and treated him discriminatorily.
