Ulu Ventures, reportedly the largest Latina-led fund in the US, has raised $208 million for its fourth fund. The fund supports seed-stage tech startups in the US using an inclusive, data-based approach that seeks to limit cognitive bias without shutting out any demographic group. This strategy has led to a more diverse portfolio than traditional venture investments. “Ulu is a beacon for the most talented entrepreneurial teams because we reduce bias by applying impartial methods of assessing risk and the same criteria to all people,” CEO, Co-founder, and Managing Director
DEI Under Fire is our monthly series that keeps you up-to-date on the latest DEI announcements and changes from the nation’s leading companies. The landscape of DEI has changed significantly over the past couple of months in the US. Some companies have succumbed to political pressure to roll back their DEI initiatives, while others stand firm in their diversity and inclusion stances. With so many changes to DEI in a short matter of time, it isn’t easy to keep up with where companies stand with DEI. This is why POCIT
Black federal health workers have expressed fear after a right-wing group published the ‘DEI watch list,’ which published the images, names, and public information of numerous workers across different health agencies. NBC reported that the website is being shared among several private group chats of federal health workers across agencies and social media links, as stated by a government worker. The majority of the website’s employees are Black workers from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association,
DEI is the buzzword in America as more companies continue to scale back on their DEI policies. Big retailers and companies started announcing their removal of DEI last year. However, Trump’s revoking a six-decade-old executive order that prohibited workplace discrimination by federal contractors has further impacted companies’ stances on DEI. But how much impact have these initiatives had on diversity in the workplace? According to a Wall Street Journal analysis, not that much. The Wall Street Journal examined 13 million workers at S&P 500 companies and found that DEI efforts haven’t significantly
Viriginia-based entrepreneur DeShuna Spencer launched a website to track corporate responsibility for DEI initiatives. DEI Watch aims to help consumers decide which brands to support (or not). A former journalist, Spencer, created the site to promote transparency and empower buying decisions. Though she is not promoting boycotts, she says, “But if you want to, we wanted to create a platform that’s as accurate as possible,” Spencer told Axios. Spencer is also the founder of kweliTV (sometimes referred to as Black Netflix), a streaming service with over 800 international films, documentaries, and kids’
A key Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee has resigned from his role after he was connected to a deleted social media account supporting racism and eugenics, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Marko Elez, 25, had access to the Treasury Department’s central payments system. Elon Musk says he will rehire Marko Elez, after the software engineer gained the backing of Vice President Vance and President Trump. DOGE employee’s racist posts The 25-year-old engineer, Marko Elez, was a previous staff worker for two of Elon Musk’s companies. As
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has removed all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-related language from its websites. The changes extend beyond departmental websites, impacting faculty members and students using the university’s website builder for personal or lab projects. Georgia Tech dismantling DEI programs in 2023 Georgia Tech started dismantling its DEI programs in 2023, and now websites affiliated with the university have been changed to align with these adjustments. “In 2023, Georgia Tech made the decision to begin discontinuing DEI programs, which included eliminating positions and realigning funding,” Blair Meeks,
Target’s shareholders are suing the company as they believe Target hid the risks of its DEI initiatives, as stated by USA Today. Why are shareholders suing Target? In a proposed class action, Target’s shareholders claim that they felt that the company was unaware of the consequences that would surface due to DEI efforts. Additionally, the shareholders claim they were swindled into paying higher fees for its stocks and unknowingly supported its “misuse of investor funds to serve political and social goals.” In addition, before Target announced it was rolling back
Google has become the latest tech giant to cut back its DEI efforts after sharing that it would end its goal of employing more candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The company also said it would reevaluate some of its DEI programs, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. In an email to employees, Google revealed that it would abolish the hiring targets created to improve representation in its labor force. In 2020, during the resurgence of The Black Lives Matter movement, Google set out to expand the proportion of
As more companies have decided to scale back their DEI efforts, Aldi could be the next company on the list. Although the company hasn’t publicly announced that it is doing so, it has removed any evidence linked to DEI from its website. What sections has Aldi removed from its website? The company website previously featured an “Aldinclusive” section that said “diversity strengthens us,” according to HR Brew. Additionally, it detailed Aldi’s DEI efforts and commitment, such as its 30-year support of the United Negro College Fund, an inclusive resource library
