We have always been told that making connections and networking are essential to growing, learning, and improving in our industries. Conferences for people of color provide a safe space for professionals to build their brand and increase visibility while relating to others who understand their experiences. In 2024, this field continues to open its doors wider to professionals of color, offering a series of tech conferences designed to connect, celebrate, and elevate their contributions and presence. Let’s explore what’s on the calendar this year. May Latinas in Tech Summit – San
This article by Josefina Mancilla was originally published on Medium. First time for everything… like being an American Growing up, the only people I knew (knew knew) were immigrants, Latin American immigrants. People who barely spoke English, worked long hours doing tiring work — cleaning ladies, construction workers, nannies, janitors, mechanics, truckers, field workers, etc. The kind of people who got paid by the hour, sometimes minimum wage, sometimes no health benefits or paid sick leave or PTO. Good people who worked hard but got back very little. I never knew
Many startup cofounders have exciting stories to share about how they met. From bonding as college roommates or former colleagues to surprise encounters leading to entrepreneurial adventures but for some, that perfect cofounder is found through a match-making platform. Damilare Ogunleye is the co-founder and CEO of FoodLama. He runs the Google-backed startup with his cofounder – 18-year-old Santiago Schmitt. But how does the startup work? FoodLama is a free-to-install-and-use browser extension that simplifies online grocery shopping with preferences. By taking into account your household’s individual allergies, preferences, and needs,
The Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund is a $5 million fund that provides promising U.S. Latinx-led startups non-equity cash awards to help fuel their businesses. Google announced the fund last year as part of its $15 million commitment to economic equity for Latinx people in the U.S. Across the country, 50 founders will each receive $100,000 in cash to help grow their business. They’ll also receive hands-on support from Google employees across the company, $100,000 in Google Cloud credits, and access to therapy to support founders emotionally and professionally.
Diana Vicezar is a Paraguayan entrepreneur studying Computer Science, Cognitive Science, and Data Science at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. Originally born in a small country called Paraguay, home to roughly seven million people, the technologist is set to work for Meta this summer as a project designer intern. Apart from her UX designer experience – she is also the founder of Mapis, a platform designed specifically for international students on a mission to help them access the career guidance they need during internship and job hunting in the United
Isabel Aznarez, Ph.D is the Co-Founder of Stoke Therapeutics, a science-based company that develops new and precise ways to treat the underlying cause of severe genetic diseases by precisely upregulating protein expression. They can develop a treatment for diseases affecting the central nervous systems, eye, liver, and kidney through protein upregulation. Aznarez, who holds a Ph.D. in medical and molecular genetics from the University of Toronto and a B.Sc. in biology and human genetics from the University of Uruguay, launched the firm back in 2014 with Professor Adrian Krainer, Ph. D. She is one
Wells Fargo employees conducted “fake interviews” with diverse job candidates, The NY Times reports, with one former executive claiming he was fired after complaining about the practice, which Wells denied. Seven current and former employees, including one former executive, told The Times that they were instructed to interview women and people of color for roles that had already been filled. These efforts, they said, appeared to be a way to show a record of diversity efforts rather than actually hire diverse candidates. The current Wells Fargo employees also told The Times
After securing $32 million in a Series A funding round back in February, Canela Media became one of the largest funded Latino-owned companies. The New York-based digital media technology company was launched in 2019 in an effort to cater to Latino and Spanish-speaking communities and it claims to currently reach more than 50 million unique Hispanic viewers across its over 180 premium Spanish-language websites. Canela’s streaming-video app, Canela.TV, is entirely free and supported by ads. Its app, which was launched in 2020, offers on-demand licensed and original shows, as well as
CodeSignal, an interview and assessment platform, has partnered with ColorStack, a nonprofit tech company that looks to lift Black and Latinx computer science students, to help drive change. The duo said they plan to provide mentorship and technical interview preparation activities for Black and Latinx Computer Science students. Prepare resources and practice assessments for active ColorStack members. Students will use CodeSignal as a tool to help hone their coding and interview preparation skills. The two companies will co-host webinars and events to help technical recruiters and university recruiters hire and retain
Globally, women in tech make up about 28.8% of the tech workforce as of 2020. While this number is an increase from 25.9% in 2018 and 26.2% in 2019, reports still show it could take 12 years for women to have equal representation in tech. In Africa, it will take even longer. Some members of the Latino and Hispanic communities have long held prominent positions in the world’s largest technology companies, and it’s no surprise because of the talent they possess. But Hispanic women reportedly tend to have a more negative experience with workplace DEI efforts,
