In September, Backstage Capital, a venture investment firm seeding early-stage startups led by women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community, launched a $36 million fund to help support black women founders. At the same time, managing partner Arlan Hamilton said the Los Angeles-based firm would run accelerators in four cities: London, Philadelphia, … Continue reading “No Pipeline Problem: Backstage Capital’s Detroit Plans Spark Excitement”
Tag: Diversity in Tech
AfroTech: Could Detroit Be the Black Tech Capital of the Country?
Take a walk through the downtown core and it’s obvious the Motor City has mounted a comeback. Downtown Detroit is unquestionably benefitting from significant private investment, and witnessing its growth in the past decade has been truly impressive: Tech companies large and small have established offices here, buildings have been carefully renovated, the landscaping has … Continue reading “AfroTech: Could Detroit Be the Black Tech Capital of the Country?”
Assembler Labs Aims to Get Detroit Entrepreneurs Out of Their Shells
Ian Sefferman is bullish on the Midwest, particularly Detroit. A native of the area, Sefferman started a Seattle-based app marketing company called MobileDevHQ that was acquired by TUNE in 2014. While Sefferman was deciding what to do next, he moved back to Detroit last year to be closer to family and learn more about the … Continue reading “Assembler Labs Aims to Get Detroit Entrepreneurs Out of Their Shells”
After Successful Pilot, Apprenti Expands Tech Training Program
Those of us who keep tabs on the tech world hear a lot about the challenges of hiring and retaining IT talent. According to a forecast by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1.3 million new computer programming and computer support specialist jobs will be created across the country by 2022, and as businesses … Continue reading “After Successful Pilot, Apprenti Expands Tech Training Program”
Disrupt Indy: Can Data Forge the Path to Inclusive Tech Ecosystems?
U.S. tech startups and investment firms have long been thought of as the domain of white men—because historically, they have been. Although that may be changing as more big tech corporations are pressured to release their diversity statistics and change hiring policies, one only needs to look at the statistics to confirm that women, members … Continue reading “Disrupt Indy: Can Data Forge the Path to Inclusive Tech Ecosystems?”
Uber’s Week: Kalanick Takes Leave As Board Tackles Ailing Workplace Culture
The chain of events set off in February when a former Uber engineer’s blog post about sexual harassment went viral reached a dramatic juncture this week as CEO Travis Kalanick agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence, and his board accepted sweeping recommendations to change the company’s frat house-style workplace culture. The company Kalanick … Continue reading “Uber’s Week: Kalanick Takes Leave As Board Tackles Ailing Workplace Culture”
Angie’s List, Grown in Indiana, Merging with Colorado’s HomeAdvisor
Two days after Angie Hicks, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of home services website Angie’s List, won an award for being a trailblazer in Indiana’s technology sector, her company announced it is heading down a new path. Angie’s List has agreed to be sold to Internet giant IAC, which will merge Hicks’s firm with … Continue reading “Angie’s List, Grown in Indiana, Merging with Colorado’s HomeAdvisor”
Angie’s List Co-Founder Talks Diversity and Building Tech Ecosystems
It’s a bit ironic that Angie Hicks, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Indianapolis-based Angie’s List, didn’t originally plan to be an entrepreneur. Before she helped found the business-listings company 22 years ago, she was an intern at a venture capital firm with plans of becoming a consultant because, she says, that’s what economics majors … Continue reading “Angie’s List Co-Founder Talks Diversity and Building Tech Ecosystems”
Connected Cars, Cheap Rides, Deadlines to Apply & More MI Tech News
Here’s a look at tech and innovation news from around Michigan: —A University of Michigan startup called Cart is piloting a new service that offers low-cost rides to Detroit residents who want to go grocery shopping. Shoppers that live within five miles of one of Meijer’s two Detroit locations can pay $10 for a round-trip ride … Continue reading “Connected Cars, Cheap Rides, Deadlines to Apply & More MI Tech News”
NEI Reports Find Detroit’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem is Growing
Last month, the New Economy Initiative (NEI), one of the nation’s largest philanthropic partnerships focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, unveiled the results of two reports it commissioned to measure the organization’s impact, and the data confirms that Detroit’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is growing. According to research done by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment … Continue reading “NEI Reports Find Detroit’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem is Growing”
Fund Worth Up To $100M Seeks to Increase Diversity in Tech Workforce
A first-of-its-kind fund has launched with the mission to increase diversity in the tech industry by removing financial barriers and increasing access to tech education for anyone interested in pursuing it. The Tech Opportunity Fund is a partnership between the Iron Yard and Code Fellows, which offer tech training, and the financial literacy organization Operation … Continue reading “Fund Worth Up To $100M Seeks to Increase Diversity in Tech Workforce”
Detroit in Tech Aims to Boost Diversity, Connect Startups to Resources
A new project to support minority entrepreneurs by highlighting their work and connecting them with the resources they need to grow their companies has launched in the Motor City. Detroit in Tech, a collaboration between Grand Circus, Google for Entrepreneurs, and Code2040, seeks to even the playing field in a growing ecosystem. According to Detroit … Continue reading “Detroit in Tech Aims to Boost Diversity, Connect Startups to Resources”
MiSci STEMinista Project Gets a $50K Boost from Google Michigan
Google, like most other big tech companies, has struggled with a lack of diversity in its workforce. However, Google was reportedly the first industry giant to institute a diversity training program, even though the results seem to indicate that the issue lingers. According to InformationWeek, a year after the program began, the demographic makeup of … Continue reading “MiSci STEMinista Project Gets a $50K Boost from Google Michigan”
TechSmith CEO Plans to Continue Father’s Legacy of Growth, Inclusion
Wendy Hamilton was cruising along in her career as the global head of life sciences at Thomson Reuters when she got the call from her dad, William Hamilton. He told her was planning to step down as president of TechSmith, the Okemos, MI-based maker of business and educational software that he co-founded and nurtured since … Continue reading “TechSmith CEO Plans to Continue Father’s Legacy of Growth, Inclusion”
MVCA Report Reveals Strengths, Weaknesses of MI’s Capital Community
The Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA) hosted a town hall meeting in downtown Detroit Tuesday to discuss the contents of its annual report, which takes a deep dive into the state’s venture investing ecosystem to get a sense of the current landscape and how it compares not only to past years, but the rest of … Continue reading “MVCA Report Reveals Strengths, Weaknesses of MI’s Capital Community”
As Detroit Transforms, Foley’s Book Teaches Jackasses How to Behave
On Friday night, while delivering late-night fast food to my fiancé at work, I drove around the outer reaches of my Midtown Detroit neighborhood for the first time since I put my bike up for the winter. I felt a bit like a stranger in a strange land as I passed gaggles of young professional … Continue reading “As Detroit Transforms, Foley’s Book Teaches Jackasses How to Behave”
New NEI Director Wants Detroit to Lead Inclusive Economic Development
The New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan (NEI), one of the nation’s largest philanthropic partnerships focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, announced new executive director Pamela Lewis this week. Lewis replaces longtime director David Egner, who stepped down from NEI in December to take over as the president and CEO of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. … Continue reading “New NEI Director Wants Detroit to Lead Inclusive Economic Development”
Xconomy Unconference Fosters Honest Discussion Despite Divisive Era
Last Thursday, Xconomy hosted an unconference-style gathering at TechTown Detroit, and we invited folks from the Motor City and Ann Arbor to join us for a discussion about how we might break down the barriers between the two cities to further the region as a whole. It was the second event we held this year … Continue reading “Xconomy Unconference Fosters Honest Discussion Despite Divisive Era”
Techstars Seattle Startups Do Demo Day Twice
In the midst of its annual celebration of all-things startup, Seattle tech investors and supporters heard from 11 well-polished new companies—some already gaining significant momentum—graduating from the Techstars program on Tuesday. The startups in the 2015 Techstars Seattle class are tackling everything from candy to cloud security. Managing director Chris DeVore calls it one of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Startups Do Demo Day Twice”
Sakti3, NextEnergy Represent MI at First-Ever White House Demo Day
Xconomist Ann Marie Sastry, founder of the Ann Arbor, MI-based advanced battery startup Sakti3, has collected many accolades during her career. But this week might have been the first time she got an in-person “atta girl” from the leader of the free world. Sastry was in Washington, DC, Tuesday for the first-ever White House Demo … Continue reading “Sakti3, NextEnergy Represent MI at First-Ever White House Demo Day”
Astia Expanding Its Booster Network for Women Entrepreneurs
Sharon Vosmek, the CEO of a Silicon Valley non-profit that has been working for 15 years to boost access to financing for women tech entrepreneurs, says she sees no encouraging statistics on that score as yet. What has changed, though, is the number of people and organizations engaged in the dialog about gender diversity in … Continue reading “Astia Expanding Its Booster Network for Women Entrepreneurs”