It's no secret that the majority of tech companies are comprised mostly of white males. Even tech companies have agreed that diversity is important in order to create the best products. Changes are now coming to ensure that more minorities will be added to the technology industry, thanks to a grant from Google.
Google gives grant to support minorities
Google awarded a grant of $775,000 in February to non-profit CODE2040 to help them work on bringing more African Americans and Hispanics into the tech industry. CODE2040 is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that supports educational, professional, and entrepreneurial success in technology for underrepresented minorities. The company specifically focuses on Blacks and Latinos. The name refers to the year 2040, when they predict that minorities will be proportionally represented in technology and other areas of the U.S. economy.
How will the grant be used?
The grant will be used to start a pilot program, giving 3 technology entrepreneurs in Chicago, Austin and Durham one year of free office space and $40,000 in seed funding for their start-up companies. The idea is to support minority tech companies in other cities outside of Silicon Valley. The 3 chosen entrepreneurs will also spend time at Google headquarters where they will receive support and mentoring.
CODE2040 Residency Program
The CODE2040 Residency Program, supported with the Google grant, is a pilot program designed to get the ball rolling in support of more minority tech entrepreneurs. Three entrepreneurs will be the first members of the class designed to help minority entrepreneurs take their companies to the next level. Google and CODE2040 are optimistic that this is only the beginning!
To learn more, visit www.code2040.org/entrepreneurs/