New York City-based companies Etsy and DigitalUndivided are focused on diversifying technology by supporting women and people of color in the industry.
The two have partnered up to create a space where the topic of race and gender can be discussed. The reality is that this industry is in need of attracting different types of people because everyone uses technology.
In an interview with the New York Business Journal, Etsy’s recruiting manager Jason Greenhouse said “that if tech companies really want to understand their user bases and build for the long term in large scale, they need to think that way internally. They need to bring people from various backgrounds and all different walks of life, give them a seat at the table and have them lend their ideas to what’s being built.”
June will be a big month for the two companies. Starting June 1, DigitalUndivided will launch a $50,000 Kickstarter for diversity research.
“We’ve built a pipeline of people who can immediately enter the market and lead companies,” says Kathryn Finney, founder of DigitalUndivided.
According to Michael del Castillo for New York Business Journal, the company will research the “racial makeup of a 60,000-person ‘startup genome’ to create a comprehensive gender and racial map of the global start-up community.”
On June 25 and July 23, there will be a second and third race and gender talk at the Etsy company headquarters in New York City. The times for these events are 6 to 8 p.m., and each costs $20.
