ABOUT TICKETS.

>>> NOW THE TECH INDUSTRY IS FACING A DIVERSITY GAP IN ITS WORK FORCE.

IN A STUDY BY THE CAPER CENTER AND THE NAACP FINDS THAT BETWEEN 2014 AND 2021, THE INDUSTRY PRODUCED ONLY A 1% INCREASE IN BLACK REPRESENTATION WITHIN TECHNICAL ROLES AND LARGE TECH COMPANIES.

NOW BLACK TALENT REPRESENTS ONLY 3.7% OF THOSE ROLES DESPITE ACCOUNTING FOR 13% OF THE U.S. LABOR FORCE.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE BRONSKY ARMSTRONG, SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER AND ENGINEERING MANAGER AT THE TRADING FIRM DRW AND JASMINE SHELLS, CEO OF THE SOFTWARE BETWEEN 5 TO 9.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

WHY DO YOU THINK DIVERSITY IN THE TECH INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY LOOKING AT THE NEED FOR DIVERSITY IN EVERY AREA?

>> WELL, TECHNOLOGY IS A PART OF EVERY COMPANY NOWADAYS.

EVERY FIRM IS A TECH FIRM.

TECH IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, TECHNOLOGY IS THE NEWEST KIND OF LIKE INNOVATION FACTOR IN BUSINESSES.

SO IT IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

>> JASMINE, LET'S JUMP TO YOU, WHAT ARE SOME BARRIERS THAT EXIST THAT MIGHT LEAD TO A LACK OF REPRESENTATION NOT BEING REPORTED?

>> ONCE WE HAVE THAT, THERE IS AN EXTREME LACK OF MEASUREMENT.

OVER 90% OF THE FORTUNE 500 HAVE DIVERSITY PROGRAMS.

LESS THAN 10% OF THEM HAVE ANY WAY TO TRACK IF THE PROGRAMS ARE SUCCESSFUL OR NOT.

THE FACT THERE IS NO TECHNOLOGY OR SOFTWARE MEASURING THIS WORK IS VERY HARD TO JUSTIFY ITS IMPORTANCE.

>> WOW, THAT'S VERY INTERESTING.

NOW I UNDERSTAND YOUR COMPANY HAS AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM AND HOW WOULD YOU SAY THIS PROGRAM AND OTHERS LIKE IT CAN HELP CLOSE THE GAP?

>> YES.

SO IT IS ON THE JOB TRAINING.

WITH TECHNOLOGY, YOU NEED SALES AHEAD OF TIME TO BE ON SITE.

SO WE OFFER AN 18-MONTH PROGRAM.

PEOPLE WHO GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM.

PROVIDE THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND JOBS ANYWHERE IN CHICAGO AFTER THEY GRADUATE.

AND SET THEM UP FOR A FUTURE IN TECHNOLOGY.

>> GOING OFF OF WHAT JASMINE MENTIONED, ARE YOU ABLE TO GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT THE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF THE IMPACT THAT YOUR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IS OFFERING?

>> SURE THING.

SO WE HAVE A CASE OF THE STUDENT, THE APPRENTICESHIPS WE HAVE, WE HAVE TWO COHORTS ON SITE OUT OF THE 14 PEOPLE.

HALF ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR.

OVER HALF ARE WOMEN.

WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO ARE IN UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY ARE, WE DON'T PARTICULARLY TRY TO LIMIT OUR OPPORTUNITY TO ANYONE.

BUT IF WE FOCUS ON THOSE AREAS, PEOPLE WILL COME.

>> JASMINE, HOW WILL YOU SAY AS A BLACK WOMAN IN TECH HAS GUIDED THE WORK YOUR COMPANY HAS DONE?

>> I WAS THE LEADER OF THE DIVERSITY PROGRAM.

WHEN IT CAME TO PERFORMANCE REVIEW TIME, I HAD NO WAY TO REALLY MEASURE THE WORK AND KIND OF GET THAT PROMOTIONAL RAISE I DESERVED.

THAT IS WHEN I REALIZED HEY, WHEN THERE'S LAYOFFS WE ARE SEEING IN OUR CUSTOMERS THAT A LOT OF DIVERSITY INCLUSION LEADERS ARE BEING LAID OFF BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY TO MEASURE THE WORK.

SINCE WE REALLY BELIEVE IN THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, WE ARE TRYING TO GIVE AMMO AND MORE MEASUREMENTS.

SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY KEEP PEOPLE IN THOSE ROLES AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THE PROMOTIONS THEY DESERVE.

>> BRONSKY, HOW DO YOU THINK THAT THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN TECH INFLUENCES THE WORK THAT IS DONE OR EVEN IN WORKPLACE CULTURE?

>> THAT'S SOMETHING I HAVE TOUCHED UPON A LOT.

JUST TALKING ABOUT CHAT GBT AND OTHER INNOVATION AS OF LATE.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT PER KIND OF HOW WE TALK WITH HAVING A MORE DIVERSE WORK FORCE.

WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK SOONER.

>> JASMINE?

>> ONE THING WE ARE SEEING WITHIN THE TECH SPACE IS THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT ONLY HAVING DIVERSITY WITHIN THE ACTUAL ORGANIZATION, BUT THE FOUNDERS OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.

IT IS AN ECO SYSTEM.

RIGHT NOW, LESS THAN 1% OF BC FUNDING GOES TO BLACK FOUNDERS.

FOR BLACK WOMEN IT IS .0006%.

SO, THAT IS I THINK ALSO REALLY A BIG GAP WE ARE SEEING.

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE COMPANIES ITSELF.

BUT THE PEOPLE FOUNDING THOSE COMPANIES.

>> AND THAT WAS .000%?

WOW.

THAT IS SMALL.

>> RIGHT.

AND EVEN AS OF 2020, JUNE OF 2020, YOU KNOW, CHICAGO PUT OUT THIS REPORT OF THE BLACK FOUNDERS THAT RAISED OVER A MILLION DOLLARS.

AND THERE WERE GUESS HOW MANY ON THERE?

NINE.

RIGHT?

>> OUT OF HOW MANY?

>> THAT WAS IT.

30% OF THE POPULATION, THERE IS A HUGE GAP WHEN IT COMES TO EQUITY AND FUNDING CURRENTLY.

>> WOW.

BRONSKY, GOING BACK TO YOU, I MEANT TO ASK THIS WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.

BUT WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR FOLKS LOOKING TO GET INTO TECH AND DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET STARTED?

>> SURE.

PERSEVERANCE, PROBLEM SOLVING.

THESE ARE THINGS WE LOOK FORWARD TO WITH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.

WE DON'T LOOK AT RESUMES.

WE TRY TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES BECAUSE WE FIND THOSE ARE IMPORTANT IN ANY DISCIPLINE, BUT ESPECIALLY TECHNOLOGY.

STICK WITH IT.

>> WHAT ABOUT YOU?

>> ONE THING THAT IS SO IMPORTANT NOT ONLY JUST FOR UNDERREPRESENTED BUT WE SHIFTED IT TO SAY UNDERESTIMATED.

RIGHT?

FOUNDERS OR EVEN PEOPLE LOOKING TO GET INTO TECH IS KNOW.

KNOW ALL THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE HAD TO DATE.

THAT GIVE YOU THAT SEAT AT THE TABLE.

IT IS HAVING THAT CONFIDENCE TO KNOW THE WORK YOU ARE DONE AND KNOWING YOU BELONG THERE.

THERE IS NO REASON TO HAVE IMPOSTER SYNDROME.

>> BRONSKY, HOW WOULD YOU SAY COMPANIES CAN IMPROVE WORKPLACE DIVERSITY ENSURING THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE THRIVING?

>> JUST LISTEN.

START THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.

THEY STARTED BECAUSE WE FELT THE NEED TO DO SOMETHING.

STARTED IN SUMMER OF 2020.

WE STARTED AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM WITH A TEAM OF INDIVIDUALS.

ALL LIKE MINDED INDIVIDUALS WHO WANTED TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND THAT IS WHAT WE DID.

SO LISTEN TO YOUR EMPLOYEES.

>> UH-HUH, AND WHAT SPECIFIC PROGRAMS DO YOU ALL HAVE IN PLACE WITH YOUR COMPANY TO ENSURE THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE FEELING HEARD, RECEIVED, AND ARE PROGRESSING?

>> ONE OF OUR CORPORATE VALUES, YOU KNOW, START-UP VALUES I SHOULD SAY, WE ARE A TEAM OF 11.

SO WE ARE SMALL.

IS COLLABORATION.

NO MATTER IF YOU ARE A JUNIOR ENGINEER OR MY COFOUNDER.

EVERYONE HAS THE ABILITY TO SPEAK TO THE IDEAS THEY HAVE.

BECAUSE THE WAY WE BUILD THIS COMPANY AND THIS CULTURE IS THROUGH COLLABORATION.

THAT IS REALLY A BIG VALUE OF OURS AND WE BUILT THAT TOGETHER AS A TEAM.

>> THAT'S FANTASTIC.

JASMINE, I KNOW THAT YOUR WORK ALSO INVOLVES BRINGING IN INVESTORS AND RAISING MONEY FROM YOUR COMPANY.

AND YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RAISE MILLIONS.

WHAT WAS THE MAJOR LESSON YOU LEARNED THERE WHEN LOOKING AT OUTSIDE COMPANIES INVESTING?

>> WE RAISED ALMOST 6 MILLION TO DATE.

I THINK THE BIGGEST THING I LEARNED WHEN IT COMES TO BRINGING ON PARTNERS OR TEAM MEMBERS, YOU TO WORK WITH THOSE WHO BELIEVE WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH.

WHEN THERE IS A RECESSION, WHEN THERE IS A PANDEMIC AND BUILDING A START-UP IS HARD, YOU NEED PEOPLE WHO WILL HAVE YOUR BACK.

WE PICKED INVESTORS AND THEY PICKED UP BECAUSE WE HAD ALIGNED VISION IN BUILDING BETTER WORKPLACES.

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