News Brief

Hack.Diversity Initiative Seeks to Bring Diversity to Boston Technology Industry

Friday, November 18, 2016

The New England Venture Capital Association announced today a new venture that seeks to improve diversity in the area’s top STEM companies. The initiative’s pilot will place twenty black and Latino students from Bunker Hill Community College, UMass Boston and Worcester Polytechnic Institute in internships at Carbonite, DataXu, Hubstop and Vertex this spring. Interns will be paired with a senior-level black or Latino mentor at their corporation to provide coaching and support.

“Our students are gaining the skills necessary to excel, but the idea of working at companies like DataXu or HubSpot isn’t something they naturally think about because that’s not where they see their peers going," said BHCC President Pam Eddinger. "Highlighting these opportunities, exposing the hiring managers to them, and breaking that cycle is huge.”

Learn more about Hack.Diversity:

NEVCA Launches Hack.Diversity
By New England Venture Capital Association staff

Initiative Aims to Increase Diversity in Boston's Innovation Economy
By Zeninjor Enwemeka for WBUR

Tech firms have a lot to do to fix diversity
By Shirley Leung for the Boston Globe

Creating diversity in the innovation economy
By Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Jody Rose for the Boston Globe