Mahlet Yared

Diversity is crucial to helping tech companies stay on the cutting edge of innovation. Black technologists and leaders are more important than ever in helping create more inclusivity in the way we use data, but very few companies are actively creating a culture that makes diverse tech employees feel like they truly belong. But that’s not the case with Capital One. Capital One is attracting, retaining and promoting diverse tech talent to do better work, solve innovative problems and build better financial technology products. Not only is Capital One passionate about bringing diverse perspectives to data solutions, but also aspires to serve as an example of equitable, welcoming tech workplaces. With its Make Today initiative, Capital One is calling all Black technologists to action by reminding us that we are makers. Every technologist can create solutions and improve products, and on a larger scale, have the potential to pave a better future. Led by Kimberly Hall, Vice President of...

Don’t sleep on your vision for your future in technology. Let’s make it happen today with Capital One. With its Make Today campaign, Capital One is taking diversity and inclusion to the next level by encouraging Black technologists to contribute to innovation, prioritize data and pay homage to the past to create a more inclusive tech culture. Capital One reminds us that Black people have always been the original inventors, shakers, and movers of innovation. Make Today was launched by Capital One’s Blacks in Tech (BIT) Business Resource Group, an organization of Black technologists who are committed to cultivating, inspiring, educating, and supporting Black technologists at all stages of their career. BIT aims to create a lasting impact by amplifying BIT initiatives, engaging our peers to strengthen our inclusive culture and helping Capital One recruit, attract and retain top talent from all backgrounds. At October’s BIT conference and AfroTech conference in November, this year’s...

The time is now to bring more diverse ideas, perspectives and experiences to the technology we use. As technology becomes an even more fundamental part of financial information and access, Capital One is taking diversity and inclusion to the next level with its Make Today campaign. The campaign encourages Black technologists to contribute to innovation, prioritize data and pay homage to our past to create a more inclusive industry. AfroTech spoke with Capital One’s Vice President of Software Engineering, Kimberly Hall, about her path to Capital One and the importance of Make Today’s call to action for more Black technologists to pave a better path towards the future of technology.

When Cecil Hunter spotted a beautiful, vintage Mustang in a parking lot, he knew he had to introduce himself to the owner and admire the maintenance of the vehicle. Little did he know that a conversation about cars would lead him to a fulfilling internship and post-graduation offer to start his tech career at T. Rowe Price. As far as internships go, many computer science majors might not imagine starting their tech career at an investment management firm. But these days, every company is a tech company and T. Rowe Price has maintained its reputation as an early leader in bringing technology and innovation to financial services. T. Rowe Price’s internship program brings in a cohort of interns who join several of the firm’s departments for the summer. But the internship is not weeks of busy work and meaningless activities. The cohort of interns is invited to start growing their career skill set from day one. With impactful and cutting-edge projects, as well as being integrated into...

Burnout, hustle culture and grinding to exhaustion is no longer attractive to the new generation of leaders, which opens doors for employers who offer an alternative lifestyle. Creating a new standard for the workplace starts with a company culture that not only offers an extensive package of mental health resources and services, but actively encourages employees to invest time into their well-being. Here are a few of the trailblazing wellness resources that can change the game for employee well-being: Meeting Employees Where They Are There’s a big difference between offering employees wellness services and supporting “the whole person and their spectrum of care.” In order to better understand the unique needs of employees at each office, T. Rowe Price has been implementing a “test and learn” technique . For example, to help employees feel more comfortable seeking out talk therapy, the firm offered a therapist’s services for 8 hours a week in an office. After a successful test run,...

This article is sponsored by Marcus by Goldman Sachs. Financial freedom means so much more than feeling free from your expenses. We believe financial freedom is the peace of mind you get from knowing your money is taken care of. When you partner with trusted financial institutions to help your money work for you, you can focus on being the CEO of your life. For the go-getter visionaries who are excited about building personal wealth, digital tools and products from trusted institutions like Marcus by Goldman Sachs can help you get ahead in achieving—and overachieving—your most ambitious goals, financially and personally. No matter the next step in your future, there are tools and tips that can help set you up for financial success so you have more time to focus on other money matters like planning that vacation of your dreams or securing the capital to fund your next venture. Together with Marcus by Goldman Sachs, we wanted to share a few of our favorite tips of the trade to help...

With the rapidly growing demand for short-form videos on streaming and social media, the world has a much greater appetite for high-quality content that clocks in under 20 minutes. But with short films primarily being shown at festivals around the world, Janvier Wete, CEO and Founder of Minute Shorts, saw an opportunity to make festival-quality content more widely accessible and generate revenue for short films. After feeling frustrated with the process of entering his own short film to festivals in 2017, Wete wondered if he could create a platform to distribute the film and carve a path for others to reach a wider audience. At the time, most short filmmakers couldn’t distribute their work until they’d created a larger budget film. Wete saw how these barriers prevented many talented filmmakers from sharing their work with the world — especially diverse filmmakers. Inspired by how Spotify provided a platform for indie artists, Wete launched the first version of the Minute Shorts...

Despite the curated, inspirational feeds we see on social media, tech startup founders are overwhelmingly busy. And while burnout is common, it doesn’t have to keep you from reaching your business goals. Startup founders can pave a successful and sustainable path towards launching the next unicorn idea by taking advantage of communities, resources and the expertise of people who understand what it takes to build a large, successful company. For those who are still seeking a network of experienced founders for support in their entrepreneurship journey, Microsoft for Startups is creating a virtual, inclusive community full of free tools, advice and networking opportunities to support tech founders at any stage via their digital platform, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub . With features like the Microsoft Mentor Network, members of Founders Hub have access to expert support with engineering, product development, organization design, marketing and more! Learn more about how to find...

When Ayanna Carrington noticed the law firm she worked for wasn’t providing young Black attorneys with the tools to be successful, she wondered how she could bridge that gap. She realized her tried and tested organizational systems could bring the needed technical support to attorneys wanting to grow their practices. Inspired to help professionals in a variety of industries, Carrington started Your Project Board, a consulting firm that offers project management, virtual assistance and marketing services to growing businesses. As businesses shifted to work-from-home models in response to COVID-19, the demand for Your Project Board’s services skyrocketed. Suddenly, Carrington was struggling to find funding to support this rapid expansion. AfroTech spoke with Carrington to discuss how Accion Opportunity Fund opened doors for Your Project Board and many more Black entrepreneurs.

With millions of new businesses started by Black founders, it’s more important than ever to connect visionaries in our community with the resources to turn ideas into profitable opportunities. Microsoft has created a solution to empower more startup founders at any stage with tools for success. Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a digital platform to connect startup founders with the resources, mentorship and tools to go from product ideation, to launch, to long-term expansion. Equipped with free Microsoft tools, platforms and resources, founders can design businesses and products that run more efficiently from the ground up. Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is democratizing innovation to help create a startup world that reflects the world around us by being open to all. By offering resources and tools, Founders Hub is leveling the playing field by giving more Black founders the opportunity to be successful without needing personal connections to Silicon Valley. Here are our...

When it comes to social impact work, most people take the nonprofit route to tackle systemic issues, such as food insecurity. But when Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO of Goodr , saw the systemic impact of hunger in Atlanta, she had a vision for using logistics and technology to bring the community together to feed more families. According to Crowe, food insecurity is an issue of distribution, not resources, and she’s passionate about using technology to reroute millions of pounds of food from businesses to communities in need. Goodr is a technology company with a vision to “feed more, waste less” and uses logistics to provide food waste solutions to feed families experiencing food insecurity. But as a social enterprise, Crowe experienced challenges in raising capital to support the growth of Goodr. AfroTech speaks with Crowe to discuss how Accion Opportunity Fund opened doors for Goodr and many more Black entrepreneurs. AfroTech: How did you first become interested in addressing food...

A few months ago, AfroTech announced the launch of the Black Founders Build with Alexa Program’s call for participants. The program is designed by Alexa Startups and the Alexa Fund to amplify Black talent and entrepreneurship and help build the next generation of voice, AI, and ambient experiences with Alexa. We are excited to share that after Amazon reviewed applications from so many incredible Black founders, the following seven North American startups were selected to be part of the Black Founders Build with Alexa 2022 cohort: MYAVANA , One Stop Wellness Inc. , Kiddie Kredit , DOSS Group Inc. , Seam Social Labs , moment.ai , and PayTalk™ Over the course of four months, each startup will build Alexa integrations, receive individualized technology support from the Alexa Startups Solution Architect and Business Development teams, and garner increased visibility through networking events, panel discussions, and demo showcases. Each startup will also have an opportunity to receive up...