When you think of March, the first thing that comes to mind is St. Patrick's day for many I'm sure, or the fact that Daylight Savings Time begins. But you know what's really important?? It's Women's History Month!! What better way to celebrate it than to highlight some amazing women doing BIG things in tech!
Morgan DeBaun
Morgan DeBaun (Photo: Morgan DeBaun.com
Morgan DeBaun is the founder and CEO of Blavity. If you are any part of social media, then you have more than likely clicked on an article or two from this Founder's media platform. Blavity is a venture backed technology and media company focusing on cultivating products and experiences for black millenials. Launched in July 2014, Blavity has grown tremendously, spawning and operating 5 brands, Blavity, Travel Noire, Shadow and Act, 21Ninety, and AfroTech. In July of 2018, Morgan raised 6.5 million in funding for Blavity that she plans to use to expand the engineering team and open a second location for the company. Follow Blavity and Morgan on Instagram @Blavity @MorganDeBaun
Valeisha Butterfield Jones
Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Photo: www.valeisha.org
Valeisha Butterfield Jones is the Global Head of Women and Black Community Engagement for Google. You can't talk tech and not mention Google. She's responsible for strengthening and the inclusion, recruitment and retention practices. She's not new to the diversity and inclusion arena AT ALL...she's been helping Presidential administrations and campaigns, Fortune 100 companies, and countless companies in both the public and private sector for almost 20 years. Did I mention she worked with our forever President, as the National Youth Vote Director for the 2012 Obama for America campaign? Valeisha is a powerhouse, keep up with all she has going on (it's a lot lol) by following her on Instagram @Valeisha
Kimberly Bryant
Kimberly Bryant
If you know me or have been following me for a while, you know I LOVE getting our kids involved in coding, all kids but especially little black girls that look like me. Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code. An organization who's mission "to introduce programming and technology to a new generation of coders, coders who will become builders of technological innovation and of their own futures." Kimberly Bryant has her degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt, and sought to address the obvious disparity of women, more specifically black women in STEM fields. BGC has chapters all across the country, Bay Area, Washington, DC, Houston, Boston, Miami, Atlanta and more! Follow what she's up to on Twitter and Instagram
Tara Reed
Tara Reed
Tara Reed is the founder and CEO of Apps without Code. A startup that helps other entrepreneurs launch the app they envision with no knowledge of coding whatsoever. She launched her first app Kollecto without using any code but that doesn't mean she hasn't danced in Silicon Valley before. Tara has worked with Google, Microsoft, and Foursquare on the marketing side. Keep up with her on Instragram @TaraReed_
Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon
Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon
Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon is the founder of wait for it...Founder Gym. Now what is that you ask? Founder Gym is an online program that works with underrepresented founders to teach them how to raise capital and scale their tech startups. Listen this is needed as there are soo many brilliant ideas but many businesses lack the funding and direction to grow their company. Launching a little over a year ago, Mandela's Founder Gym has helped 170 founders! Want to see what she's up to, follow her on Instagram @Mandelash
I personally follow all of these women as a women in tech (Network Control Center Engineer, remember? lol) and I LOVE what they are doing individually and the impact it's making, they didn't ask for a seat at the table they built their own! Make sure you're following them if you aren't already!