DEI

TechCrunch covers the latest news and analysis about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the tech industry. Read the latest on changes to DEI in the tech industry—from startups to conglomerates.

Welcome back to TechCrunch’s Week in Review — TechCrunch’s newsletter recapping the week’s biggest news. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. This week, Apple finally added…

Apple finally supports RCS in iOS 18 update

Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje‘s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Editor’s…

DEI? More like ‘common decency’ — and Silicon Valley is saying ‘no thanks’

Fearless Fund’s co-founder and COO Ayana Parsons has announced that she was stepping down. The firm is being sued by a politically conservative group.

Fearless Fund’s founder has resigned, and it’s a sad reflection on the VC world for Black women

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Silicon Valley leaders are once again declaring ‘DEI’ bad and ‘meritocracy’ good — but they’re wrong

Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang set off another debate with an anti-DEI post. It revealed a lot about the current state of DEI in tech.

9:00 am PDT • June 23, 2024
Silicon Valley leaders are once again declaring ‘DEI’ bad and ‘meritocracy’ good — but they’re wrong

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DEI backlash: Stay up-to-date on the latest legal and corporate challenges

It’s clear that this year will be a turning point for DEI.

3:58 pm PDT • June 3, 2024
DEI backlash: Stay up-to-date on the latest legal and corporate challenges

Two years ago, Jobs for the Future (JFF), a nonprofit dedicated to helping low-wage workers attain upward mobility, established a venture arm, JFFVentures, to back innovative employment tech. In a…

Jobs for the Future’s new $50M fund looks to invest in underrepresented founders

The size of the new fund suggests that it is bullish that it can convince LPs to open their wallets based its impact-focused approach.

New Summit is raising a new $100 million fund to back climate tech and underrepresented fund managers

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Techstars’ $80M partnership with J.P. Morgan is on the rocks, employees say

The fate of the Advancing Cities programs — and some of the around 20 people who work at Techstars in this program — is up in the air.

2:30 pm PST • March 8, 2024
Techstars’ $80M partnership with J.P. Morgan is on the rocks, employees say

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Plug In South Los Angeles helps build diverse startups in a traditionally underserved area

Derek Smith launched Plug In South LA with goal of helping historically under represented people build successful startups.

8:00 am PST • March 3, 2024
Plug In South Los Angeles helps build diverse startups in a traditionally underserved area

TechCrunch has launched a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution.

Karine Perset helps governments understand AI

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Stay up-to-date on the amount of venture dollars going to underrepresented founders

Stay up-to-date on the latest funding news for Black and women founders.

1:10 pm PST • March 1, 2024
Stay up-to-date on the amount of venture dollars going to underrepresented founders

Black Tech Nation Ventures launched in 2021 to address the funding gap for Black founders amid a wave of venture diversity initiatives after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.…

Black Tech Nation Ventures’ diversity thesis undeterred by growing DEI backlash

As a part of a multi-part series, TechCrunch is highlighting women innovators — from academics to policymakers — in the field of AI.

Women in AI: Amba Kak creates policy recommendations to address AI concerns

Google has apologized (or come very close to apologizing) for another embarrassing AI blunder this week, an image-generating model that injected diversity into pictures with a farcical disregard for historical…

‘Embarrassing and wrong’: Google admits it lost control of image-generating AI

Hellohive announced on Thursday a $3.4 million Series A round to help combat discrimination during the hiring process.

Hellohive is tackling hiring discrimination as more equitable hiring companies emerge

The game shines a light on AI bias and how far ChatGPT has to go when talking to and about different cultures.

Are you Blacker than ChatGPT? Take this quiz to find out

This week Becca and Dom are joined by Beatrice Dixon, the CEO and co-founder of The Honey Pot.

How Beatrice Dixon bootstrapped until The Honey Pot found a home

OpenAI has been criticized for the lack of diversity on its board.

OpenAI responds to Congressional Black Caucus about lack of diversity on its board

There’s been a consistent yearly decline in funding since the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Funding to Black founders was down in 2023 for the third year in a row

Health in Her HUE seeks to connect women of color with healthcare providers and content that can better address their needs.

Health in Her HUE closes $3 million seed round

The hardline stance Oklahoma itself has taken against DEI is at odds with the efforts of its Tulsa tech hub.

Tulsa’s tech scene remains resilient amid state’s anti-DEI efforts

The Israel-Hamas war has proved divisive to the tech industry. This is one of the first public stances in support for Palestine.

Tech for Palestine launches to provide tools to help support Palestinians

A look back at some of the promises made by companies and investors following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

3 years after BLM, here’s who stuck to their diversity commitments

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have written to the US Acting Secretary of Labor expressing concerns over the disproportionate impact tech layoffs could have on Black workers,

Black representatives in Congress voice concerns over impact of tech layoffs on minority workers

The backlash is only set to heat up come the 2024 election.

Tech’s DEI backlash is here

The Japanese conglomerate is selling the Open Opportunity Fund to its chairman Paul Judge, and Marcelo Claure, who’s being appointed as vice chairman and general partner.

SoftBank sells Open Opportunity Fund to Black and Latino executives

Black people make up 2.5% of the U.K.’s population; proper representation in venture would mean at least 2.5% of funds going to Black-led businesses.

Black British founders are down but not out

We talk a lot about the negative side of AI, but what about the positive aspects like being able to interact with authors or historical figures based on feeding their…

How GenAI can turn an autobiography into an interactive Black history lesson

On the inside of the notebook Google gave out at its K&I Black Summit, it reads verbatim, “I was just cotton the moment, but I…

Google gives out offensive notebooks to Black summit attendees

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Black founders still care for Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank was in Austin at AfroTech this week, sponsoring and hosting parties in an effort to rebuild trust among Black founders.

11:02 am PDT • November 3, 2023
Black founders still care for Silicon Valley Bank