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…
DEI? More like ‘common decency’ — and Silicon Valley is saying ‘no thanks’
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…
Fearless Fund’s founder has resigned, and it’s a sad reflection on the VC world for Black women
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.
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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.
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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.
Jobs for the Future’s new $50M fund looks to invest in underrepresented founders
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…
New Summit is raising a new $100 million fund to back climate tech and underrepresented fund managers
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.
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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.
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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.
TechCrunch has launched a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution.
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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.
Black Tech Nation Ventures’ diversity thesis undeterred by growing DEI backlash
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.…
Women in AI: Amba Kak creates policy recommendations to address AI concerns
As a part of a multi-part series, TechCrunch is highlighting women innovators — from academics to policymakers — in the field of AI.
‘Embarrassing and wrong’: Google admits it lost control of image-generating AI
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…
Hellohive is tackling hiring discrimination as more equitable hiring companies emerge
Hellohive announced on Thursday a $3.4 million Series A round to help combat discrimination during the hiring process.
The game shines a light on AI bias and how far ChatGPT has to go when talking to and about different cultures.
How Beatrice Dixon bootstrapped until The Honey Pot found a home
This week Becca and Dom are joined by Beatrice Dixon, the CEO and co-founder of The Honey Pot.
OpenAI responds to Congressional Black Caucus about lack of diversity on its board
OpenAI has been criticized for the lack of diversity on its board.
Funding to Black founders was down in 2023 for the third year in a row
There’s been a consistent yearly decline in funding since the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Health in Her HUE seeks to connect women of color with healthcare providers and content that can better address their needs.
Tulsa’s tech scene remains resilient amid state’s anti-DEI efforts
The hardline stance Oklahoma itself has taken against DEI is at odds with the efforts of its Tulsa tech hub.
Tech for Palestine launches to provide tools to help support Palestinians
The Israel-Hamas war has proved divisive to the tech industry. This is one of the first public stances in support for Palestine.
3 years after BLM, here’s who stuck to their diversity commitments
A look back at some of the promises made by companies and investors following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
Black representatives in Congress voice concerns over impact of tech layoffs on minority workers
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,
The backlash is only set to heat up come the 2024 election.
SoftBank sells Open Opportunity Fund to Black and Latino executives
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.
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.
How GenAI can turn an autobiography into an interactive Black history lesson
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…
Google gives out offensive notebooks to Black summit attendees
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…
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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.