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Diverse Disruptors

The staggering underrepresentation of people of color and women in the tech, startup, innovation and entrepreneurial spaces has been well-documented. Large companies promise they’ll do better, but still struggle to attract and retain diverse talent. In "Diverse Disruptors," we talk to leaders who found their own way to innovate and did so with inclusion and accessibility at the forefront, rather than as an afterthought.

  • Arlan Hamilton founded Backstage Capital to invest in companies led by underestimated founders, including women, people of color and LGBTQ+ founders. In a little over five years, the firm has invested in over 150 companies.
  • Dorsh Deans, a musician turned UX architect, is the founder of the AIXA (pronounced "Eye-Eesh-Uh"), an AI chatbot that "provides answers to common (and obscure) UI dev and UX design questions" while simultaneously challenging stereotypes of who holds knowledge.
  • "The Plug" Founder Sherrell Dorsey sits down with Tarik Moody to discuss her work to establish a premium news service dedicated to sharing stories from the Black innovation economy.