Innovation Undercover loved chatting with Dominique Reese, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Plug and Play Tech Center & Laura Miller, VP of Customer Success at Voxel. Plug and Play Tech Center is one of the most prominent venture capitalists in Silicon Valley and the world’s largest innovation platform.
According to Pew Research Center, most of the ethnic workforce other than Asians are underrepresented in the STEM industries, except for Asians. The share of Black employees in tech industries was 9%, and Hispanics were at 8%. Gender inequality also persists even among white workers. White females annually earn $30 000 less than their male peers.
Renu and Michael discovered from Dominique and Laura how Plug and Play Tech Center navigates this lack of representation. One of the ways of being proactive in correcting these inequalities is their DE&II-focused initiative, DRIVE, which stands for Diversity, Respect, Inclusion, Visibility, and Equity. You will also know about the story behind the founding of Plug and Play, the life journey of its founder Saeed Amidi and why the organization has expanded so rapidly.
Some of the topics we discussed:
The Power of the Plug and Play Platform
Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Ensuring diversity through the hiring process
Introducing DRIVE outside of the US
Connecting people to succeed
Other titles we considered:
It’s Broader Than the Words Say Within Itself
We’re Growing by the Day
What Brings People in Is Just Having That Hunger Not to Give Up
The Key Is Listening to What the Ask Is So That We Can Fulfil It
We Want to Build a Community
This episode was produced by Khrystyna Khmilovska.