Entrepreneur Shares Insights About Tackling Tech Gap

Laura Weidman Powers was interviewed about her nonprofit, CODE2040, and tackling the tech gap in the Southwest Journal: 

CODE2040 co-founder and CEO Laura Weidman Powers shared her strategies for tackling the technology opportunity gap and creating more inclusive workplaces with local entrepreneurs and tech workers at COCO’s co-working hub in Uptown on May 4.

“What does the consumer base of tomorrow look like? It looks like the population,” she said. “What does the workforce of tomorrow look like? It needs to look like the population otherwise companies are not going to be able to grow and thrive. They are not going to be able to get access to the talent they need to succeed.”

The organization faces an uphill battle to tackle its mission. The number of black and Latino employees at top Silicon Valley companies is around 5 to 7 percent, according to CODE2040, a nonprofit based in San Francisco. The number of students of color who earn computer science degrees annually is about 18 percent.