At issue is what’s been deemed a “technological blackout” in Brazil that has already seen more than 100,000 tech jobs go unfilled this year due to a lack of qualified, educated talent. That number is expected to grow by more than 5x by 2025 to about 530,000 tech jobs – including software developers and coders, data scientists, AI engineers, and U/X designers – going unfilled unless there are more people trained in STEM disciplines to fill those roles. 

On July 20, iFood and XP unveiled the tech-education initiative and announced the two founding companies (a.k.a. “Maintainers) have invested BRL $5 million and 18 other companies or institutions have committed BRL $10 million to the various projects. The goal is to raise and invest a total of BRL $100 million (US $18 million) between now and 2025. 

“In the last year, we saw many companies investing in education, but these efforts are still very dispersed. Thus, we realized the importance of joining forces with others to help solve this deficit in this area that hinders the development of Brazil. Even expanding isolated efforts will not solve the problem. With this union of forces, we hope to promote the meeting between talented people who are just waiting for an opportunity, while contributing to a social transformation and the development of the country,” said Fabrício Bloisi, CEO of iFood.

The main beneficiaries of the coalition’s efforts are underrepresented populations in the tech industry today, including women, Black and low-income people. The Tech Movement’s initiatives range from high school students to adults. The member companies will be able to act at different levels, whether through investments, projects, or execution.

“Our objective is to contribute to making Brazil a prosperous country and a protagonist in terms of technology, with job and career opportunities for all Brazilians. Our big dream is to make a difference in the training of young professionals, so they’re prepared for the challenges of the new digital economy in terms of technology, innovation, and business. We believe that, through social investment, we can generate a structural impact in Brazil that is transformational,” said Thiago Maffra, CEO of XP Inc.

To learn more about the Tech Movement initiative, Grit Daily recent sat down to speak with Gustavo Vitti, Chief People and Sustainability Officer at iFood, to learn more about the progress the collective has made so far, and what to expect next from the coalition’s efforts to increase the diversity and preparedness of Brazil’s future tech-industry workforce:

Grit Daily: Tell us more about how the Tech Movement initiative came about. 

Gustavo Vitti: The Tech Movement is a private, social-investment platform for technology. It started a year ago, in a conversation between companies who were suffering from the tech-talent scarcity combined with a shared ESG goal of developing and hiring professionals from non-privileged backgrounds. In other words we have a mutual dream of transforming Brazil into a technological power through diversity.

Today, Brazil is a country with 10 million people who are unemployed, and at the same time, there are plenty of job opportunities in the tech sector that are not being filled due to a lack of qualified labor. This is not because Brazilians don’t want good jobs or higher levels of education, but because opportunities aren’t finding the right people; for example those who live in the favelas. This challenge is exactly what this movement aims to tackle.

So, with this dream in mind and a pinch of reality, we all know this is a marathon and not a sprint. We need to inspire our children to think and dream about working in technology fields which are forecast to see significant growth in the years ahead. In addition, we need to foster easy access to training for these jobs of the future and build bridges between these freshly qualified tech professionals and the Brazilian big tech companies.

What we’ve done so far: we’ve launched two initiatives that have already impacted more than 150,000 people. The first one is the Tech Marathon, for high school students at public and private schools. Set up as an Olympiad-style tech competition between educational institutions, teachers, and students, the first edition in May, earlier this year, had more than 80,000 students compete, including schools from 21 Brazilian states. The second one is Tech Power that has already awarded more than 6,000 intensive scholarships for tech education to underprivileged groups. There’s another two new initiatives being baked that we will launch over the next 3-6 months and the  Movement will continue to seek out or create similar initiatives and provide funding to accelerate them.

Today, iFood and XP Inc. are the two original maintainers and there are 20 sponsor companies and institutions in the collective that can contribute to the cause with investments or services, including: Accenture, Arco, Buser, CI&T, Cubos Academy, Descomplica, Digital House, English First (EF), F. Behring, Gama Academy, Grupo Boticário, Instituto Localiza, Kenzie, Let’s Code, ONE Oracle, Raia Drogasi, Rocketseat, Semantix, Telles Foundation, and VTEX. 

GD: What are the roles iFood and XP play as founding members? 

GV: Companies can take part in the Tech Movement as either Maintainers or Sponsors. For the Maintainers, they play a role in the strategic agenda of the initiative and in the decisions of the projects, being part of the Strategic Council. Sponsors play a role in the execution and funding projects. They also take part in the Consultative Council.

The Tech Movement seeks to attract more companies and organizations from all segments and areas. Participation can occur as a Maintainer or Sponsor, involving financial commitments as well as services. iFood and XP Inc are the first Maintainers. To find out how to participate and contribute to the Movement, just access www.movtech.org.

GD: Brazil is projected to need around 500,000 more tech workers by 2025 than are expected to be available. How many people do you anticipate can be trained by 2025 with R$100M being raised?

GV: With the initial projects, which are already underway, we expect to train one million people by 2025. The more companies and organizations that join the Tech Movement, the more scale we will gain to benefit an increasing number of people.

In the two examples we mentioned before, Tech Marathon and Tech Power, we believe both projects will have a scale of 10-15x bigger than today as we expand the coalition’s resources and gain more visibility. It’s incredible to see how fast we’ve been iterating and improving on the offerings. As an example, today we can provide high-quality tech learning almost 6x cheaper than we did for our first groups.

GD: The U.S. tech industry is predominantly white and male, with women, Black people and other minorities present in much smaller numbers than in the general population. What is the demographic of the Brazilian tech sector today?

GV: It is a similar situation in Brazil compared to the U.S. today The Tech Movement will prioritize underrepresented minorities and low-income people. As a result of the  “technological blackout,” as the lack of tech professionals in Brazil has been called, there are already more than 100,000 job vacancies open this year, with little prospect of being filled. 

Also, the digitization of the economy and companies, accelerated by the pandemic, has increased the demand for skilled labor, while the number of available professionals remains limited. That’s why our movement is focused on low-income public and non-privileged backgrounds, and prioritizes women and Black people, for example. We want to change the current inequities and have a positive impact on a different future from the one that is projected today.

We believe and invest in education – from basic education, so young people have a better education in Portuguese, Mathematics and Logic, to professional training that is specialized in technology. We also want to develop the technical and emotional skills for those who are already in the marketplace and are seeking new opportunities. That’s why we offer practical tech courses too. We dream to be a quality tech-education platform that will drive the growing tech ecosystem forward so qualified, trained talent are ready to dive into new opportunities and help drive innovation and social transformation.

GD: How and where will you recruit for the program? 

GV: Our purpose is to awaken more people’s interest in working in the tech industry, empower them through training – from basic education to practical knowledge,  and then help employ for the jobs of the future by building bridges between them and tech companies. 

Based on the various programs, courses and partnerships involved, people we’ll be approached from different communication channels as it fits to each initiative invested, and work together with private, public, and non-governmental organizations. We need and we’re calling for others to help with these important efforts.

GD: I can see how cultivating a more diverse workforce could help solve the labor shortage, but what are the less obvious benefits of more diversity?

GV: The inclusion of different people, life stories, and backgrounds is a way to promote more tolerance and societal integration. All innovation, services, products and ways of leading will be enriched by a broader world view; one in which solutions and achievements are sustainable. And most importantly, we will be truly changing lives. We want to reach 2030 with so many lives impacted that we’ll  be able to change social inequality in Brazil, with those who have always been the base of the social pyramids as the main protagonists who are creating the country’s prosperity.

GD: The Potentia Tech Platform, which was initiated by iFood, has awarded 6,000 scholarships over the past nine months and 450 of those people have already been hired. How many of those scholarship recipients are from underrepresented groups?

GV: The scholarships are being offered exclusively for low-income people. We prioritize people who are underrepresented in the society, having at least half of the people inside Potencia Tech being women or Black people.

The post The Tech Movement 2030 Coalition Pledges Millions to Train a More Diverse Talent Pool to Fill a Growing Number of Tech Jobs in Brazil appeared first on Grit Daily News.

However, this has also led to a crowded market in just about every industry. You are competing with millions of other businesses. Standing out is incredibly difficult, especially if you are selling a popular product or service. In this context, diversity becomes key to getting ahead.

Before going into the reasons why, all entrepreneurs should be aware of the need for basic insurance. If you’re working from a home that you do not own, you will need good renters insurance for your possessions, including your office furniture and laptop. Since your business could be derailed without your possessions, make sure you are covered for theft and damage. Without a laptop (or the means to replace one), standing out will be the least of your problems.

Now, let’s discuss why diversity is key to standing out in a crowded market.

Finding a niche

Many young entrepreneurs make the assumption that targeting the biggest possible audience will bring them the most sales. This was once the case, with endless opportunity for companies targeting populations around the world. However, in a saturated market, taking such a generalized approach only ensures that you get lost in the crowd.

This is why finding a niche is so important. Niches are fields of interest that are compelling to much smaller groups of people. But by targeting a niche, you compete with a much smaller pool of competition as well. Furthermore, individuals grouped in a niche are usually a more captivated market.

Anyone can choose to target a niche, but the most successful businesses are those with a personal connection. As such, diversity is a huge benefit. Having someone on your team who relates to a specific niche that is outside of the mainstream gives you an organic entryway into the market.

Instead of competing with an endless number of other businesses for uninterested customers, you’re connecting with a group that truly feels seen by you.

Diversity brings innovation

But diversity is not just a link to target audiences you would otherwise miss out on. It actually changes the way you do business entirely. Diversity of thought comes from diversity of experience. If everyone in your team has similar life experience, you may work well together but will be ignorant to ideas and opportunities that you personally cannot relate to.

Diversity brings innovation, which can truly make your business stand out. Again, standing out may not be a good thing if you are trying to target as broad an audience as possible. However, if you are choosing a more focused audience, you will introduce products and services no one else is offering.

Broaden your audience

We’ve spoken about how diversity can help you specify your audience so as to target a more captive population, even if it is smaller. But diversity can do the opposite as well.

Let’s say you are already targeting a niche. When designing adverts, you choose to target populations that you know will respond to your product or service. If you lack diversity in your team, you will find it hard to identify the members of the niche who don’t look or think like you.

Diversity gives you insight into how people who are nothing like you relate to your niche. This gives you the opportunity to speak to those people, broadening your audience to include populations who are typically excluded but are just as engaged with the field.

Diversity in business is not just about opening up opportunities to people who have been excluded in the past, although that is important. It also helps you with choosing a niche, innovating, and marketing to people who everyone else ignores. Your whole team starts thinking with more nuance, leading to a better environment for exploration and discovery.

The post Why Diversity Is Key to Standing Out In A Crowded Market appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Founded in early April of this year by Henry Joseph-Grant, Send-Off is a Belfast-based grief management startup looking to help people deal with loss. The startup, which is yet to emerge completely from stealth mode, was the result of its founder’s personal experience back in 2015 after his son died. In a series of tweets explaining the “why” of the startup, Joseph-Grant said: 

“In 2015 I had to arrange my son’s funeral. I wouldn’t wish burying your child on anyone. It’s an awful experience. For the last 7 years, I’ve experienced how the entire end-of-life industry/grief management at every step is inefficient. I’m obsessed w/ 10x’ing customer experience. Having been one of the first employees @JustEatUK It troubles me that it is literally easier to order a pizza than it is to arrange pretty much anything when you lose and grieve for someone. My team will change that and make a difficult time easier for everyone on the planet.”

The global death care services market was worth $102.58 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow by more than 10% by the end of this year. However, despite being one of the most valuable industries out there, most of its services focus on the process ranging from the preparation of the body to its burial and the upkeep of the resting place. 

Anyone who has had to deal with funerary services is aware of the emotional disconnection existing in the industry at a time when empathy should be paramount. While we are still missing details on its exact plans, Send-Off promises to bring the innovation that has been missing to help people manage grief. We know this much, though: diversity will be one of its pillars.

Joseph-Grant himself is a globally recognized entrepreneur who has successfully launched and scaled startups in the tech industry such as The Entertainer UK. He has also held a leadership position in companies like Virgin Media, Just Eat, Gett, and BigDish, as well as being a mentor for TechStars, Pi Labs, and Seedcamp before founding Send-Off. However, he believes that his experience is not enough to develop a grief management solution that can adapt to everyone’s needs.

The startup recently announced that it has completed six major appointments to its advisory team in order to make diversity a priority. The appointments include the name of some of the most well-known names in their industries:

• David Buttress: Former CEO at Just Eat. He is an entrepreneur and investor based in England. He is a renowned angel investor and venture partner who has helped numerous startups succeed and has been recognized as one of Debrett’s “Most Influential People in Britain”, GlassDoor’s “UK’s Top 5 CEOs”, and  London Evening Standard “London’s 1000 most influential people”
• Bari Williams: Business Attorney and Former Senior Lead counsel for Meta (formerly Facebook), She currently operates as Head of Ops at Stub Hub and VP at  Phil Libins global AI studio All Turtles. She is a published author on topics like diversity, equality, and inclusion.
• Steve O’Hear: A former educator and tech journalist for TechCrunch, he currently operates as VP of Strategy at Q-Delivery scaleup Zapp. With more than 15 years of experience in the world of startups, it was just logical that he also founded his own: last100 and Beepl. O’Hear’s work for TechCrunch, The Guardian, Macworld, Times Educational Supplement, and ReadWriteWeb earned him a place in Business Insider UK ‘Tech 100’ list back in 2016 and 2017
• Eamonn Carey: Former RTE TV and Radio journalist and Managing Director at Techstars, he is now a General Partner at Tera Ventures. He has invested in over 90 companies all around the world and is a sought-after speaker for some of the world’s biggest conferences, including Web Summit, Collision, SXSW,  and Mobile World Congress.
• Donovan Frew: Former CTO at Secret Escapes and StrataJat, he currently holds the CTO position at GoodLord, a PropTech startup based in London. Frew has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality, e-commerce, intelligence analysis, and telecommunications industries.
• Justice Williams MBE: Former founder and editor-in-chief of Tru Life magazine and the Women of the Year Awards. Williams is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, business coach, and trainer focused on helping women fulfill their entrepreneurial visions. In 2010, she became the youngest black woman to be awarded an MBE appointment to the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for her services to young people.

Joseph-Grant, who has an extensive list of achievements himself, said about the appointments:

“I hand picked our Advisory team to add proven, complementary experience and to be representative of the diversity of our users, I’ve never seen a startup attract the level of experience, caliber, and reputation of all six advisors so early on, it’s a real statement of intent of the world class company which we’re building here in Belfast” 

As with any startup working on getting out of stealth, Send-Off surely has many details to be worked on and decided on. However, with a stellar advisory board and a clear mission, the startup is expected to launch in Q2.

The post Is Grief Management a Market? The Seasoned Entrepreneur Behind Send-Off Thinks So appeared first on Grit Daily News.

SANTA ANA, CA. –– Wedo, an American and European communication and financial platform built for freelancers and entrepreneurs that integrates payment and banking, networking, and social tools all in one easy-to-use app, welcomes Pattie Howard as Chief of Diversity.

“I see Wedo as a living, breathing example of what diversity in the workforce should represent, not as a company aspiring to excel in its compliance with a ‘diversity policy’, or ‘commitment to inclusion,’” said Pattie Howard, Chief Diversity Officer at Wedo. “It is my goal to shine the brightest light possible on the ideals embodied within each person that represent the ultimate success of the company.”

Howard began her tenure with Wedo in 2020 as a member of the board of advisors. She has released two albums with major record labels and owns her own full service entertainment company, PH Balanced Music. Howard is also known for singing background for many major artists, including Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross, among many others, and she is credited on dozens of Gold and Platinum recordings encompassing artists from almost every genre.

“It is my belief that equality must become a collective consciousness as a state of being,” added Howard. “Wedo will become the number one app of its kind because it is founded on this principle of equality and its mission is to allow anyone, anywhere, an opportunity to earn and succeed.”

Wedo is an American and European social communication SaaS with an integrated banking tool serving the $4T global freelancer, coaching, and startup market with an aim to supercharge their business. By providing all the tools entrepreneurs need within one easy-to-use app, Wedo is removing the financial and technical barriers to entry by bringing together the tools for the gig economy – including live streaming video, in-stream payments, webinars, and booking tools with banking services – and setting businesses up for success. Founded by former freelancer Indiana Gregg at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Wedo is on a mission to help more people help more people and make entry into the business world affordable, accessible and seamless for entrepreneurs worldwide.

The post Wedo Welcomes Pattie Howard as Chief of Diversity appeared first on Grit Daily News.

According to a CNBC survey, twice as many men as women invest in crypto. People of color, however, have embraced crypto on a larger scale worldwide. A Harris poll survey showed that 23 percent of Black Americans and 17 percent of Latino Americans own crypto, compared to 11% of White Americans. 

For International Women’s Day, I wanted to showcase 5 amazing women-led initiatives in the Web3 space.

Women Rise

First on our list is Women Rise, with a collection of 10,000 unique NFT art pieces created by the internationally acclaimed visual artist Maliha Abidi. The beautiful art pieces inspire collectors to support a diverse community of women, so they too can see themselves represented in the tech, blockchain, and NFT space.

Women Rise donates 7.5% of proceeds go to global organizations working to educate girls, especially in the most marginalized communities of the world. Women Rise also contributes to causes for women’s rights, violence against women, and gender equity.

Remarkable Women

Another exciting female-led collection comes from the Remarkable Women team founded by artist, Rachel Winter. Her vibrant colors and wild patterns grab your attention and lead viewers into a journey of ideas, stories and emotions about the world today.

Remarkable Women are not only on a mission to increase the representation of women in Web3, they also plan to expand access to curriculum, tools, and community support for women, men, and allies looking to learn more about Web3, Metaverse, Crypto, and NFTs. They work with a diverse range of brand ambassadors, ranging from rapper Ja Rule to Youtube influencer iJustine.eth and an amazing group of influential Web3 women such as Shira Lazar, Melissa Jun Rowley of Warrior Love Productions.

Cosmic Cats 420

Cosmic Cats 420, my personal project, are NFTs with a mission to save cats and deplastify the planet. Cosmic Cats 420 are mutant cats that survived the eco-apocalypse of 2420 when the world became completely overrun by plastic. They now roam the galaxy to educate humans on the error of our ways. Funds from NFT sales will be used to start a TNR (trap, neuter, release) program, support veterinary care and fostering, as well as a future Cosmic Cats 420 Cafe and Sanctuary in Tulum.

Cosmic Cats 420 along with a number of other NFT for good collections can be seen IRL at the recently opened NFT Boutique, a storefront in Tulum that showcases NFT collections and their merchandise. 

It’s the first of its kind in Latin America, a gathering place for crypto and NFT enthusiasts that is quickly becoming a tourist and local hot spot.

More Women in Crypto

More Women in Crypto (MWIC) is an initiative which has partnered with the NFT Boutique in Tulum. More Women in Crypto is creating a space for women to discuss these innovative tools, technologies, and new models. The group meets both in person and via Zoom calls on a weekly basis at NFT Boutique in Tulum, in a bilingual and intimate setting that has even hosted a first-of-its-kind NFT baby shower.

It’s exciting to see how our vision of bringing women together to learn and collaborate is coming to life. We’ve needed a space to learn from each other and our More Women in Crypto group is a safe place to share our perspectives, fears and hopes.

Francesca Martina, Founder of More Women in Crypto

MWIC knows that it’s important for women to collectively come together and create a culture that redefines business as usual. The group plans to hold hands-on training for various topics in crypto such as crypto trading, launching an NFT project, and more as well as launching both an NFT and crypto fund for its members.

TulumCoin

TulumCoin is an initiative from Regen Tulum, Steph Ferrera and her other Regen Tulum founders believe that the launch of their DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) will be the vehicle to sustainable and responsible growth for Tulum. The Regen DAO will be launching the TulumCoin token, which is a  cryptocurrency that will provide value back to the region in the form of funding regenerative projects.

TulumCoin will be a catalyst for local benefits and a currency that anyone will be able to use for local services with zero fees on transactions. If distributions are made from TulumCoin into another currency, there is a 5% charge on the transaction that will go into the Regenerative Projects fund and voted on by the Regen DAO. With most credit card transactions in Tulum charging 5% every time you pay, this is a new way to make those funds count. The idea is a simple yet secure system to empower a local economy with crypto and use withdrawal fees to restore Tulum’s ecosystems and cultural heritage. TulumCoin is currently minting on Near protocol and you can still get in early by getting a TulumCoin Founders Club NFT which gives you extra benefits and early access to the Dao, token, staking, minting, event access, merchandise royalties, and many other benefits from the DAOs network. 

With Web3 initiatives taking the world by storm in traditional tech hubs such as NY, SF and Miami, it’s exciting to see the innovation coming out of Tulum, a trendy beach town where influencers flock. In the last few years, Tulum has become a mecca for digital nomads, crypto enthusiasts, and creatives so it’s no wonder that it is also rapidly becoming the center of the Web3 universe.

Women Making Waves in Web3 

From increasing representation in financial systems that have historically excluded women, to creating coins that generate local wealth for communities, the impact women are having in the Web3 space continues to grow. 

It no longer is just a question of where are all the women in tech. When it comes to Web3, women are leading the way and showing how these technologies can have a real impact on the most pressing issues of today,  but even beyond that, we are showing the world how to build new economies centered on collaboration and shared values.

Full disclosure: The author owns NFT Boutique and holds some of the NFTs mentioned.

The post Rocking Web3: The Women Making it Happen appeared first on Grit Daily News.

It’s that last bit that may be the most interesting and impactful role he’s ever played. Dr. Morey is on a mission to bring diversity to STEM. He’s doing so by creating multilingual (and fun) content to inspire the next generation of “Einsteins.” As a native of Puerto Rico, he leads by example because, in his words, “representation matters.”

Asked to say more about the multi-faceted lack of diversity problem, Morey added, “Only 2% Black females hold advanced degrees in STEM. That’s a numbers problem. In other cases, the diversity that is there, but we’re not pushing it forward. That’s a PR problem.”

Anything that’s worth doing is hard. If you want to go far, go together. If you want to go fast, go alone.

Dr. José More

Who influences you?

Each time that Morey meets with today’s youth, he establishes rapport with them by asking who they follow on social media. Not surprisingly, the big influencers, major league athletes, and pop or rap stars make the top of the list. “However,” he said, “when you ask kids in inner-city schools which scientists or STEM influencers they follow, the answer is usually crickets.” That brings us back to the representation issue: there are several notable scientists that should be highlighted in schools during science class. NASA would not have achieved the first moon landing without the brilliant mathematicians, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughaun, famously featured in the 2018 biopic, “Hidden Figures.”

As a society, we are bombarded by messages. We asked Dr. Morey which message he tunes out, “STEM is not for us – that’s the message I want them to tune out. There is nothing that disqualifies a diverse person from being in a STEM career. Representation matters: if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”

If you question how a diverse person has struggled with equality, you need to steel yourself for the often heartbreaking answer. “It’s not easy,” opined Dr. Morey, “As you go through and shatter these ceilings, you become the lone representative of your community or one of only a few. It doesn’t get any better even if you make it to the C-suite.”

Undaunted, he perseveres, tightly wound to his “why” of changing the diversity statistics in STEM. And forged by resilience. Ad Astra is currently fundraising to expand the audience they can impact. To end the podcast on a positive note, we requested that Morey share some advice for other entrepreneurs, “For the most part, you’re trying to solve something that hasn’t been solved before. So you’re doing to stumble and find a lot of roadblocks. You always find the coalition of the willing – your tribe.”

The post He’s Not Dr. Who but he is Doctor Intergalactic appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Today, Burton guides mission-focused leaders on journeys in ethics, equity, and accountability. She enlightens people on how to drive meaningful change. “It all begins with respect,” she said, “And trust.”

Tell me your story

Burton is highly adept at connecting with people. Attentive listening and a deep commitment to help others are part of her ethos. She has both incredible insight and honed ability to uncover what’s really going on. Her approach doesn’t sound all that complex – until you realize that creating a safe space is anything but simple. She connects with people by inviting them to “tell me your story.” Her mind and heart open up to whomever she’s speaking with to let folks know that she can hold the space for them. That trust extends with an invitation to keep sharing, “Tell me what support you think you need.”

At the core of all relationships, is trust. Without it, it’s hard to move beyond an agenda that only serves one half of the relationship. “It’s not about power. It’s about full respect. Full recognition. And me being responsible to reflect that,” she mused unequivocally. Burton isn’t afraid to “do the work.” In fact, she openly embraces the work that she needs to do on and within herself to grow.

Equity is about the trust factor. It’s about recognizing that I don’t have power over you and you don’t have power over me. It’s not about power.

~Carole Burton

A model for holistic equity

Her holistic equity model is as elegant as it is plain. Three rows (I / Us / We) by three columns (Transaction / Transition / Transformation take the learner on a journey of enlightenment. Even Burton herself, a practitioner in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space identified areas for improvement by working her way through her own model. She believes that the combination of adapting and equity drives change – real change.

As the podcast host of Radiance Realtalk, Grit Daily flipped the tables by having Burton on as a guest on our podcast. She’s actively guiding leaders in adaptive communication. To learn more about Burton’s passion and life’s work, tune into the podcast on Spotify or anywhere that content is streamed.

The post Holistic Equity has a new Guide appeared first on Grit Daily News.

Diversity is a key part of the Salt & Lime strategy, from the people they cast in their productions to the teams that produce the content. We emailed some questions to Michell to ask about Salt & Lime and its approach to storytelling. Here is what she has to say.

Based on your LinkedIn profile, you have had a roundabout career journey to your current role at Salt & Lime. Can you tell us about it?

I have been working in media production, journalism, research, casting and talent management now for over 20 years and so by the time I decided to pull all those skills together to create my own real people casting & self made content curation agency, it looked like it was just an overnight idea. But in all honesty, it was 20 years in the making and there was now way I would have had the confidence or the variety of skills and networks worldwide to pull it off any earlier. 

How does your background as a TV journalist and then a reality TV show producer shape your work at Salt & Lime?

In my mind TV news and non-scripted TV formats are both “Reality TV”. A TV reporter’s job is to tell you the story of what happened. But a Reality TV Producer is often helping set up the story and is there to experience the story, then sticks around to find out how the person in the story felt while it was happening.

To me, I love Reality TV more because I get to expand on the WHO, WHAT, WHERE formula in News. Reality TV is HOW, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL, WHAT NEXT…and maybe a little but of WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED to ensure the viewers are all tuning in after the break!

Salt & Lime casts and produces thousands of real people worldwide every year for big networks and brands like Netflix, Fox, Facebook, Lenor. What goes into conceiving and producing campaigns or media productions like these? How many people and different skill sets are needed?

Salt & Lime’s task is to find the real life stories of real people (not actors or models). We also source existing content or help real people curate their own content for use in future posts or productions. Most of the time we use old school journalism techniques – like reading newspapers, reading social media pages and just reach out and talk to people! Once we feel like we have a story, we pitch it to the Director or the Producer or a Creative team behind the concept and at some point, we will introduce them to get down to the nitty-gritty of a shoot. Salt & Lime might at this point, step away from the production as we leave that in the hands of Cinematographers and Commercial experts, or we might help the real person make their own content at home. We never know for sure until the story is green lit. But, regardless of where the story ends, we are always holding our new real people cast’s hands the whole way. You have us from hello to broadcast and everything in between.

You’re an entrepreneur as well as a wife and the mother of two. What insight does that give you about that seemingly mythical work/life balance we’ve all been talking about in recent years?

Balance is NOT the word I would use to describe the constant juggle of work and kids. It’s more about finding the best coping strategies to deal with the ever changing IMBALANCE.

For me, I try to break up my day into sections for different things i.e. two hours on client communications, two hours on my US and LATAM team, one hour on my Asia team, one hour on my EU team, one hr for lunch/exercise/coffee and two hours on my kids!

I also firmly believe in humor to get you through and making sure your staff, clients and cast GET YOU as a human first and foremost. If I rock up to a video call with a shirt covered in kid spaghetti that I haven’t had time to change, I make a joke about it. I think people know that I am, above anything, genuine. And I’d say being my authentic self in all situations with all types of people has been a blessing a lot more than it’s been a curse.

I can tell you now straight up: If we have to do a Zoom call during bath time, well guess what, it is highly likely there are going to be naked kids running through the back of the shot flicking each other with towels. It is what it is.

Diversity is something else that corporations have been talking about, if not doing anything much about, for a long while now but it appears diversity is genuinely valued at Salt & Lime. What are the advantages for the company?

I truly believe the absolute BEST thing about Salt & Lime is the diversity of the team. I don’t know why any CEO wouldn’t want a company built around fresh ideas, different thoughts, unique visions, authentic creative concepts, interesting staff and colleagues with diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences, opinions. It blows my mind why anyone would want an office full of clones. That sounds terribly boring and a terrible way to do business in a global environment. To me, there is zero downside to being diverse and inclusive in business – especially a business like mine that is all about real people stories and curating content for global media networks. If you want a global audience, you have to be globally minded from the ground up and in everything you do with your cast, crew and company culture.

What’s the origin story on the name Salt & Lime?

I am proud to say it all started over a margarita. I was on a mom’s night out and my business advisor warned me I had to decide on a name NOW or miss out on getting the business set up in time for a Netflix show I was producing. At that exact moment the bartender also asked me how I like my margaritas and I said “Salt and Lime”. My business advisor said “That’s an awesome business name!” and I said “no, wait, what..why – yes it is! DONE!”

But I think as time has gone by, Salt & Lime really represents what we are – a good time, full of fun, friendly, seasoned production people.

The post Dana Michell, CEO of Salt & Lime Media, Talks Diversity and Storytelling appeared first on Grit Daily News.

She attended Brown University for both her undergraduate and Executive MBA degrees, but out of college was mostly looking for jobs that would pay the bills, not ones that would necessarily lead to a career. Rodriguez got involved in media and marketing, working for NBC-Telemundo Enterprises. She moved up quickly, helping to launch Telemundo Boston and Telemundo Providence, before becoming General Manager for the Telemundo Connecticut and Western Massachusetts stations. 

During a group project for an MBA finance class at IE Brown, Rodriguez came to an understanding that would change the trajectory of her career. Her project team decided to focus on a FinTech option, and she realized that the digitization of traditional business spaces was not going anywhere—it was the inevitable path of the future. From then on, she decided that she wanted to be at the forefront of the tech disruption.

After working extensively in the media marketing space, Rodriguez founded The 360 Group, which delivered customized branding campaigns, as well as PR and marketing services to clients. She used her position as a consultant to help businesses of all kinds transition to a tech-centered paradigm. Even up until 2016, prospective clients viewed some of her suggestions as far-fetched such as when she approached a global law firm and suggested strategies incorporating legal tech. Bill Sarris, the CEO of Linqto reached out to Rodriguez in 2020 to have her consult on the business’s overall marketing strategy which in turn evolved into a full-time position.

Rodriguez says her favorite thing about working at Linqto is the community. The Linqto team is accessible to accredited investors who want to know more about their investment options. The company also offers a variety of virtual events, free of charge, which allow their community to ask questions directly to company executives of the businesses and industries innovating in tech. Rodriguez says, “We’re truly humanizing this space by engaging candidly with people… It’s a genuine conversation and we’re all in it together.” Rodriguez also appreciates Linqto’s diverse customer base, who come from all over the world from various backgrounds and careers, stating, “The fact that everyone is different, and everyone has something special to add to the conversation; that diversity is really embraced, and that’s something I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of.”

The private investment space has mostly been reserved for the accredited investor that met certain salary and net worth requirements or one of several certifications. Recently, however, there has been a lot of public discussion about opening up general investing options to the average person. From the crowdfunding cap being raised to $5M to the Robinhood GameStop controversy, people are expressing that they want in. Rodriguez feels strongly about democratizing private investing, and she hopes as times passes more and more people will be allowed to play in the space. Linqto offers a discount for the preparation of the Series 65 exam through ExamFX. Individuals passing the exam will be certified as accredited investors. She says, “At Linqto we hope to continue to make private investing simple for accredited investors while simultaneously paving the way for opportunities that will allow others to become accredited.”

The post Ivon Rodriguez of Linqto Knows How Investment Can Change Lives appeared first on Grit Daily News.

What’s stopping companies from jobs hiring and promoting diverse people? 

A big block to achieving diversity is due to bias in the recruitment process. On average recruiters spend seven seconds looking at a candidate’s resume. Seven seconds is not enough time to push back against internal biases or look deeper into a candidate’s qualifications. Everyone is susceptible to these biases that hinder diverse hiring efforts. 

Similarity Bias in Jobs Hiring

With similarity bias, we tend to favor people who have traits similar to our own. These traits can be based on a person’s demographics or interests. Similarity bias harms efforts of diverse hiring by making it harder for people with diverse backgrounds, who likely have less similarities with the recruitment team, and easier for people with common backgrounds, who likely have more similarities with the recruitment team, to be hired.

Halo/Horns Effect

The halo/horns effect describes our tendency to believe our first impressions of a person are correct. This makes it extremely difficult to reevaluate our opinions of someone and examine our thought process for other potential bias. This effect makes combating implicit bias an uphill battle, cementing our faulty initial impressions of someone into our minds. 

Contrast Effect

The contrast effect benefits people who are immediately examined after a weak candidate. This can appear in different ways, but an example of it is when recruiters believe a person has strong qualifications because they interview right after a particularly weak candidate. When contrasted with the previous person, the following person appears stronger than they truly are.

Central Tendency Effect

The central tendency effect happens when someone attempts to combat their implicit bias, but they end up rating all the candidates about the same. It is a reluctance to rate someone more extreme because of a fear that it would be perceived as a biased rating. The effect ends up being harmful to the hiring process all around by dismissing good candidates and vauling weak candidates.

Surprisingly, this human bias can also appear in recruiting software and artificial intelligence, which are used by a majority of companies. Because recruiting software often scans candidates resumes for keywords based on searches done by the recruiters, the recruiters’ bias seeps into the system. 

How can we push back against bias and improve diverse hiring?

By setting clear goals, using diversity and inclusion training, expanding outreach with schools and other organizations, and making diversity a top value in the company’s leadership, we can improve hiring diversity efforts and put an end to workplace bias. Establishing distinct goals and tracking your progress to achieving them consistently pressures people to complete the tasks. D&I training creates a space for employees to share their opinions and ideas to improve. Expanding the company’s relationship with schools and other organizations supports the more diverse future generation of candidates. Making diversity an integral value to the company’s management ensures inclusion policies will be enforced throughout the company. 

A company of diverse employees and leaders is extremely valuable to their creativity and profitability. However, without actively combating bias in recruiting practices, this cannot be achieved. Companies must confront bias and work to promote diversity.

The post Jobs Hiring and How to Avoid Unconscious Bias in Diversity [Infographic] appeared first on Grit Daily News.