Nonprofits to Watch - February 16, 2018

These five nonprofits are reshaping NYC tech

February 16, 2018 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

These five nonprofits are reshaping NYC tech

During the past ten years, an incredible array of nonprofits have emerged in New York that are teaching tech skills, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating new career opportunities for underserved students and communities. Each of these organizations has a fascinating founding story that deserves to be told.For this month’s installment of our monthly companies to watch post, we decided to spotlight five nonprofits that are bringing more inclusivity and diversity to New York’s thriving tech industry. New York City is full of organizations that are changing lives and reshaping our community and there is no way we could include them all here. They all speak volumes about our community, and we are so lucky to have them.Below is a shortened version of our spotlight on these amazing nonprofits, but be sure to read the whole post here to find out more.C4QWhat does your nonprofit do?C4Q Founder and CEO Jukay Hsu: C4Q takes individuals from some of New York’s most underserved communities and helps them get high-paying jobs as software engineers. We do this through our 10-month immersive course, where our students obtain coding skills.What was your inspiration to start it?JH: When I was in the Army serving in Iraq, I realized that the only difference between officers and enlisted men was whether they had a college degree. While many of the enlisted men were incredibly intelligent, most simply didn’t have access to the same kinds of opportunities as I did growing up. After I got out, I wanted to find a way to help people like them get access to the same kinds of opportunities, and thus C4Q was born.

Code/InteractiveWhat does your nonprofit do?

Code/Interactive Interim Executive Director Tom O'Connell: Code/Interactive (C/I) is a nonprofit that trains educators and builds inclusive computer science programs. We provide districts, schools, educational organizations, and teachers with the curriculum, tools, and training necessary to implement K-12 computer science programs aligned to their goals and needs.

What lessons have you learned from the people you’re teaching?

TO: I've learned that no matter how much technology you put into classrooms or resources you pour into schools, strong relationships are the key to success in education. To teach students (or teachers) anything, you really have to get to know them and show them that you care about them as individuals.

What does your nonprofit do?

COOP Founder and Executive Director Kalani Leifer: COOP (“ko-op”) helps CUNY grads build digital skills, peer networks, and upwardly mobile careers. Our flagship program is the Digital Apprenticeship, a rigorous 200-hour, 18-week career accelerator led by alumni “cohort captains.”

How can New York companies do a better job of fostering inclusivity?

KL: Referral-based recruiting in NYC is popular but it perpetuates the status quo, all but guaranteeing that the best candidates resemble existing employees. To break this cycle, companies need to reexamine how informal relationships influence (and sometimes distort) the recruiting process.

ScriptEdWhat does your nonprofit do?ScriptEd Co-Founder and Executive Director Maurya Couvare: ScriptEd equips students in under-resourced schools with the coding skills and professional experiences that together create access to careers in technology.Why did you found it in New York?MC: NYC is fertile ground for social innovation because the city has both areas of huge need and abundant resources to address those needs. With a thriving tech industry, a strong culture of philanthropy, and the largest public school system in the world, NYC offered us the opportunity to reach underserved youth and make a real impact in our community.The Knowledge HouseWhat does your nonprofit do?The Knowledge House Co-Founders Jerelyn Rodriguez and Joe Carrano: TKH empowers a talent pipeline of technologists, entrepreneurs, and digital leaders in the Bronx and helps them uplift their communities out of poverty. To do this, we offer introductory and advanced courses in software and web development, data science, UIUX, and project management. TKH has served more than 1,000 young people from underserved communities.Why did you found it in New York?JR/JC: We are both NYC natives and have a passion to provide opportunities for low income NYC residents. For Jerelyn, it was important to prove an alternative workforce model in the poorest congressional district nationwide, the South Bronx, because more than 27 percent of young South Bronx residents are unemployed.NYC Tech Community EventsFebruary 22: Brooklyn Bridge Ventures Founding Partner Charlie O'Donnell is hosting a series of “Fix Your Startup Pitch” events that are raising money for various charities. Startups are invited to make a donation and O’Donnell will help them improve their pitch. Two more events will be held in February.February 28: The CornellTech@Bloomberg series will be hosting a panel with the next generation of female VCs featuring Beth Ferreira of FirstMark Capital, Rebecca Kaden of Union Square Ventures, and Ellie Wheeler of Greycroft. Register here.March 8: Our member Fusemachines is starting a new monthly meetup called Democratize AI to start meaningful conversations and break barriers around artificial intelligence. The meetup will be held on the second Thursday of each month at Work-Bench. Sign up for the first event here.Join Us

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