Following this session join a 15min discussion in the Community Lounge.

As a founder or leader of a startup, you know who you have on your team matters. It's never too early to start to intentionally develop an organization culture and talent strategies that will differentiate you and create competitive advantage. Learn the building blocks you need to create excellence and advantage through talent and culture. Define the values that guide how you operate and make business and talent decisions. Learn how to attract and retain the best diverse talent for your organization to position you for successful growth.

Hear from the founders of education startup Schoolz as they merge tech, art, and media to bring culture to Google Classroom, in an effort to drive student engagement and support teachers

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

As the economy works to recover from pandemic conditions and our country reckons with systemic inequality, addressing the tech skills gap especially among unemployed and underemployed Americans is more important than ever. Hear success stories from graduates of technical job training programs created to address these issues head on.

Breaking into the tech field can feel like trying every single 4-digit combination you can think of until magically, the large heavy gates suddenly swing open. As a first-generation student of color, it feels more like you entering two-digit combinations until someone finally tells you that it’s actually four. How does a daughter of Vietnamese immigrants break the code and find herself at one of the most innovative startups in Minnesota of all places? With some resilience, an ongoing journey of self-worth, and the magic of vulnerability, anyone can do it.

Celebrating Minority Owned Businesses in Minnesota

As a startup business owner, you don't want to leave anything on the table. Did you know that 99.999996% of what our brains process every moment is unconscious? Learn how to raise awareness of your biases and replace them to act in alignment with your mission and values while you build your business. 

This session provides a definition of unconscious bias, a quick dive into how to understand it, a framework for how to address it, and tools to help you move forward with actions and activities to be more successful. 

This session will help open your eyes and open your mind.

Join Donte Curtis of Catch Your Dream Consulting for a short overview session that invites business and startup leaders to explore the ways that racism is playing out in business culture. This session will give participants the opportunity to reflect on how the dominant culture shows up in our work and will explore some tools and strategies to start your anti-racist journey as a founder or leader. 

After Donte's session, you'll have the opportunity to join a circle group discussion on how his presentation applies specifically to startups, businesses, and social enterprises; giving space for individuals to openly discuss and connect on ideas, reflections, and next steps.

80% of people with disabilities are unemployed or under-employed. Listen to Nicole Rabinowitz of Inclusive Networking & Tasya Kelen of Isadore Nut Co discuss steps to bring people with disabilities into your company.  The panel aims to shine a light on inclusion from multiple perspectives. Joining them are Isadore Nut Co employee Abby Pearson and Allianz employee Ajani Lewis-McGhee. 

It's no secret companies with more diversity are more successful. So why are the venture capital and tech startup sectors lagging behind in funding and hiring? In this panel discussion, we discuss the importance of equal access and the best ways entrepreneurs and VC's can promote diversity.