Diversity & Inclusion
DEI / POC in Tech

What the Philly tech scene can teach Silicon Valley about diversity

And why Silicon Valley might not listen.

Brigitte Daniel at the July 2015 meeting of The ITEM, a group that aims to organize the tech scene's entrepreneurs of color. (Photo by Juliana Reyes)

Philadelphia’s tech scene has work to do in terms of racial diversity, but it seems to be doing better than the mainstream tech scene in Silicon Valley.
A recent Next City article explores why that is and if Silicon Valley might takes cues from us. The story features SEER Interactive CEO Wil Reynolds and the city’s director of entrepreneurial engagement, Archna Sahay.
Here’s the kicker, though:

And yet, the most important factor in expanding diversity in tech and startups remains cash. “When you’re a startup saying, ‘hey, we want to be super diverse,’ you’re not going to attract investors,” Reynolds says.
[…]
Until the tech community in Philadelphia improves its viability and garners a critical mass of first-round funding, its better-than-average demographics will continue to appear circumstantial.

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