Niesha Butler
Founder & CEO of ScrapSports
Niesha is the Founder and CEO of ScrapSports, soon to be the leading platform for sports scrapbooking. A digital space where memories are preserved, triumphs are celebrated, and unique experiences are shared, ScrapSports is the embodiment of Niesha’s lifelong passion for sports and technology.
She is a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and teaches inner city kids to code in her free time. Proud of her Aruban and Puerto Rican roots, her family immigrated from there to NYC. After breaking scoring records in New York City, she became an All-American point guard and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
Connect with Niesha on Facebook, her Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter. Follow ScrapSports on Facebook.
What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you get through it?
I am a young sister of color raising capital for a sports technology company…lol. There are challenges all around me, but I also see Black Girl Magic all around me as well. I like to employ the wisdom of a review of Malcolm Gladwell’s book David and Goliath: “He perceived major disadvantages in fact turn out to be the keys to the underdog Davids’ triumph against Goliath-like opponents or situations. In one arc, Gladwell cites various seeming afflictions that may in fact have significantly contributed to success.” So you see, my challenges will contribute to my success!
What’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?
It is really important to me to have a mentor on my journey, but it’s also really important to me to serve as a mentor as well. My “little sister” has changed what she wants to be when she grows up several times, but when she said she wanted to be a coder I was jumping for joy. I felt somehow in some way me exposing her to the world of developers played a role in her decision. A child typically can’t dream to be someone they cant see.
What’s something that’s been on your mind this Black History Month?
I wish there were more Black History Months on the calendar. :) Okay, but seriously, as we all navigate these turbulent waters of the “Trump era,” I can only hope that all of us as Americans remember the good values and foundation our country stands for and focus on developing the things that brings us together moving forward — not the things that tear us apart and remind us of the evils of the past. Black History Month is a time to celebrate the voices of the once voiceless, giving a seat at the table to people who look like me, and who are rarely depicted in technology. I hope that we continue to change the narrative and build a more inclusive and diverse culture in technology.
