#WI at the Austin A-List Awards
Last week #WI attended an exciting event, getting to hear startup stories from inspiring founders like Mark McClain — Founder of Sailpoint Technologies, Samantha Snabes — Co-Founder of re:3D, Dr. Collette Pierce — President & CEO of Huston-Tillotson and Brian Sheth Co-Founder of Vista Equity. I was present to the enormous part of Austin’s culture that celebrates the creative and entrepreneurial. I’m extremely grateful to be in a city that shares those values. Most moving for me was Brian Sheth when he said, ‘Those in this room have been caught up in Austin’s jet stream of opportunity, and we also need to make sure that all of Austin is included in that jet stream.’ We believe that meaningful work is the greatest connector to opportunity and #WI is at its core a project about connecting Austin’s people to meaningful work.
Hearing the stories about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship was heartening too. Every little piece of advice helps. Most recently an article by mentor Holly Tachovsky helped me focus on #WI’s primary business value instead of trying to do everything for everyone (‘Market FOMO’ as she termed it). Our inclusivity assessments of a company’s hiring process and customized recommendations are what will open firms up to top talent they have been missing. Thank’s to all our great mentors. YOU are a huge part in the acceleration that is happening during this program.
We are also working to build a list of Austin’s top professional affinity groups and their leadership. BWISE (Black Women In Science and Engineering) is a great example of they types of groups we are looking to connect with. We believe curated professional development events hosted at corporate partners of #WI are another great way to build connection. We would like to talk to leaders of these groups about their goals and needs for their members.
In Gratitude,
#WI
ABOUT US
We’re building an ecosystem that connects top talent from diverse backgrounds to Austin’s most innovative companies. Our success supports Austin in developing leading corporate cultures, building employers of choice and harnessing the creative potential of our biggest asset, Austin’s people.
