Defying the Odds
It seems like whenever I'm all set and ready to give up on myself, the universe sends a message to keep pushing forward.
For the past two nights, I've attended a Defy Ventures pitching competition. Defy Ventures is a non-profit organization that connects venture capitalists with currently and formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs. Each night, I was completely blown away at not only the ideas of the Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs), but the burning passion and knowledge for the work they were doing.
Let me be honest: while San Francisco and Silicon Valley are truly hubs for tech and there's a bunch of cool stuff going on here, this place isn't some magical progressive utopia like many pretend to think. It's over-saturated with straight, wealthy white men who see themselves as the standard for what innovation means. You've been living under a rock to not know about the terrible diversity numbers in the tech industry. This quarter has been a little frustrating because of that, 'cause the awe effect wore off pretty quickly. But Defy? Defy changed everything.
There I was, in my dirty Chuck Taylors and a washed out sweatshirt, sitting before the group of about 20 EITs. Their ideas spanned different sectors, from eco-friendly to small business advocating. Each of them stood in front of over 30 judges, and regular ol' people such as my classmates and I, to talk about their businesses. To make that monetary request. To push forward. I may not be trying to start a business, but I believe they possess something all of us can learn. Tenacity. Perseverance. Faith.
This quarter -- this year -- hasn't been easy. I've been thrown out of my comfort zone, forced to make some tough decisions, and endured some painful growth. This quarter alone, I've literally lost count of how many interviews I've had and how many jobs I have applied for. I can't tell you how many times I woke up doubting myself, facing imposter syndrome. Some days I compared myself to others and took frustration out in all the wrong ways. But after hearing from a room of people who had these whole stories of life when it ain't so pretty, I wanted to go forward just a lil' bit more.
One of the EITs just got home three weeks ago. And the wildest thing is his pitch was one of my personal favorites out of all of them. Yeah, he was nervous during his presentation, he even told us so. But when he got to talking about why he was the person for the job? And why he had the skills to pay the bills? His confidence went from 0 to 100, real quick. Did he know all the fancy Silicon Valley lingo when he was talking about his service? Nope. But that was the most refreshing part. I watched the video of another one of the EITs, as he talked about his journey (watch the video HERE). He isn't ashamed of his past, and where he came from. On the contrary, he uses the things he learned in his past to give him leverage for the future.
We hear all the time about the Mark Zuckerberg's and the Evan Spiegel's of the world. And you know what? I'm tired of hearing about them. I'm tired of the post-Ivy League stories. They certainly have a place in the Valley, but everyone already knows that. The Entrepreneurs-in-Training pitching at Defy, many people don't want to give them a place in the Valley. Many aren't affording them the success they deserve. But in that room, none of those people mattered. What mattered was encouraging one another, engaging in support. It wasn't four hours of bubble gumdrops, obviously there were product/service critiques and detailed feedback, but all of that was done with the success of the EITs in mind. No one was being encouraged to live on a barely there salary or any of that. They were just being encouraged, and they spent most of their time uplifting each other.
Three of my favorite quotes from the EITs:
Maybe I'm not an EIT. I'm not even an E (yet?)...but I'm definitely the IT part. And thanks to the people in that room, I've got a little bit more fight to give the world. I'm not tired yet. I've got a lot of odds against me, but I'm ready to defy them.
Until next time,
XoXo
-Si
For the past two nights, I've attended a Defy Ventures pitching competition. Defy Ventures is a non-profit organization that connects venture capitalists with currently and formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs. Each night, I was completely blown away at not only the ideas of the Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs), but the burning passion and knowledge for the work they were doing.
Let me be honest: while San Francisco and Silicon Valley are truly hubs for tech and there's a bunch of cool stuff going on here, this place isn't some magical progressive utopia like many pretend to think. It's over-saturated with straight, wealthy white men who see themselves as the standard for what innovation means. You've been living under a rock to not know about the terrible diversity numbers in the tech industry. This quarter has been a little frustrating because of that, 'cause the awe effect wore off pretty quickly. But Defy? Defy changed everything.
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| One of last night's EITs with words that I didn't know I needed |
There I was, in my dirty Chuck Taylors and a washed out sweatshirt, sitting before the group of about 20 EITs. Their ideas spanned different sectors, from eco-friendly to small business advocating. Each of them stood in front of over 30 judges, and regular ol' people such as my classmates and I, to talk about their businesses. To make that monetary request. To push forward. I may not be trying to start a business, but I believe they possess something all of us can learn. Tenacity. Perseverance. Faith.
 |
| Tie for best event I've attended in the Bay (tied with Chance the Rapper)! |
One of the EITs just got home three weeks ago. And the wildest thing is his pitch was one of my personal favorites out of all of them. Yeah, he was nervous during his presentation, he even told us so. But when he got to talking about why he was the person for the job? And why he had the skills to pay the bills? His confidence went from 0 to 100, real quick. Did he know all the fancy Silicon Valley lingo when he was talking about his service? Nope. But that was the most refreshing part. I watched the video of another one of the EITs, as he talked about his journey (watch the video HERE). He isn't ashamed of his past, and where he came from. On the contrary, he uses the things he learned in his past to give him leverage for the future.
We hear all the time about the Mark Zuckerberg's and the Evan Spiegel's of the world. And you know what? I'm tired of hearing about them. I'm tired of the post-Ivy League stories. They certainly have a place in the Valley, but everyone already knows that. The Entrepreneurs-in-Training pitching at Defy, many people don't want to give them a place in the Valley. Many aren't affording them the success they deserve. But in that room, none of those people mattered. What mattered was encouraging one another, engaging in support. It wasn't four hours of bubble gumdrops, obviously there were product/service critiques and detailed feedback, but all of that was done with the success of the EITs in mind. No one was being encouraged to live on a barely there salary or any of that. They were just being encouraged, and they spent most of their time uplifting each other.
Three of my favorite quotes from the EITs:
- "You never know what someone's going through or what impact you can have on their life."
- "Don't trip off of the money, just do what you do."
- "I've already defied the odds by being among you all."
Maybe I'm not an EIT. I'm not even an E (yet?)...but I'm definitely the IT part. And thanks to the people in that room, I've got a little bit more fight to give the world. I'm not tired yet. I've got a lot of odds against me, but I'm ready to defy them.
Until next time,
XoXo
-Si
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