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 b...
