Tag Archives: Diversity and Inclusion

How Google is supporting intersectional Latino communities

Image: Hacienda Auroraby Francisco Oller, collection of the Museo de Arte de Ponce on Google Arts & Culture

My family is of Salvadoran and Mexican descent — with the Indigenous, Afro-Latino and European roots that come with that lineage. One thing that they ingrained in me all my life was the importance of our culture and values. As I got older, these lessons helped me as I came into my truth, including when I came out as queer. I can’t disentangle all these parts of my identity — nor would I want to — and I’ve been lucky enough to have a supportive queer Latinx community around me along the way.

Everyone should have access to these supportive spaces, where they can see themselves and find a sense of self-acceptance and belonging. That’s why Google’s continued commitment to creating these spaces for diverse communities matters so much. I’m glad to see my team at Google.org supporting the culture, history and diversity of Latinos across the U.S., and using our platforms to make sure people can get connected to more resources. Here are a few ways we’re doing so this Hispanic Heritage Month.

Strengthening Latino LGBTQ+ and Indigeneous communities

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to shine a light on our cultural contributions and histories, but it’s also a time to reflect on the challenges we still face. For some within our community, intersecting marginalized identities mean that they are disproportionately affected by discrimination and barriers compared to the broader community as a whole. For Indigenous communities, that can mean the erasure of first languages, lack of access to healthcare or inequities in education. For LGBTQ+ people it can result in lower levels of business support and discrimination for queer business owners.

Google.org is proud to support organizations that are tackling these issues head on. We’re providing a total of $500,000 in Google.org grants to three organizations who are focused on intersectionality in the Latino community:

Continuing our support for Latino culture and cultural institutions

Inclusive spaces can be virtual, too, like the Latino Cultures in the U.S. project on Google Arts & Culture, which we first launched in 2017. The project has grown every year since, and now features more than 60 institutions and over 150 stories. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we added the largest online collection of Puerto Rican arts, with over 900 artworks digitized in high-resolution, thanks to a partnership with Lin-Manuel and Luis Miranda. And to further celebrate Latino culture in the U.S., Google.org has made a $1 million grant to the National Museum of the American Latino, a new museum joining the Smithsonian Institution network in Washington D.C. Latino communities are an integral part of America, and this museum will showcase our contributions for generations to come.

  • Escena del Rio by Manuel E. Jordán, collection of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña on Google Arts & Culture. A painting of a river surrounded by palm trees and puffy white clouds. Two people wade in the water and a sailboat floats in the middle of the scene.

    Escena del Rio by Manuel E. Jordán, collection of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña on Google Arts & Culture

  • Goyita by Rafael Tufiño, collection of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña on Google Arts & Culture. A portrait of a person wearing a head wrap.

    Goyita by Rafael Tufiño, collection of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña on Google Arts & Culture

  • House Interior II by Analida Burgos, collection of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico on Google Arts & Culture. A painting of a stylized house surrounded by an orange border.

    House Interior II by Analida Burgos, collection of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico on Google Arts & Culture

Using our platform to connect Latinos to critical resources

Over the past year, Google.org has also supported a number of Hispanic and Latino nonprofits with more than $500,000 in donated Google Search advertising — helping them reach a broader audience and share vital resources. This includes:

  • UnidosUS, the largest Latino advocacy organization in the U.S., which has used Search Ads to amplify culturally-relevant COVID-19 information since the start of the pandemic
  • Hispanic Access Foundation, which is using donated advertising to recruit young leaders of color for internship opportunities with organizations like the U.S. National Park Service

When we support those in the margins, we elevate our entire society. I’m proud of the work Google is doing to support Hispanic and Latino communities, especially for those at the intersections. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month to all of the people who make our communities vibrant and beautiful simply by existing.

4 Googlers on coming out at work — and in life

Every year, National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is on October 11. We’ve made enormous strides for equality and acceptance since the inception of NCOD 34 years ago. Yet even in 2022, sharing one’s sexuality and gender identity can be a challenge for many members of the LGBTQ+ global community for a variety of cultural, political, religious and personal reasons. In many parts of the world, coming out continues to be a deeply courageous act of LGBTQ+ activism.

Be it in one’s community or in the workplace, coming out is the first step to living authentically and having pride in one’s identity. Google is committed to creating a culture of inclusion that supports all of our employees around the world, including members of the LGBTQ+ community – no matter how they identify.

A key part of creating a workplace that recognizes and celebrates diversity is offering a platform where people can share stories about their personal experiences and truths. We want to extend an enormous thanks to the four Googlers who have opened up to share their stories for this year’s National Coming Out Day. These stories represent just a small fraction of Google’s diverse and vibrant LGBTQ+ community.

“Coming in” before coming out

Jean Illyria (she/her), who works in our Singapore office with Google Customer Solutions, says she first used technology to come out as a trans woman. “If you’ve ever played a role-playing game, you’d know how it feels to experience the world through this third-person view, responding to events and making decisions for your virtual character based on a story you’ve crafted for them,” she says. “The experiences you have are real, the emotions you feel may be real, but it’s all very much unreal. My life felt like a game, so naturally, I first came out while chatting in a game. The anonymity and the appearance of my virtual person seemed to make it much easier.”

Ever since surrounding herself with people who accept and support her, Jean has been able to focus on living life to the fullest. “Coming out may seem like a huge milestone and a rite of passage for LGBT folks, but don’t come out just for the sake of coming out,” she says. “Instead, focus on what coming out would do for you, and consider the costs and benefits of doing so for your individual situation. Start by prioritizing what’s been dubbed as ‘coming in’: Learn to accept, embrace and celebrate your identity for yourself.”

I'm a better employee, teammate, and manager because I can be my authentic self at work.

Coming out at work

California-based Googler Marnie Florin (any gender-neutral pronouns, such as they/them and ze/zir), who works in people operations, first came out as queer and then as nonbinary. Because Marnie uses gender-neutral pronouns, they need to come out to every new person they meet to avoid being misgendered. For Marnie and many nonbinary people, being misgendered is painful; it pulls them out from what they're doing and creates feelings of disconnection and rejection simply because of who they are. This is especially taxing when working at a large company, which is just one example of why allyship is so important.

It took two months for Marnie to come out when they joined Google in 2014. “I agonized over how to do it: Should I tell everyone in person, should I have my manager do it, should I let people find out organically? Ultimately, I decided to send an email to my larger team and the responses were so incredible,” they say. “It was so freeing to stop hiding such a significant part of my identity. I'm a better employee, teammate, and manager because I can be my authentic self at work.”

Deciding when the time is right

Working in London, Nayem Chowdhury (he/him) is from a traditional Muslim immigrant family and worried about coming out. He says he spent so much energy hiding his true self — energy he believed he could otherwise spend enjoying life.

“It’s particularly hard to manage different levels of authenticity at work and in your personal life, so it was very liberating to come out at Google,” he says. “In fact, I was out at work first. It’s given me access to so many amazing people and opportunities through LGBTQ+ employee resource groups, and it gave me the confidence to come out to my parents.”

Nayem says it’s crucial people come out only when the time is right for them, and not feel pressured to do so. “Go at your own pace and do it your own way,” he says. “I regret not coming out to my parents sooner as I thought I had to do it face-to-face, but I kept putting it off. I eventually did it over email, which suited me much better.”

Learn to accept, embrace and celebrate your identity for yourself.

Being an example to others

Googler Guilherme Saconatto (he/him), who works in Brazil as an account executive, said he didn’t know just how much he yearned for community and felt like he was compartmentalizing his identity before coming out. “Before coming out, you don’t realize how lonely you are with your secret,” he says. But when he came out to his close friends and they were supportive, he says, “It felt like being welcomed into a new world.”

Guilherme says coming out doesn’t just affect an individual — it impacts the LGBTQ+ community around the world. “There is nothing more freeing and rewarding than being able to remain faithful to ourselves at all times,” he says. “The queer community needs our heroes and role models visible to allow ourselves to aspire to reach higher. Visibility is still one of the most powerful tools in changing society.”

A pilot program to build a diverse pool of policy experts

During the 15 years I have been at Google, I have seen important improvements in the diversity of our workforce. For example, I used to be the only woman in the room, but now I am often surrounded by talented women leaders.

I work in the world of government affairs and public policy, which means engaging with governments and influencers to find constructive solutions to challenges that our industry and society face today. Having diverse representation and voices is important to us, as so much of our work requires building relationships across different groups, geographies, issues, and perspectives. But we must still do more to ensure that we are fostering a tech policy ecosystem that reflects the diversity of the world we build for.

That’s why our team started the Policy Summer Institute (PSI) with our academic partners at CIVICA, an alliance of eight leading European higher education institutions in the social sciences. The goal: to promote professional opportunities of first-generation university students in the digital policy ecosystem.

For our first year, nine scholars from Sudan to Switzerland had the opportunity to learn about how we work on tech policy by spending a week with our government affairs and public policy team in Europe. They then completed a summer internship funded by Google with one of our partner consultancies.

I am delighted that several of our scholars were offered further employment opportunities at their agencies following their internships. Others will continue to explore tech policy issues through their studies.

Shivona Fernandes-Köhler, an Msc. Politics and Policy Analysis student at Bocconi University in Milan, shared her key takeaways from the experience:

What was your motivation to apply for the program?

I have always been interested in the interrelations between the private and public sector, especially regarding innovation, and wanted to understand the impact that policy firms and big tech have on the world around us. However, without an existing network, internships in the field are often limited and challenging to gain access to. When I first saw the program, I didn’t think I had a chance, but when I saw that it focused on first-generation university students, I felt motivated to apply and showcase that diversity is in fact my strength.

Seven photographs of ten people in various locations at Google offices.

Our amazing first cohort of PSI scholars. Shivona is on the top right in a white shirt standing next to Mahreen Zaidi San Miguel, who was a coordinator of the program.

How has this experience prepared you for the next stage of your career?

In the immediate term, I'll be staying on with the policy agency I interned with as a working student while I finish my studies. Being part of the PSI showed me that it's important to get a range of experience in different sectors, and that in order to really progress my career, I'll need to build a strong network of professional contacts. Being part of this program and working with fascinating and diverse individuals has given me a new sense of confidence, one that highlights that taking a unique path is key to a successful future.

What was something you learned that was unexpected or surprising?

My summer in Berlin was filled with surprises. I was unaware of the many facets of this sector and the incredible team effort involved in making it function. From the outside, it can appear as if policy-making is not something that businesses should be involved in, but rather something that should be left to the politicians. Instead, I have realized that both the public and the private are essential to one another and that they can only function with a well-coordinated network. I was also surprised on a personal and cultural level. Despite living in Italy, and being raised in Germany, I never realized that working cultures can be so different even within a country!

Can you share an example over this summer where you brought a different perspective to the work you were doing?

People in the tech and policy world can often get stuck in their own bubbles: Everyone has their own habits, organizational methods and ways of communicating. Being at a small policy firm that had just begun working with Google, I had the opportunity to develop methods and strategies to make collaboration and communication easier and more effective. I was especially involved in delivering new event formats and monitoring media updates. As a newcomer to the sector, I was able to highlight areas of ambiguity and improve existing organizational matters, facilitating workflow and workload.

While the tech policy industry needs to do a lot more when it comes to diversity, I am proud of the results of this pilot program and look forward to continuing to work with our partners to build a robust, diverse talent pool that supports our industry’s growth.

These Latino entrepreneurs are creating opportunity

Google for Startups is on a mission to support a global startup community that is inclusive, accessible, and equitable—not only because it is the right thing to do, but because diversity drives innovation and opportunity. The founders we support through programs like the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fundare often using their unique perspectives to solve problems and build generational wealth within their communities. After helping us ring in Hispanic Heritage Month at the NASDAQ Opening Bell, some of the first 50 recipients of the Latino Founders Fundshared how they are leveraging tech and support from the program to create opportunity within the Latino community and beyond. If you’re a Latino entrepreneur or know a great Latino-led startup and would like to be informed about future opportunities to apply for the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund, please visit this interest form.

Conoce a emprendedores Latinos que Google for Startups está ayudando a crecer

Google for Startups tiene la misión de apoyar una comunidad global de empresas emergentes que sea inclusiva, accesible y equitativa, no solo porque es lo correcto, sino porque la diversidad impulsa la innovación y las oportunidades. Los fundadores que apoyamos a través de programas como el Fondo de Fundadores Latinos de Google for Startupsa menudo usan sus perspectivas únicas para resolver problemas y generar riqueza generacional dentro de sus comunidades. Después de ayudarnos a celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana sonando la campana de apertura de NASDAQ, algunos de los primeros 50 beneficiarios del Fondo para Fundadores Latinoscompartieron cómo están aprovechando la tecnología y el apoyo del programa para impulsar el crecimiento económico dentro de la comunidad Latina y más allá. Si eres un emprendedor Latino o conoces una gran empresa emergente liderada por Latinos y deseas recibir información sobre oportunidades futuras de cómo aplicar para el Fondo de Fundadores Latinos de Google for Startups, entra a este formulario de interés.

This retreat led to an award-winning research proposal

Editor’s note:Google’s Computer Science Education Research (CS-ER) awardsprovide one year of funding for scientific research and pilot-stage ideas focused on improving CS learning and teaching. Today’s post is authored by Dr. Ain Grooms and Dr. Stefanie Marshall, whose research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education received a 2022 CS-ER award. Learn more about our other 2022 CS-ER award recipients.

On a cloudy day, we checked our inboxes to find a special invitation from Dr. Tamara Pearson, the director of Spelman College’s Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM.

Her note said she was partnering with Google to sponsor a three-day “Care and Create” retreat in Napa, California, for 10 Black women CS researchers. We eagerly packed our bags, excited to share space with other academics who were passionate about improving CS teaching and learning. The moment we arrived in Napa, we knew this retreat was special.

The Care and Create retreat did just as its name promised: It created a trusting, supportive and caring environment for Black women researchers. There was time for reflection — as a group and individually — about the space we take up and the space we give up as Black women in academia who study educational equity. And there was time for self-care, which sparked further conversations about how little quality time we routinely take for ourselves. In society and in our professional and personal lives, Black women are often positioned as caretakers or “othermothers.” But for three days in Napa, we finally had a small, intimate space to be seen and cared for as whole beings. The retreat allowed us to embrace, first, our value as Black women, while also honoring the value we bring to the research field.

We are thrilled that our research proposal, which was born out of this retreat, is the recipient of Google’s 2022-23 Computer Science Education Research (CS-ER) award. Our study will explore how states have created policy infrastructures to support equity-focused CS education. We hope our research findings will help create more access to CS learning opportunities, specifically for underserved youth across the U.S. We will conduct this research study over the next year alongside other CS-ER award recipients. As the first all-women CS-ER cohort, we are grateful to be in community with these researchers. Learn more about our work and our stories.

One researcher’s take on Google’s mentorship program

As a sophomore at Howard University, Leslie Coney discovered what would soon become her “superpower” while she and a friend were washing their hands in the bathroom. Attempting to use the hand dryer, they noticed it worked without issue for Leslie, but not for her friend, who had darker skin. Leslie shared this experience with a professor, who introduced her to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the study of how humans interact with technology.

Leslie started questioning who was actually considered when designing, building and testing technologies. This kicked off her computer science (CS) research journey in Human Centered Design and Engineering, specifically exploring how Black people can influence and are impacted by technology.

Today, Leslie is a PhD student at the University of Washington with a focus on Black maternal health. She’s also a recent graduate of Google’s CS Research Mentorship Program (CSRMP). Through mentorship and peer-to-peer networking, CSRMP supports undergraduate and graduate students from historically marginalized groups pursuing computing research. The program aims to increase the diversity of PhD graduates in computing-related fields and ensure the broader community of CS researchers includes the experiences, perspectives and concerns of people worldwide. Since 2018, CSRMP has hosted more than 730 students across more than 230 institutions. And our next class of nearly 300 students starts in just a few weeks.

Reflecting on her CSRMP experience, Leslie shared more about its impact on her career and her advice for future participants.

How did you get into the research field?

I focused on building community, seeking guidance from my professors and taking advantage of as many resources as possible both on and off-campus. For example, I received funding through Google’s Conference Scholarships program to attend conferences like Tapia and Grace Hopper Celebration, where I connected with other Black women researchers.

How did CSRMP prepare you for the next step in your research career?

My mentor helped me think critically about my research interests and what makes a program and advisor a good fit for me. He encouraged me to ask the tough questions when figuring out where I could be most successful in graduate school. He also helped me better understand what rigorous research looks like in academia and what to expect as a PhD student.

Were there any challenges you had to overcome during your time in CSRMP?

I wasn’t the most comfortable in my pod at first, given that I was the only Black woman in the group. My experience at a Historically Black University influenced me to focus my research efforts on the Black community — which was something I was proud of but nervous to share with folks who aren’t Black. There is an unnecessary pressure placed on researchers from marginalized groups to validate why centering marginalized experiences is sufficient and valuable. However, my CSRMP mentor and podmates reaffirmed this decision and supported my pursuit. Also, there are very nuanced experiences in academia that are specific to Black women, and while my mentor couldn't fully prepare me for them, he still encouraged me to seek relationships that could close that gap.

You just published your first piece! Tell us about it.

Yes, I did! My article, “Why you being WEIRD to me?: reflections of a black researcher on WEIRD-ness in HCI,” started out as a final assignment last fall. I was tasked with writing about common threads throughout readings on diversity, or the lack thereof, in HCI. Afterward, a peer and fellow Black woman researcher invited me to write something for the next edition of the Association for Computing Machinery XRDS series. Writing the paper was so much fun — I got to exercise my critical thinking muscles, incorporate cultural references and prioritize accessibility so people outside academia could engage, too.

What advice do you have for students who are underrepresented in CS research and getting started in this field?

More likely than not, you gravitate toward your lived experiences. So be confident in your identities and take advantage of programs like CSRMP to help you back up those lived experiences with practical knowledge. Next, treat the graduate school application process like dating — once you’re accepted, the ball is in your court to decide whether or not that program is a good fit for you. You have to be sure that you will feel safe and supported being yourself and conducting your research. Lastly, pace yourself and have fun! A PhD is a long commitment, so be sure to find a balance between work and play.

Congratulations to all the students who graduated from CSRMP in the first half of 2022. We look forward to supporting future students like Leslie, who are taking charge in computing research. Applications are now open for the January 2023 mentorship cycle — spread the word and apply by October 26, 2022.

An #IamRemarkable facilitator on the power of self-promotion

Editor's note: This article discusses a person who had suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know needs help, use Find a Helplineto access local emotional support resources.

What do you gain from being a facilitator?

Helping people gives me a lot of positive energy. For example, I’ve run workshops with refugees whose lives began changing for the better, and women who’ve lived through wars. You can’t beat the feeling of helping people. I love it, and don’t even mind running a workshop with people in New Zealand at 3 a.m., which I did during their lockdown.

What kinds of issues do you deal with as a facilitator?

Sometimes in a workshop, when people have to read what they’ve written, they start crying, shaking, can’t read or can’t turn on the camera. You have to be sensitive and reassure them. I’ve had times where everybody was crying — for example, when we heard the story of a trans woman from Iran. But emotion connects people, too. Hearing others' life stories inspired me to live mine, and I hope that my story will help others to share their stories too.

To get involved and hear more stories, join #IamRemarkable Week 2022 from September28-30. The agendafeatures talks with guests like Venus Williams(in cooperation with Talks at Google), Tom Daleyand Deepica Mutyala, plus panels, daily exercisesand online workshops.

#IamRemarkable: Anna Vainer founder story | Google
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Get ready for #IamRemarkable Week with 5 remarkable stories

Join #IamRemarkable Week, September 8-15, for remarkable stories, thought-provoking panels, confidence-boosting exercises and more.

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Recovery, community and healing on the job at Google

Just shy of a year ago, I can still vividly remember scanning The Keyword and coming across the headline, “How my recovery community helps keep me sober.”

Fresh out of grad school, I had been working at Google for just three months and I had been in recovery for almost three years. It was the first time in my life I wasn’t using drugs and alcohol to cope with the stresses and insecurities of work. Before I found recovery, I thought I owed my academic and professional successes to substance abuse. I drank and used drugs “to relax,” make friends and numb the chronic depression that immobilized me otherwise. Frankly, I didn’t know if I was cut out for Google on my own.

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How my recovery community helps keep me sober

Google software engineer Nick shares his struggles with alcohol and drugs and how his recovery community helps him maintain sobriety.

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Finding hope through community

When I opened that link and read about Google’s Recover Together website — which includes a searchable map to find nearby recovery groups and support resources for people and their families — let alone featuring an actual Googler in recovery, I knew I was in the right place. Addiction is still too often shamed and silenced, so it’s all the more commendable for a company like Google to use its technology, finances and branding capital to bring resources to the millions of people impacted.

The compassion and dignity of that story made me feel hopeful that I could make it at Google clean and sober – but I realized I may not have to do it “on my own.” After some searching, I found that Google's Disability Alliance Employee Resource Group had a dedicated group for those in recovery from any form of addiction. I had already been taking advantage of individual counseling through Google’s Employee Assistance Program, but for me there is nothing like building community to support healing. Over the past year, the recovery group has supported me through onboarding, battling imposter syndrome and other work-related experiences that would have previously sent me searching for solace at the bottom of a bottle.

We do recover – together

It’s difficult to express gratitude for the vulnerability, courage and wisdom the recovery community has brought into my life. Part of that is why I’m so excited to amplify my personal impact and be a part of the group working this year to host a slew of events for National Recovery Month.

On September 7, Google’s internal recovery group hosted an event embodying what recovery awareness and advocacy is all about: showing up, speaking up and standing up over and over and over again. This featured a stop from Mobilize Recovery Across America’s cross country tour and representatives from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Attendees shared personal stories of addiction and recovery, tips to ensure events are inclusive (like providing non-alcoholic options), information of where to dispose of prescription drugs properly, and tangible resources of how to help someone find recovery treatment or access immediate assistance (like the 988 crisis lifeline). To conclude the evening, the Google campus was lit up purple, the official color for Recovery Month.

Mobilize Recovery bus parked next to Google campus, lit purple in celebration of recovery month

Hilary Swift for Mobilize Recovery

This month, Google added new personal recovery stories, including mine, to its Recover Together site to inspire hope and combat stigma. U.S. trends and data tell us this is needed more now than ever. Comparing January-September of 2021 to the same date range in 2022, Google’s U.S. based searches for "AA meeting locator" and “addiction treatment near me” increased by 350% and 85% respectively. Further, a national study by the Pew Research Center reports that nearly half of Americans have a family member or friend impacted by addiction, with a fairly even distribution by political party, gender and other markers of identity. My hope is that videos and stories like mine will help others feel less alone. I hope it helps people find a way to join me and the other 25 million Americans thriving in long-term recovery.

Whether you’re just beginning your journey, or well along the path, know that recovery is possible. We do not have to self-medicate in the shadows. My experience has taught me that the more we open up and reach out, the easier it all becomes.

Visit g.co/recovertogetherto find recovery support groups in your area, and check out mobilizerecovery.org/for more information.

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Raising awareness of the dangers of fentanyl

Google continues to promote addiction awareness and highlight recovery support services for those affected by the fentanyl crisis.

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12 women founders talk tech in Founded’s fourth season

Women's entrepreneurship is rising — but women still own only one in three businesses globally. They also continue to get a small piece of the venture capital "pie”: Startups with all-women founders accounted for only 6.9% of deals during the first half of 2022, which marked a decade high.

At Women Techmakers, our goal is to build a world where all women can thrive in tech, providing visibility, community and resources for women in technology — and this includes women founders.

In 2020, to spotlight the voices of women founders globally, we launched Founded, a podcast interviewing women tech entrepreneurs around the world. This fall, we're bringing back Founded, but with a twist. We've made the move to video, and each episode will feature two women founders interviewing each other and talking about their experiences as founders and the challenges they faced along the way — everything from funding to managing technical teams.

Founded is not just about businesses but the passionate women behind them. The fourth season showcases 12 extraordinary founders from eight different countries. The first episode features Min Chen, Co-founder and CEO of Wisy — a California-based AI platform that helps retailers track inventory, using image recognition to detect when items need restocking. She’ll speak with Courtney McColgan, Founder and CEO of Runa, a Mexico-based company that provides software to automate payroll in Latin America.

On the left, a woman sits against a black background and smiles at the camera, leaning on her right hand. On the right, a woman wearing a white top and a gold necklace stands in front of a white background, looking into the camera and smiling.

Min Chen, Co-founder and CEO of Wisy (left) and Courtney McColgan, Founder and CEO of Runa (right)

Meet the other founders featured this season:

  • A headshot of a woman wearing a white shirt looking at the camera and smiling. The background is out of focus.

    Kasia Dorsey, Founder and CEO, Yosh.AI (Warsaw, Poland) — provides AI-powered voice and text agents to support customer service operations.

  • A headshot of a woman wearing a black shirt with a silver necklace smiling at the camera.

    Sasha Haco, Co-founder and CEO, Unitary (Cambridge, United Kingdom) — uses AI to help companies detect harmful content.

  • A woman wearing a pink top with a black cardigan stands in front of a window and smiles for the camera.

    SaLisa L. Berrien, Founder and CEO, COI Energy (Brooklyn, New York) — a digital energy management platform that eliminates energy waste in buildings and repurposes that waste for good.

  • A woman in a white blazer and blue top smiles for the camera. In the background there are flowers and a lamp.

    Georgene Huang, Co-founder and CEO, Fairygodboss (New York, New York) — the largest online career community for women.

  • A woman standing in front of the camera wearing a black shirt. In the background there is a kitchen and a mirror, both are out of focus.

    Maricarmen Herrerías, Co-founder and COO, Casai (Mexico City, Mexico) — a company that provides travelers with premium accommodations.

  • A woman dressed in black is sitting on a stool with her legs crossed. The background shows white walls and white tiled flooring, showing part of a zig-zag patterned rug.

    Melina Cruz, CEO, Homely (Mexico City, Mexico) — a company that connects people with trusted cleaners for home and office spaces.

  • A woman wearing a red top and a silver necklace stands against a white background and smiles at the camera.

    Vivian Nwakah, Founder and CEO, Medsaf (Lagos, Nigeria) — a medication supply chain management solution for hospitals and pharmacies.

  • A headshot of a woman wearing glasses and a black jacket smiling at the camera.

    Melissa Bime, Co-founder and CEO, Infiuss Health (Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria) — a company that connects U.S. and Europe-based pharmaceutical and life science companies and researchers with participants for clinical trials and research in Africa.

  • A headshot of a woman leaning on a table wearing a tan-colored jacket and smiling at the camera.

    Teresa Condicion, Co-founder and CEO, Shoplinks (Singapore) — digitizing and personalizing in-store promotions for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).

  • A woman wearing a white shirt and black trousers sits against a gray background with her hands crossed on her lap.

    Hyemin Lee, Co-founder and CEO, Finda (Seoul, South Korea) — an online comparison platform for various financial products.

The first episode will launch on September 26 — keep an eye out for it on the Women Techmakers YouTube channel.

Adelante: Progress for Latino communities across the U.S.

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I grew up in Argentina and came to this country 20 years ago. Like many fellow Latinos, I was looking for better opportunities — in pursuit of my American dream — while holding on to and sharing my culture, language and identity. It’s the reason why my daughter's first language was Spanish, and why I still drink mate and enjoy empanadas salteñas whenever I can. I think that’s what Hispanic Heritage Month is all about: honoring our culture, celebrating our contributions and thinking about our future.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, I am proud to share that Google has been hard at work for the past year to open new paths for future generations of Latinos. In 2021, we made a $15 million commitment to economic equity for Latinos. Today, we are providing an update on our work.

Earlier this summer, we announced the first 50 recipients of the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund at the UNIDOSUS National Conference. Each of the recipients received $100,000 in non-dilutive funding and $100,000 in Google Cloud credits to help their startups grow. The founders are now working hand-in-hand with Googlers, getting deep mentorship from technical and business experts, and building community with fellow founders.

Over the last two years, through Google.org grantees like the Hispanic Federation and Grow with Google partners like the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), we’ve provided digital skills to more than 35,000 Latinos across the U.S. and Puerto Rico for the growing number of jobs that require them. According to the Hispanic Federation, those that received digital skills training through their programs are seeing an average salary increase of $13,000 — that is real, meaningful change. As part of our commitment and ongoing partnership with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, we are hosting the Grow with Google Latino-Owned Business Summit live from their national conference in Phoenix, which will also be live streamed on YouTube.

We are proud of our progress and the impact of our commitments as we continue to execute against them. We are deeply committed to continue this work, engaging, investing and honoring the Latino community during this Hispanic Heritage Month and all year long. Stay tuned for more to come.

Adelante: Progreso para las comunidades Latinas en los Estados Unidos

Crecí en Argentina y vine a este país hace 20 años. Al igual que muchos otros Latinos, estaba buscando mejores oportunidades - en la búsqueda de mi sueño americano - mientras mantenía y compartía mi cultura, idioma e identidad. Es la razón por la cual el idioma materno de mi hija fue el español, y por eso todavía tomo mate y disfruto de las empanadas salteñas siempre que puedo. Creo que de eso se trata el Mes de la Herencia Hispana: rendirle homenaje a nuestra cultura, celebrar nuestras contribuciones y pensar en nuestro futuro.

Este Mes de la Herencia Hispana, me enorgullece compartir que Google ha trabajado arduamente durante el último año para abrirle nuevos caminos a las futuras generaciones de Latinos. En 2021, hicimos un compromiso de $15 millones para la equidad económica de los Latinos. Hoy, estamos proporcionando una actualización de nuestro trabajo.

A principios de este verano, anunciamos los primeros 50 beneficiarios del Fondo de Fundadores Latinos de Google para Startups en la Conferencia Nacional UNIDOSUS. Cada uno de los destinatarios recibió $100,000 en financiamiento no dilutivo y $100,000 en créditos de Google Cloud para apoyar el crecimiento de sus startups. Los fundadores ahora trabajan mano a mano con los Googlers, obteniendo una tutoría profunda de expertos técnicos y comerciales y desarrollo comunitario con otros fundadores.

En los últimos dos años, a través de los beneficiarios de Google.org como la organización Hispanic Federation y los socios de Grow with Google como la Asociación Hispana de Colegios y Universidades (HACU), hemos brindado habilidades digitales a más de 35,000 Latinos en los Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico para el creciente número de trabajos que las requieren.Según la organización Hispanic Federation, aquellos que recibieron capacitación digital por medio de sus programas están experimentando un aumento salarial de $13,000; ese es un cambio real y significativo. Como parte de nuestro compromiso y asociación continua con la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Estados Unidos, estamos organizando la cumbre de empresas de propiedad Latina, Grow with Google Latino-Owned Business Summit, en vivo desde su conferencia nacional en Phoenix, que también se transmitirá en vivo en YouTube.

Estamos orgullosos de nuestro progreso y del impacto de nuestros compromisos a medida que continuamos ejecutandolos. Estamos profundamente comprometidos a continuar con este trabajo, motivando, invirtiendo y honrando a la comunidad Latina durante este Mes de la Herencia Hispana y durante todo el año. ¡Estén atentos qué hay más por venir.