Seeking to go where few others have journeyed, former British-born broadcast reporter, Kunbi Tinuoye, recognized that the dearth of reporting on pioneering African Americans in Silicon Valley and STEM was a problem in mass media.
Her answer: UrbanGeekz, a digital news platform focused on technology, science and business. It offers original print and video content on startups, geek gadgets, social media, scientific advancements and entrepreneurship.
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“Our demographic is inter-generational, ranging from 20-somethings to 50-somethings, and reflects a wide range of interests and experiences, from tech-savvy millennials to professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs,†says founder Kunbi Tinuoye, who acknowledges the site’s deliberate focus on issues related to diversity in the technology sector. “The website is only six months old and, in a short time, we’ve had a lot of traction, including a successful strategic partnership with tech giant AT&T.â€
The video-centric news site aims to make technology ‘cool’ and accessible, while highlighting science, technology, engineering and math-related fields as exciting and rewarding career paths. In addition, the website has a passionate following of female readers. Tinuoye says its consumers are primarily from the United States but the platform also has growing readership from across the globe.
Aiming to promote educational achievement and career exploration in STEM communities, especially among under-severed communities, the site creates an outlet for dialogue on the most pressing and relevant issues in STEM-related fields.
BlackEnterprise.com tech writer, Marcia Wade Talbert, reached out to Tinuoye
to learn her motivation, inspiration and plan to grow UrbanGeekz into a cutting-edge vehicle for exploring black issues and innovative careers for under-served communities in the technology and science ecosystems.BlackEnterprise.com: What inspired you to start a site about African Americans in tech?
Kunbi Tinuoye: I spotted a gap in the market. Mainstream tech sites do not pay enough attention to the growing multicultural market. Knowledge that the big tech firms heavily skew towards male, white and Asian was also another factor. However, for me this is more than a business venture, it’s a labor of love. My mission is to make technology more accessible, while highlighting STEM fields as exciting career paths for women and under-served communities.
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Why is UrbanGeekz important; not just for blacks but for the general public?
This isn’t simply a race or gender issue. A
merica is facing a shortage of workers in STEM fields. Even today some industries struggle with the supply and availability of high-quality STEM workers. If the U.S. is to remain internationally competitive it must produce a skilled workforce with significant abilities in STEM and technology. The United States needs a technologically savvy workforce for innovation, economic growth and global competitiveness. By 2050 minorities will be the majority in America, according to predictions released by the U.S. Census Bureau.What was the most challenging part about moving forward with this project?
Being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint-hearted. You need a huge amount of faith, self-belief and dogged determination. My biggest challenges have been resources and finances, but that only pushed me to be more creative. I have had a lot of success building my team and forming strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships. I’m a firm-believer in collaboration and working on collective strengths.
What can we expect to see from UrbanGeekz in the future?
We will continue to build a loyal audience, and we also hope to secure interviews with some of the big players in Silicon Valley. Further down the line, the team will announce details of The UrbanGeekz 100, an annual list of emerging and established multicultural leaders who have demonstrated power and influence in technology, science and business. The handpicked list will culminate with an on-site exclusive awards gala honoring these dynamic leaders and influencers of color who have achieved success in their prospective industries.