In 2012, blogger and tech entrepreneur Kathryn Finney founded digitalundivided to bridge the gap for women of color in the tech industry. The organization seeks to boost the efforts of influential Black and Latina media influencers and tech leaders through specialized programs and targeted initiatives. As of 2016, digitalundivided boasts over $13 million in funds raised and 48 companies built.
Over the weekend, at SXSW, Finney announced a brave new venture and a major step for digitalundivided. Finney and her organization launched the BIG accelerator program, a 16-week track for promising companies led by women of color. The program will be housed in a 6,000-square-foot space in Atlanta and was financed by the Harriet Fund. The Harriet Fun is a recently launched program led by Finney alongside major investor Gayle Jennings O’Byrne. The Fund focuses exclusively on investing in
“This has never been done for black women before,” Finney tells The Root. “First we quantified the problem with our #ProjectDiane research study, and now we’re solving it via the BIG Innovation Center!”