Diversifying the Boston tech sector with Smarter in the City

The statistics for minorities in technology and entrepreneurship are underwhelming to put it mildly.

• 9.2% of tech industry employees are Latinx and African Americans
• 0.2% of venture funding goes to black females
• 20% of firms with paid employees are owned by minorities
• The average net worth of blacks in Boston is $8

Enter Smarter in the City, which was created as a way to diversify Boston's tech sector by reaching out to entrepreneurs with less traditional backgrounds from less traditional neighborhoods in Boston. The organization believes that supporting a diverse ecosystem of entrepreneurs makes the startup community better while also allowing mentors to go back into their communities and improve the diversity in their own organizations. Since their founding in 2014, they have helped launch 20 startups led by underrepresented entrepreneurs.