WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / November 4, 2021 / Is it possible to go from having zero working tech experience to a career in a multi-million dollar tech company, without any prior training? Unicorns.co thinks so. Launching at Dreamforce in 2019, Unicorns has quickly grown to become one of the top training platforms in the tech industry - having members work at Google, Apple, Zelle and other top tech companies.
Accelerating into tech
The fast-growing startup achieved success by recognizing and solving a need - that there needs to be an alternative path to high paying entry-level jobs as spending 4 years at a college isn't everyone's first choice.
CEOs across the globe have long shown concern over sourcing the right skills and talent for specialist tech roles. With well-documented shortages of tech talent persisting for over a decade, traditional training methods do not seem to have adequately addressed these shortages.
Zaze Ocòn, founder of Unicorns realized this and decided to plug the skills gap in a unique way that nodded to his own unique beginnings. He leveraged the untapped market of non-traditional tech talent from socially disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds to connect skilled talent with tech roles. As someone who shared a similar background, Zaze understood exactly how to make these connections work.
Using a hands-on mentorship program, Unicorns.co is progressively closing the social inequality gap and helping tech companies find difficult-to-find talent in one swift move. Since April 2020, Unicorns has helped over 150 students land entry-level tech jobs in as little as 4 months. In one short year, Unicorns' students have successfully landed jobs at Google, TikTok, Facebook, DataRails and other top companies without any tech industry experience.
With this success, Zaze is now helping people get into Congress - specifically, women and people of color.
Accelerating into Congress
Why Congress? While statistics show that the 117th Congress is the most diverse in history, it still comprises 73% of men (of which 85% are white males). For context, the entire US population according to Census.gov is only 49.2% male. This shows a clear disparity in the composition of lawmakers as reflected by comparison to the general population. The US Congress currently has 23% people of color (Latinx, Black and Asian) - which sets up unequal policies due to underrepresented women and people of color. Through Congress.io - a 501(c)3 accelerator, Zaze's team wants to change this demographic by helping more women and people of color get into the U.S Congress.
With this in mind, there is yet another demographic that shows even lower representation figures within Congress. Figures from the Census Bureau show that 67% of Americans do not hold a college diploma - yet, only 2% of these people are represented in Congress. This exposes another huge gap in the system and one that Congress.io is determined to fill.
"This new representation will allow for inclusive policies and new voices to be heard when setting up the infrastructure of the New America", Zaze Ocòn says.
Traditionally, most of the legislation and policies have been created by the overwhelming majority of white males in Congress. Now, in preparation for the 2022 elections, Congress.io aims to work with rising political talent to secure a seat among the 234 open seats (out of 435 total seats) in the house of Congress. These individuals will be adequately positioned to influence the legislation governing the United States of America. Congress.io aims to re-evaluate existing regulations with a bid to identify more opportunities for improvement and inclusion of women who represent 50% of the population and only 27% of congress. Zaze believes that women deserve to be included in decision-making positions, with access to opportunities to lead with thoughtfulness.
Building a better future
Congress.io's long term aim is to see a Congress that is represented by up to 60% women and 60% people of color. Most people might consider this an impossible feat, but Congress.io begs to differ. And the inspiring startup puts its money where its mouth is, already achieving a non-profit 501(c)3 status with board members in technology and politics.
Zaze stresses that "America is still a very young country and will play an important role in humanity's development. Creating a place for the world to settle and giving others a chance to have representation is imperative for future generations around the world. Diversity is our strength, and we aim to create and establish diversity in the US Congress."
By drawing from lessons learned from addressing the tech talent shortage, Zaze aims to replicate his success in addressing the problems of underrepresented minorities in Congress. Using a system of careful selection and mentorship, he aims to bridge the gap between passions, getting underrepresented political talent prepared for the U.S Congress. Though this is a non-traditional approach, Congress.io aims to systematically but surely create the type of world that creates a more inclusive and enduring country - one candidate at a time.
Building the New America - join the movement at Congress.io
Media Contact:
Senjuti Biswas
415 412 5011
[email protected]
SOURCE: Unicorns