When Janice Omadeke came to Austin to further develop her workplace inclusion startup, The Mentor Method, she already knew that she would love the city.
Though she had only visited a few times for SXSW and work conferences, she felt like it might be her landing spot and a place to further her goal of encouraging inclusion in tech.
"I always felt like it would be my final destination," she told me. "It's this wonderful combination of authenticity and grit."
Now, Omadeke and her partners at BLNDED Media and SocialGood.us are launching a new awards program called the Austin Mosaic Awards to spotlight tech startups and mature tech companies that have exemplary diversity and inclusion efforts.
After gather nominations from the community and reviewing submissions with judges, Mosaic on Wednesday announced 20 finalists. The top five companies will be announced at the Austin Mosaic Awards on July 19 at WeWork Congress at 7 p.m. Omadeke stressed that the event is open to everyone from all backgrounds and is intended to bring the whole community together. (Tickets here.)
The finalists are split into groups based on company size. Here are the finalists.
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Large
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Indeed, Microsoft, Walmart, Visa, Bank of America
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Mid
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RetailmeNot, WP Engine, Atlassian, Galvanize, HomeAway
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Small
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Umoveit Wecleanit Commercial Janitorial Enterprises, Da Slice, Casa Chapala, Chi’lantro, Bliss Transit
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Startup
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4.0 GPA, Threatcare, Sandbox Commerce, Loanables, BetterBeeHive
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Nonprofit
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DivInc, The New Philanthropist, BLF Foundation, BWISE, MassChallenge
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Omadeke said she came up with the idea shortly after arriving in Austin to be part of the MassChallenge Texas accelerator. She said she was amazing companies and a lot of work being done to improve diversity. But she didn't see many efforts to spotlight the work companies are doing to build more inclusive teams.
“Instead of going the typical route and building a consultancy or workshop, this is a way to highlight the companies that are really making strides to make Austin diverse,” she said.
She was quickly joined by Naji H. Kelley, founder and CEO of BLNDED Media, which reports on diverse innovators and leaders in Austin, and Ruben Cantu, CEO of the LevelUp Institute and CEO of SocialGood.us, which is part of a worldwide network that does pitch events and funds social innovations.
The Mosaic Awards have also gotten support from the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, The Autstin LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, WeWork and other organizations.
Now, Omadeke, who had a feeling about Austin, has decided to stay and expand The Mentor Method here. That gives Austin one more diverse startup -- and one that is laser-focused on improving our tech scene.
Editor's Note: Austin Inno has an editorial partnership with BLNDED Media. Learn more about that here.
