One of the biggest issues facing the technology sector, along with the rest of the nation, is creating a more equitable landscape for populations that have traditionally been underserved. And that doesn't just happen. It takes strong teams of community leaders, collaboration and buy-in from small businesses and big industries.
With that in mind, every year Austin nonprofit startup accelerator DivInc and its partners celebrate Austin leaders who helped advance conversations and actions throughout the community to make the city a more inclusive place.
"We want to inspire community members to get more engaged, to get more involved to support these leaders with their causes," said Preston James, co-founder and CEO of DivInc. "I want people to rally around them and be inspired by them."
Austin has made a variety of strides in recent years to make the startup and business landscape more diverse, he said.
"It's unfortunate to say, but we do have a long way to go," James said. "There are a lot of forces working against the great growth that a lot of these people are building, and so there's some very strong headwinds. People really just have to kind of stand up and say, 'Let's stop and come together, to not back away from those headwinds.'"
Increasing equity in the startup world will take a lot of work, including better ways of measuring disparities in funding and access, he said. But it's achievable.
"When we we all come together to look at what those core issues are, we can make much greater headway to address disparities that exist in our communities," he said. "It's not going to be that easy at all by any stretch."
In past years, the Champions of Change Awards have highlighted local leaders including SXSW's Hugh Forrest, T3 founder and author Gay Gaddis and Austin Independent School District Equity Officer Stephanie Hawley as nominees.
Last year, Farah Muscadin won the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader of the Year Award; Chaka x Qi Dada and Riders Against the Storm took home the Champions of the Year award; Mical J. Devine won the Student of the Year award; Meme Styles and Lolita Taub won the Investor of the Year awards; Nicole Taylor took home the Peoples' Choice award; Derrick Chubbs landed the Executive of the Year award; and Madison Butler won the Rising Star of the Year award.
This year, there's a new lineup of nominees, which you'll see below. They include nonprofit leaders, investors, startup founders and executives.
And don't forget to nominate for the People’s Choice Awards. Drop the names of trailblazing Austin area leaders right here.
The winners will be announced at the annual Champions of Change event, which is presented by Notley on March 3 at Fair Market in East Austin. The event aims to raise $100,000 for DivInc’s core programming to support underrepresented startup innovators.
For this year's event, DivInc secured support from Honorary Chair Chris Hyams, who is CEO of Indeed, as well as community partners including Ideal Productions, Fluff Meringues, Dulce Vida, Still Austin Whiskey Co, Austin Beerworks and Narwhal Media Group.
Here are DivInc's Champions of Change nominees:
Executive of the Year
- Dan Graham, partner, Notley
- Matt Stephenson, CEO, Code2College
- Muna Hussaini, co-founder, Recode the Quo
- Pamela Benson Owens, executive director, Six Square
- Steve Sachs, co-founder, Recode the Quo
DEI Leader of the Year
- Agatha Agbanobi, founder and DEI strategist, Optimal Leadership
- BiNi Coleman, co-founder, African American Leadership Institute
- Gloria Gonzales Dholakia, executive director, Jolt Action
- Heather Venard, director of social impact and sustainability, Bumble
- Mando Rayo, founder, The New Philanthropists
Student of the Year
- Anthony Collier, chair of National Black Law Students Association
- Jalesha Bass , co-founder, Shift Press
- Jeffrey Clemmons, Huston-Tillotson
- Katya Ehresman, assistant director of youth programs, The Civics Center
- Liz Kufour, Texas organizing coordinator, Young Invincibles
- Tegan Debrock, chair, Homeless Coalition of Hays County
Champion of the Year
- Denise Hernandez, deputy director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Travis County Attorney's Office
- Jereka Thomas-Hockaday, co-founder, Central Texas Allied Health Institute
- Mando Rayo, founder, The New Philanthropists
- Monica Maldonado, founder, MAS Cultura
- Terry Mitchell, founder, Black Leaders Collective
Investor of the Year
- Albert Swantner, general partner, The Fund
- Anita Roberts, CEO, Silicon Hills Capital
- Ethan Monreal-Jackson, founder, Agave Fund
- Harold Hughes, CEO, BandWagon
- Nait Jones, partner, A16Z
Rising Star of the Year
- Antony Jackson Sr., founder, We Can Now
- Ashley Cheng, co-founder, Asian Texans for Justice
- Christina Bryant, senior program coordinator, University of Texas
- Monica Maldonado, founder, MAS Cultura
- Rocio Villalobos, equity and inclusion program manager, City of Austin Equity Office
Nonprofit Leader
- BiNi Coleman, co-founder, African American Leadership Institute
- Courtney Santana, founder, Survive2Thrive Foundation
- Jereka Thomas-Hockaday, co-founder, Central Texas Allied Health Institute
- Ebonie Trice, executive director, Mission Accomplished
- Jane Hervey, executive director, Future Front Texas
Startup Leader of the Year
- Abigail Coleman, co-founder, Amass
- Daron Roberts, co-founder, Amass
- Harold Hughes, CEO, BandWagon
- Jeff Jenkins, founder, Chubby Diaries
- Katrina Tolentino, executive director, Naturally Austin
- Lauren Washington, co-founder, Fundr
