Early next month, entrepreneur Casey Allen will host founders of enterprise software startups from all over the country at his annual Enterprise Rising Conference.
And for the second year, the two-day conference, being held at Huntington Bank Stadium, will host an underrepresented founder program, which gives a free, VIP pass to 20 founders who are either female, ethnic minority or LGBTQ.
In 2019, the last time the conference was held in-person, Allen sponsored the underrepresented founder program himself. Now it's being underwritten by Arthur Ventures, a Minneapolis-based venture capital firm.
Allen said the program allows founders to gain value from an event they never otherwise would have attended. He also noted that the selection of underrepresented founders aren't named publicly, which allows them to blend in.
"To everyone else in the room, they're in the room to connect," he said.
Allen was prompted to start the program after seeing a tweet from Arlan Hamilton, a black woman who founded Los Angeles-based Backstage Capital. In the tweet, Hamilton referred to minority founders as being underestimated, not underrepresented.
"I decided there’s plenty of founders that need an extra red carpet rolled out so they feel welcome," Allen said. "White dudes in tech don't need any more red carpets."
In addition to inviting minority founders to attend, 43% of the conference's speakers come from a diverse background.
Founders interested in attending through the underrepresented founder program can learn more and apply here.
