At BITCON, one of largest national conferences for Black people in tech, Michael A. Jackson overheard an oft-spoken line from attending tech corporations: We want Black talent, but we don't know where to find it.
That sounded to Jackson like a problem he could help solve, and when the pandemic hit, devastating Black employment, he decided it needed to be solved fast. In April 2020, he founded Black Tech Talent, a Farmington company that provides a jobs board for firms looking to increase the number of Black technology professionals in their talent pipeline.
"We saw the need for Black people to be uplifted during this time, especially economically," Jackson said. "Despite the already major disparities in employment and especially in the tech field — in times of stress, like a pandemic or a recession, Black people suffer even worse, get hired even less."
Today, more than 40 employers across the nation have posted listings on the board, though most so far are based in Minnesota. They include the Minnesota Twins, Pohlad Cos. and Target Corp. Around 4,000 Black tech professionals have created talent accounts on the platform.
The company also recently won a $25,000 Social Impact Venture prize at the Minnesota Cup startup competition.
Whether it's because of the lack of a talent pipeline or other reasons, the underrepresentation of Black people in tech careers is real. In 2016, Black people made up 7.9% of U.S. computer and mathematical workers despite comprising 11.9% of the overall workforce, per Brookings Institution. At Google, Black workers make up 2.9% of the tech workforce per their 2021 diversity report.
Aside from the jobs platform, Black Tech Talent also offers direct talent recruiting services, hosts events and has a sponsored podcast that sees Jackson interview Black professionals in the tech industry. For its tech executive listeners especially, the podcast gives them a chance "to be a fly on the wall in real Black conversations about diversity and inclusion," Jackson said. "These just are conversations that most white people will not get to hear."
Come November, Black Tech Talent plans to unveil a Tinder-esque employee-employer matching app to dovetail its main platform. Between the jobs board, podcast, new app and events, the company projects to bring in $1.5 million in revenue in 2022, Jackson said.
Prior to founding Black Tech Talent, Jackson founded and led Minneapolis events and marketing company The Premium Experience, which focused on curating VIP experiences for clients, Jackson said. He also works as an organizer for Blacks in Technology, a Cleveland-based company focused on bolstering Black tech professionals.
