Kimberly Bryant, founder and CEO of Black Girls Code, a nonprofit that introduces girls of color to the tech industry through entrepreneurial projects. Founded in 2011, the Oakland, California-based organization teaches virtual reality, robotics, game design, web design, and mobile app development through workshops, hackathons, and summer camps. With 15 chapters across the country in addition to virtual events and workshops, Bryant says, to date almost 30,000 students have participated in a Black Girls Code event.
A decade ago, however, Bryant was still running the company as a side hustle, funding it with her 401(k). People around her encouraged her to rename it, she recounted to Beatrice Dixon, co-founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company, during an Inc. Your Next Move streaming event on August 31. But focusing on Black girls was the whole point, so Bryant stayed true to her idea. And it ended up being one of the best moves she made for growth. When people Googled, "coding for Black girls" or similar phrases, her company was the first to show up.