Propeller is Joining the TechEquity Collaborative

Nearly two months ago, we discussed what it meant to us to be a contributing member of the Oakland corporate ecosystem. We explored this from the lens of a tech company moving into a new city that is on the cusp of massive change. This change can and should be prosperous for the entire city. We strongly believe the TechEquity Collaborative is a great place to start.

Starting this November, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be joining the TechEquity Collaborative in their second cohort of corporate members.

If you don’t already know about the TechEquity Collaborative, take a look at Catherine Bracy’s post detailing the goals of the organization and its inaugural cohort of corporate members.

What does this mean for Propeller?

Although we’ve always had a strong affinity for non-profit and community-based equitability initiatives, this membership will strengthen and formalize our efforts.

In collaboration with TechEquity Collaborative, we crafted three unique commitments that we believe strongly represent our current initiatives in addition to solidifying our stance on future efforts:

1. Create or participate in an apprenticeship program in partnership with tech bootcamps and community colleges: With this effort, we look to increase the opportunities for new entrants to the work force or new entrants to our specific industry. With attention to Business Development & Marketing, Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Design, we will document our specific efforts to simplify and increase the likelihood of these internship programs for Oakland residents.
2. Interview at least one long-time Oakland resident for each open job position: An initiative we’ve already begun, but will continue to enforce is the inclusion of more local candidates. While it’s clear there are qualified candidates across functionalities in San Francisco, we also recognize an equally qualified pool of candidates in Oakland. We’re committing to interviewing at least one long-time Oakland resident as a candidate for our open positions. In relation to this commitment, we’ve also begun working with the Peralta College network to increase opportunities to Oakland new grads for entry-level positions.
3. Co-create a pro bono project with at least one Oakland community organization or non-profit each year: We want to work with a local non-profit or community organization each year to develop a concrete, maintainable product that is a strong representation of our process, quality, and capability. This year, our efforts will take form in a partnership between Propeller, Youth Radio, and the City of Oakland to explore the possibilities of building a product with emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR).

Lastly, and more generally, the Propeller team will increase external involvement related to mentorship opportunities within our specific areas of expertise. For design, we’ve reaffirmed our advising efforts with Oakland.Digital. For engineering, we’ve begun working with #YesWeCode to provide mentorship to new entrants in engineering. And for general design and development growth, we’re dedicated to providing relevant experience and knowledge to Youth Radio Interactive, a growing department at Youth Radio focused on emerging digital initiatives.

What is a TechEquity corporate member?

By joining a group of likeminded organizations, we’ll be furthering our efforts in a constructive and transparent format. As a means to standardize membership and promote the organization’s goals as a whole, each corporate member must agree to the following four standards:

1. Sharing data around hiring and employment practice: Collect and share data about the diversity of the staff and the hiring pool
2. Participation at the senior leadership level in TechEquity programming: Mandate from the most senior level of the company to invest in meeting commitments and participation from senior staff in an ongoing basis throughout the year
3. Publish annual reports on progress towards commitments: Publish an annual report about progress towards their TechEquity commitments and participate in an ongoing way in public dialogue about successes, challenges, and learnings
4. Invite participation from across the company: Creating broad awareness across the company about membership in TechEquity and creating invitations for all staff members to participate

The critical element of these requirements are in platform standardization. These standards will help to set a foundation for current tech companies considering the move to Oakland and establish easily adoptable practices for future waves of Oakland tech relocation.

What are we most looking forward to in becoming a corporate member?

We’re really looking forward to being part of such an early group of empowered members that will help us learn and maintain our level of involvement. Moreover, we’re grateful to have an organization that will help keep us accountable to our commitments throughout the year.

We hope that the work we’re doing with this growing list of tech-based Oakland businesses will firmly establish a standard level of equitable and profitable best practices for new and growing businesses in Oakland as it continues to become a new home for many.

Lastly, we hope to significantly impact the goals and methodologies of the TechEquity Collaborative and help influence what being a corporate member means for future cohorts to come.

References

1. Creating an Equitable Tech Ecosystem in Oakland by Catherine Bracy