As mentioned in some other comments, the post focuses more on gender than ethnicity. As a 31 year old African American male in tech, some of the challenges for

As mentioned in some other comments, the post focuses more on gender than ethnicity. As a 31 year old African American male in tech, some of the challenges for black males and females that I've witnessed range from cultural mismatches to being under-valued and therefore underutilized. There's also a lot of stress and pressure associated with often being the only black person in the room throughout most of your STEM education and career. For startups specifically, I've often heard of "pattern matching" as a manifestation of bias for white and asian males. If we're looking for a cause of the lack of ethnic diversity, we can't ignore the socially uninviting nature of the environment. Many of the solutions that have helped counter these challenges for me and a lot of my peers have been programs, organizations, and networks that focus on creating a culturally targeted atmosphere. Professional organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers really go a long way in encouraging minorities to pursue careers in technology. And within the startup community, I think programs like the NewMe accelerator meet a very specific and important need. Instead of just corralling minorities into tech companies or startups where they will still be underrepresented, there is a benefit in encouraging them to create their own companies where they can foster a cultural climate that naturally appeals to their ethnic peers.