Tech Industry Leaders Rally for Black Girls CODE

SAN FRANCISCO - July 24, 2013 - PRLog -- With four days to spare, a young technology nonprofit broke through their $100,000 crowdfunding goal on Indiegogo, thanks to a wave of major support from tech entrepreneurs and companies including: Craig Newmark of Craigslist, Mitch Kapor from The Kapor Center for Social Impact, Rackspace, TripAdvisor, and Zendesk. Other leaders who gave personal contributions to the campaign included Alexis Ohanian (Reddit, Breadpig), Robin Chase (Buzzcar, Zipcar) and Kathryn Finney (digitalundivided).

At 9:10 PM on Monday, July 22^nd, the campaign was pushed over its goal by David S. Rose, Founder & CEO of Gust and one of the country's leading angel investors.

"Gust was delighted to be able to put the 'Summer of CODE' campaign over the top with a significant contribution", said Rose. "Black Girls CODE is showing the world that girls of every color have the skills to become the programmers of tomorrow."

These leaders have collectively pledged over $50,000 to the campaign, joining nearly 900 giving in the range of $5-500.

Black Girls CODE Founder Kimberly Bryant said, “The response from both the tech industry and our grassroots supporters has been amazing. Crowdfunding is inspiring, because every gift, be it $5 or $10,000, really does make a difference when they come together for collective impact. Our campaign shows the growing support we have in the community at large for our work to diversify the tech industry by introducing girls of color to computer programming.”

The funds raised will provide student scholarships, instructor stipends, and laptops. Contributions will also seed funding for Black Girls CODE chapters in eight markets nationwide, which will provide ongoing educational opportunities.

In 2011, Kimberly Bryant founded Black Girls CODE to increase the number of women of color in the digital space. Black Girls CODE is the only program targeting African American, Latina, and Native American girls in cities nationwide with training in mobile app development, game and web design.  Black Girls CODE has already served more than 1,200 girls in cities across the United States and in South Africa.

Black Girls CODE will host a crowdfunding countdown mixer at tech space Hub Oakland Friday, July 26^th 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM located at 1423 Broadway Street Oakland, CA 94612. Community members and techies are highly encouraged to attend the mixer to continue rallying during the last hours of its campaign: http://bgccountdown.eventbrite.com/

The Indiegogo campaign page is available at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-girls-code-summer...

EDITORS NOTE: The following statements may be attributed to significant supporters.

"I figure that everyone should have a fair chance to learn tech, particularly coding. It results in better job opportunities, and can give people a chance to be heard."

- Craig Newmark, founder, craiglist and craigconnects.

"The Kapor Center is excited to invest in Black Girls CODE as a dynamic movement opening the gateways for girls of color into tech. Ultimately the entire nation can benefit from this nurturing of new talent."

- Mitch Kapor, Co-chair, Kapor Center for Social Impact.  

"Given Zendesk's position as a tech company, located in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, we have a very personal connection to Black Girls CODE's mission and are honored to call them a partner and friend."

- Tiffany Apczynski, Director of Public Affairs, Zendesk

"Rackspace supports the work that Black Girls CODE does because we believe that creativity, education, and technology can empower and transform our community. "

- Bekki Bolthouse, Project Manager, Rackspace.

Contact information:

Kimberly Bryant, Tel: (415) 860-0637 | future@blackgirlscode.com

www.BlackGirlsCode.com