Out in Tech Partners with Sony Music Group, Disney, and Cisco to Grow Out in Tech U

We’re thrilled to share with you the news that Sony Music Group, Disney, and Cisco made direct charitable contributions in support of Out in Tech U, our U.S.-based youth mentorship program aimed at inspiring hundreds of LGBTQ+ students annually to pursue tech careers. This funding has helped us grow the size and scope of the program, including an expansion pilot in the United Kingdom and efforts to track mentee career outcomes in the months and years following the program to better understand our impact.

Since 2017, we’ve graduated 500+ LGBTQ+ youth through Out in Tech U’s eight-week mentorship program. This spring, 38% of our graduates identify as transgender or non-binary and 62% identify as people of color. We’ve expanded the size and diversity of the planning team and created meaningful community partnerships to recruit the most promising mentees and mentors.

In addition, we’ve created a robust internship pipeline for all mentees by connecting them to internships and other open roles at our corporate partners. Supporting Out in Tech U is not just about quality mentorship; it also ensures that the most underestimated LGBTQ+ people – women, Black and Latinx folks, and transgender, gender non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals – have concrete pathways to thrive in tech.

We’ve also had hundreds of volunteers build nearly 200 WordPress.com websites since 2017 for LGBTQ+ activists around the world, in many countries where being openly LGBTQ+ is criminalized or even punishable by death.

Interested in becoming a Mentee or Mentor for Out in Tech U? Click here to learn more

We’re very thankful that Sony Music Group, Disney, and Cisco are making this investment. Their contributions are in direct support of improving opportunities for LGBTQ+ people and other underrepresented groups in tech, particularly queer youth. This new investment is part of our next chapter of growth.

As the world’s largest non-profit community of LGBTQ+ tech professionals, we create opportunities for our 40,000 members to advance their careers, grow their networks, and leverage tech for social change. We envision a tech industry where LGBTQ+ people are empowered, well-represented, and have full agency from intern to CEO. We believe this will lead to equitable and inclusive workplaces, innovative new ideas, and a more just future.