Monthly Archives: May 2022

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Streaming merged media with technology, driving companies from Disney to TikTok to compete for talent.

Insider analyzed US pay data to see what eight media and tech giants offer top talent.

They include Netflix, Snap, Roku, and more.

Streaming fused media with technology, urging media companies to think like tech platforms and tech giants to move into content.

The result is a massive shift in media and tech workforces. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and others have been staffing up in tech and consumer-facing roles as they focus on their direct-to-consumer businesses. And tech companies like TikTok have made key hires from more traditional media spheres.

With media and tech heavyweights increasingly vying for top talent, Insider analyzed recent pay data to see how much the major players in the space offered top talent.

The data, released by the US Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification, shows how much companies offered to pay employees who they wanted to hire through work visas in the US.

We looked at pay data, mainly from October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021 (with one exception), across nine companies including Hulu; Netflix; The New York Times; Roku; Snapchat owner Snap; TikTok and its parent company, Bytedance; Twitch, Amazon's livestreaming platform; and Warner Bros. Discovery.

These are base salaries, and do not include other forms of compensation such as stock options or cash bonuses.

Disney's US streamer Hulu offered base salaries ranging from $93,150 to $208,000 per year, according to wages from 57 foreign-labor-certification applications.

Most of the salaries were for tech jobs, including data scientist and software engineer roles. There were also salaries for a handful of other roles at Hulu, such as marketing analyst and manager of content financial analysis.

Many of these jobs are now part of Disney's broader streaming division, as the company has centralized its direct-to-consumer efforts.

Story continues

Read our full breakdown of how much employees at Hulu and other Disney divisions make.

Streaming giant Netflix offered base salaries ranging from $40.45 per hour to $800,000 per year for certain US roles, according to wages from 240 foreign-labor-certification applications.

They included content, finance, legal, marketing, product, and other roles, many of which offered six-figure base salaries.

Netflix's workforce boomed in recent years as the company staffed up to support its growing content endeavors and, more recently, its push into gaming. It added 1,900 full-time staffers last year, ending 2021 with 11,300 employees globally.

But the streamer also recently laid off staffers in marketing, animation, and other divisions amid internal restructurings and subscriber-growth struggles that have raised questions about the company's growth plans. Still, Netflix is planning an expansion into advertising, among other areas, that could help create new jobs.

Read our full breakdown of how much Netflix employees make.

The New York Timesoffered base salaries ranging from $70,000 to $306,000 per year for certain US roles, according to wages from 60 foreign-labor-certification applications. The pay data spanned October 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021.

The salaries were from jobs in the paper's newsroom and other divisions such as advertising, data, and engineering. Many of the positions were based in New York, though some were based in California, North Carolina, and Texas.

The Times has been in growth mode lately, buying up new properties like sports site The Athleticandhit game Wordleas it seeks to boost its subscription offering to readers across the world.The paper's news division also expanded by hundreds in the last few years and now employs about 1,700 journalists.

Read our full breakdown of how much New York Times employees make.

Roku, a leader in US streaming devices and platforms, offered base salaries ranging from $75,000 to $687,500 per year for certain US roles, according to wages from 175 foreign-labor-certification applications.

The salaries were mainly for product, engineering, and other tech roles. Most of the jobs were based in California, but there were also positions based in other US states including New York, Massachusetts, and Texas.

The early days of the pandemic fueled a period of growth for Roku, helping to accelerate its transition from a small-but-mighty maker ofstreaming-TV boxes into a video platform business that makes most of its revenue through advertising.

The company has hit speed bumps since. Its growth has slowed, as have other streaming businesses. And its platform boss Scott Rosenberg, who led Roku's push to sell advertising, is set to leave the company this spring.

But Roku hasn't show signs of pulling back on its investment into original content, and has continued to staff up recently to support its growth plans.

Read our full breakdown of how much Roku employees make.

Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, offered base salaries ranging from $50,315 to $500,000 per year for various US roles and even $1.95 million for one, according to wages from 303 foreign-labor-certification applications.

The salaries were mainly for data, engineering, and product jobs, as well as some marketing and other positions. The jobs were based in Santa Monica, Seattle, Silicon Valley's Mountain View, San Francisco, or New York.

Snap heartily grew its workforce in recent years. During Q1 alone, the company said it grew its full-time headcount by 52% year over year.

But it's now pumping the breaks on the pace of hiring amid the economic downturn. Snap told employees recently that while it still planned to grow its headcount by about 10% this year, hiring for new roles will slow substantially.

Read our full breakdown of how much Snap employees make.

The music-streaming company Spotify offered base salaries ranging from $75,440 to $293,356 per year for certain US roles, according to wages from 133 foreign-labor-certification applications.

The vast majority of the salaries were for roles based in New York and Boston, though Spotify now allows staffers to "work from anywhere." The jobs included a mix of advertising, research, product, and administrative roles.

The Swedish company said in April that it's continued to hire aggressively. It told investors that hiring was up significantly in Q1 and would continue to grow in Q2.

It's focusing on the tech and product side of the business, with more than half of new hires in research and development roles, the company said. It's also staffing up in sales and marketing.

Read our full breakdown of how much Spotify employees make.

The short-video app TikTok and its parent company Bytedance offered base salaries ranging from $30 per hour to $400,000 per year for US certain roles, according to wages from 256 foreign-labor-certification applications.

Many of the salaries were for roles based in the companies' Mountain View, California offices.

The ByteDance salaries included jobs that focus on corporate-support functions like finance that could apply to any division or product within the company. And the TikTok salaries were for TikTok-specific positions in areas like product development and growth marketing.

TikTok emerged in recent years as a major player in tech and media.

Its user base exploded in 2021, passing one billion monthly active users globally, according to the company. And it's been staffing up to meet growing demand. It had around 1,600 US job openings listed on its website as of March.

The company has not yet said whether it will pullback on hiring amid the economic downturn, like some of its competitors are.

Read our full breakdown of how much TikTok employees make.

Twitch, Amazon's livestreaming giant, offered base salaries ranging from $60,174 and $201,968 per year for certain US roles, according to wages from 84 foreign-labor-certification applications.

Most of the salaries were for data, engineering, and other tech jobs based in San Francisco, California; and Seattle, Washington.

Twitch is the largest platform by a longshot in the game streaming space.

In February, Amazon-owned Twitch clocked 1.9 billion hours of watch-time, peranalytics firm Rainmaker.gg, a slight dip from the 2 billion hours it saw in January. By comparison, Facebook Gaming clocked 497 million hours of watch time that month.

Internally, however, arecent Bloomberg report found high turnover among Twitch's workforce. Six C-Suite executives and a total of 60 employees have left the company this year, per Bloomberg, including Twitch's COO, chief content officer, and head of creator development. The report said 300 employees left the company in 2021.

Nevertheless, Twitch still appears to be staffing up with hundreds of open roles listed on its jobs board.

Read our full breakdown of how much Twitch employees make.

Discovery and WarnerMedia, which recently merged to create Warner Bros. Discovery, have each offered base salaries as high as $300,000 per year for various US roles, based on work-visa applications submitted by both companies between October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

The data included 58 salaries at WarnerMedia and 80 salaries at Discovery.

The WarnerMedia salaries ranged from $55 per hour to $300,000 per year, and were mostly for jobs at HBO, though the data also included salaries from from other parts of the company.

The Discovery salaries ranged from $52,333 to $300,000, and included a mix of business intelligence, data, software engineering, and other roles with pay rates similar to those at WarnerMedia.

The union of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. created a company of formidable size, with about 30,000 employees at the parent of Warner Bros. and more than 10,000 at the conglomerate that houses cable stalwarts HGTV, the Food Network, and TLC.

The dust is still settling on the merger, and corporate consolidation almost always brings "synergies" (read: widespread job cuts) as leadership strategizes to trim the fat.

But for now, both parts of the new whole continue to enlist more staffers: There were in April more than 360 online job listings at WarnerMedia and over 300 open positions at Discovery Inc., and a company spokesperson told Insider at the time that there was currently no hiring freeze in place.

Read our full breakdown of how much Warner Bros. Discovery employees make.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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How much media and tech giants from Spotify to TikTok pay employees in the US - Yahoo Finance

A group of US senators have urged the tech giants Apple and Google to prohibit the apps in their app stores from collecting data that could be used to identify women seeking abortions, media reports say.

The letter, signed by five Democratic and independent senators, comes in the wake of a leaked draft of an upcoming majority opinion that indicates that the Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision establishing the constitutional right to an abortion, reports CNET.

It also follows Tuesday's publication of a separate letter signed by 42 Democratic and independent senators and members of Congress, calling on Google to stop collecting and retaining location data from its users, as it could be used to identify people who are seeking to obtain abortions.

The senators expressed concern that anti-abortion prosecutors and others will try to access and leverage personal information -- including data related to location, online activity, health and biometrics -- "in ways that threaten the wellbeing of those exercising their right to choose".

Many apps in both Apple's and Google's respective stores routinely collect this kind of data, then sell it to brokers, the senators said.

And nothing is stopping those brokers from sharing or selling that data to prosecutors or "even vigilantes," citing the letter, to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, the report said.

--IANS

vc/svn/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Tech giants Apple, Google face scrutiny over collecting abortion data - Business Standard

Can Europe realize its tech ecosystem potential and close the gap with Silicon Valley?

Given its size and economic might, Europes story around technology continues to be one of unrealized potential. We have always had the talent, but we havent always done a good job of retaining the talent or monetizing our innovations.

However, with startup valuations skyrocketing, record numbers of unicorns, and ever-increasing volumes of capital flowing into the European tech ecosystem, Europe is finally making its presence felt on the world stage.

The question is, against the current backdrop of tumultuous economic conditions and investor uncertainty, can Europe show sufficient resilience and continue to close the gap with Silicon Valley and the mature US venture industry?

Moving on from failures past

The improved health of the European tech ecosystem marks a welcome shift from the previous narrative of false dawns and the failure to commercialize.

While there is a rich history of encouraging innovation within Europes world-leading academic institutions, weve struggled to provide a clear pathway out of academia into the commercial realm. Our innovation efforts have been mainly out of sync with the biggest technological cycles of the past 50 years the development of the PC; the evolution of software; the growth of mobile and Web 2.0.

Entrepreneurship has never been whole-heartedly championed as a profession, meaning that weve consistently lost our best entrepreneurs to the US. And our VC industrys reliance on State support to compensate for the lack of institutional backing has created a risk-averse mindset amongst investors, preventing compelling startups from fulfilling their initial promise.

In the EU, our investment culture is far more conservative, and investments are made in smaller steps, explains Risto Rossar, CEO and Founder of insurance software company Insly. In the US, theres more optimism and a willingness to let founders just go for it. This creates more opportunities for the startups that succeed, while the founders who fail do so faster, learn from their experiences, and go back around again.

So what exactly has changed in Europe?

Well, the pandemic has seemingly driven acceptance of the venture model and acted as a catalyst for startup investing on a scale weve never seen before. Disruptive software companies in eCommerce, financial services and food delivery have made huge inroads since the start of Covid-19, accelerating the pace of digital adoption and bringing different demographics online for the first time.

Last year saw $93 billion invested in European startups, a three-fold increase on 2020. Overall investment levels may lag behind the US and APAC, but Europe is starting to close the gap as global investors take advantage of lower valuations (albeit these are also rising quickly).

Scale does not come easily

Although it is home to the worlds largest single market, Europe is still a fragmented trading environment comprising multiple jurisdictions, languages, cultures and business norms. It takes tremendous effort to build and scale pan-European tech companies.

As Patrick Borre, Co-Founder of ticketing platform Billetto, explains, The gift and the curse in Europe are often the same. Its a great place to start a technology company, but achieving initial scale is much more difficult than in the US. If youre based in Denmark, for example, your entire local market is only half the size of London, so you quickly hit a ceiling. And every European country has its own distinct environment you must learn about and navigate.

VCs play a vital role in supporting founders on this journey by sharing local market insights and surfacing pan-European growth opportunities. According to Andrew Lynch, Co-Founder and COO of Huckletree, which builds workspaces for innovative startups, the best VCs embed themselves within local ecosystems and use their position to help forge connections across the wider market.

Most founders look to their VCs to provide network access that will ease their pathway to sales growth, identify potential future fundraising partners or M&A opportunities, he says. If youre an early-stage business in Dublin, you probably have limited knowledge of whats happening on the ground in Lisbon or Stockholm. Thats where VCs with a European-wide presence can really add value.

Achieving pan-European success does not come easily, but startups that are able to conquer the continent will be well-placed to secure further international growth.

It can be incredibly challenging, but by the same token, if you can make it in Europe, you can make it anywhere, adds Borre.

Emerging hubs are strengthening the ecosystem

Not only is the European tech ecosystem producing startups purpose-built for internationalization, but the depth of its talent pool is increasingly coming to the fore.

While historically world-leading tech expertise has congregated in core hubs such as London, Berlin and Paris, were now seeing a flywheel effect across the wider ecosystem, with new unicorns emerging across the continent from Bulgaria to Estonia.

As Rossar explains, As an Estonian tech company starting out in 2014, it was much easier to raise money by registering as a UK holding company and operating from there. Today, however, Estonia has an exciting story to tell. Were becoming well known for our resilience, fighting spirit and, of course, innovation. For investors, this story often triggers more interesting conversations than being just another one of the 1,000s of early-stage companies registered in the UK.

Unicorns provide vital proof cases, encouraging investors to pay closer attention to overlooked European markets. They also enable talent to flow back into the ecosystem and help transform founder expectations about what is possible.

Whenever you have unicorns, theres a flood of high net worth individuals spawned out who go on to generate new ventures, adds Borre. These individuals have higher risk appetites than the founders and investors who came before them. Success breeds success, and in Europe, there are signs that this is positively affecting the risk curve.

Retaining European talent in the age of remote working

Another reason for Europes recent strong performance is talent affordability. The salaries demanded by the best tech developers and software engineers are around 2x lower than in the US. And despite perpetual reports citing a shortage of tech talent, 43% of repeat founders believe the depth of European talent is continuing to improve.

However, the ecosystem faces a growing challenge in attracting and retaining talent in an increasingly global operating environment.

According to Aljaz Ceru, Founder of lightning network tooling provider Bolt.observer, More founders are becoming location-agnostic, citizens of the world, and more technology categories are becoming global in nature. These founders want to take full advantage of the possibilities enabled by fully-remote working and build global teams. Unfortunately, across Europe we have stringent employment laws and rules regarding contracting that all vary from country to country, which can limit the opportunities for founders to hire from these countries.

At a time when more people want to be digital nomads and move around opportunities seamlessly, Europe is going in the opposite direction. Policymakers need to recognise that founders dont want to have to become employment experts on day one. We need simpler and more flexible ways of paying people for their work as the workforce moves from being domestically-oriented to global.

Despite forcing founders to adhere to complex local employment laws, few European countries offer meaningful incentives for attracting overseas talent. In fact, some countries actively disincentivize early involvement in startups by making it extremely difficult for founders to issue equity and stock options to senior talent.

Employees who are creating the IP of future companies are taxed too heavily across Europe, and theres a danger that the ecosystem may lose its competitive advantage now that the brightest people can work from anywhere, adds Rossar.

However, while Europe needs to do better at incentivising digital innovation, Lynch believes that quality of life can still play an important role in helping Europe win the battle for talent.

We can prevent talent moving to the US by boasting a better standard of living and the promise of a less stressful life, he suggests. To that end, European policymakers must address the growing cost of housing and childcare. Both are pivotal issues to founders who have to dedicate huge amounts of time and energy to their enterprises. Neither should be so stressful that they force founders to reassess their work situation or contemplate relocation.

Growing maturity

Despite the tough economic and geopolitical environment, 28 European tech companies reached unicorn status in the first quarter of 2022 evidence that our ecosystem is no longer just proficient at developing world-leading technology, but is capable of building world-leading technology companies.

As ever with Europe, there are fears that over-zealous EU regulations could force US tech giants to withdraw from Europe, stifle innovation across the tech community and lead to a talent exodus. But in truth, such fears have been around for decades, and regulators are yet to make a fatal misstep.

More importantly, the depth and maturity of the European tech ecosystem is greater than it has ever been. Unicorns are emerging from all over the continent. Emerging hubs such as Norway and Estonia are well on their way to creating assembly lines of successful tech startups. Even if the predicted global recession comes to pass, we know from history that innovation cycles are driven by the problems facing society, and downturns tend to provoke a flurry of startup activity.

Getting our priorities right

While Europe lacks a supercharger fund such as Tiger, a16z, or Softbank, the volume and quality of European VC continues to improve, fuelled by a new wave of investors that understand the think big mentality and the necessity of risk-taking. Family offices also look set to play an important role in strengthening the ecosystem as the wealthier European offices go beyond testing the water and commit to VC investment strategies that serve their generational time horizon.

As Ive written about previously, VCs need to place more emphasis on early-stage funding which has been declining as investors have bought into the hype surrounding highly competitive later-stage deals. The current turbulence in this market should help rebalance investor priorities towards early stage opportunities, but in view of the wider economic storm clouds, VCs also need to get much better at assessing companies during their chaotic inception rather than waiting for the classic patterns and structures to emerge.

Finally, rather than pushing for greater risk appetite across the entire ecosystem, theres something to be said for playing to Europes strengths, prioritising areas such as deeptech or climatetech, where time, perseverance and patient capital will all be needed to solve some of the worlds most complex problems.

As Borre concludes, Id love to see Europe further close the investment gap and create an ecosystem thats as competitive or better than the US or APAC. Its not about who wins. Its about every region striving to create more efficient human societies using technology.

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Europe Is Building World-Class Tech Companies But Can It Close The Gap With The US? - Forbes

An attendant with the Meta Oculus Quest 2 headset on a virtual reality tour during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March, 2022. South Korea is betting on the metaverse as the next big thing, but there are still questions over the shape the industry will take in the coming years.

Joan Cros | Nurphoto | Getty Images

The shape that the metaverse will take is still unknown, but South Korea is betting on the fledgling industry as the next big thing.

As part of its Digital New Deal, a program for investing in new technologies in the country's economy, the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technologies plans to kickstart the metaverse industry in South Korea by supporting companies and creating jobs.

Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hyesook called the metaverse "an uncharted digital continent with indefinite potential," with the government earmarking 223.7 billion won ($177.1 million) for the endeavor.

On the city level, Seoul's metropolitan government is building a 3.9 billion-won metaverse platform to allow citizens to access public services virtually.

The metaverse, which has drawn hype in the last year, refers to technologies like virtual reality and the idea that people may be playing and living in virtual worlds. It has been touted as the next frontier in technology services, especially since Facebook rebranded itself as Meta and committed to developing a metaverse-focused future.

That all fits into the concept of Web3, a broad church encompassing the metaverse, virtual reality, augmented reality and blockchain technology, as well as digital assets like cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

South Korea's investment of around $177.1 million is among the first investments in the nascent industry to be made by a national government and is a cautious first step into the metaverse.

It signals an interest in a technology that could take center stage in the coming years and it could provide a blueprint for others to follow.

"It's interesting, it's predominantly a private sector and Big Tech-driven initiative and trend. Governments have not done much beyond South Korea," Yugal Joshi, a partner at research firm Everest Group, told CNBC.

Other government bodies in Asia are taking notice, too. Shanghai's authorities have been encouraging public services to be built with the metaverse in mind, as previously reported by CNBC.

"Some things are happening in bits and pieces but I believe this does tell you that governments are starting to take this more seriously because it's a platform where people come together. Anything which makes people come together, it makes governments interested."

Joshi said that in China, tech giants like Tencent and Alibaba have shown a keen eye for developing metaverse products, with the latter recently investing in an AR glasses start-up.

He added that metaverse activity in Asia, much like the rest of the world, is still in its infancy, as companies invest time and money in finding the first major winning application.

Despite the growing interest and South Korea's plans, no country has emerged with a clear first mover advantage, he said.

"How governments will use it is still undecided because the entire ecosystem is still undecided. It is still being built."

How metaverse technologies will gel with existing regulations is therefore among many questions that governments and policymakers will have to grapple with in the coming years.

For example, NFTs, a critical component of many metaverse developments, remain in a legal gray area in South Korea and are not subject to the same rules as cryptocurrencies.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Science and ICT declined to comment beyond its public statements.

But, for now, the adoption of NFTs or crypto in the country hasn't been curtailed, and big names are getting in on the trend.

BTS, the record-breaking K-pop group, announced an NFT project late last year. Despite some backlash from fans over environmental concerns NFTs and cryptocurrencies require a lot of computing power the project is moving ahead.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics, the Korean tech giant, launched a blockchain and cryptocurrency division earlier this year.

Javier Floren, CEO of NFT start-up DNAverse, said countries that experiment with these new technologies will gain a greater understanding of them for the future.

However, that experimentation comes with several risks. Cryptocurrencies, another large component of Web3 and metaverse developments, are notoriously volatile, as seen in May's price crash.

For a country like El Salvador, which has made bitcoin legal tender, being at the vanguard of new tech also means being vulnerable to such risks.

"It's going to depend on how different countries approach the legal side," Floren said.

"With any new technology or disruptive ecosystem and new places to interact, there will be issues, challenges and for sure dangers."

Governments will need to "change a little bit of their mindset," he said, to make sense of both the opportunities and the risks, such as the protection of user's privacy or the threat of scams.

"At the beginning there won't be legal support or coverage by official institutions so the governments have to understand how Web3 is moving because the [existing] protocols are not going to work in Web3," Floren added.

Meta envisions a metaverse in which people socialize in digital worlds through avatars. But a novel digital experience brings with it old problems, too. Questions of privacy, security, safety and illegal activity will be challenges for such platforms and the authorities that oversee them.

Those are among the myriad issues that South Korea and other governments will have to address when venturing into the metaverse, whether it's using the technology to improve citizen engagement, or in deciding the role they will play as regulators of a rapidly expanding technology.

In light of this, South Korea plans to create a body that brings together different ministries to monitor issues like data protection, illegal behavior and intellectual property protection.

But collaboration across different authorities may be necessary if the metaverse becomes as ubiquitous as its proponents hope.

The Institute of Engineering and Technology, a U.K.-based organization, published a report in April which outlined its concerns around abusive or illegal content in the metaverse. Children are at risk, it said, citing a survey that found two-thirds of parents don't understand how the metaverse works or what content their children are accessing.

"Nobody is thinking about it meaningfully, which is unfortunate because it's actually very important but that has happened in social media as well," Joshi said.

He added that there are a lot of companies jumping on the metaverse "bandwagon" without examining these particular risks.

"I haven't come across many areas where vendors are building these platforms or even enterprises that are really thinking about these things."

Excerpt from:

South Korea is betting on the metaverse and it could provide a blueprint for others - CNBC

Big corporations are entering digital reality and its no secret. Though does the entrance of market behemoths pose a threat to the rebirth of the online world?

As the metaverse manifests outside the pages of science fiction books, individuals, brands and companies rush for a place. Certainly its no surprise that tech-related companies such as Meta or e-commerce giants like Amazon are at the forefront of this race.

Though, its not just companies who already have a foot into the tech industry swiping up metaversal land. Spotify, Walmart, Shopify, JP Morgan and Gucci are among other big league businesses with an eye on the metaverse.

However does the entrance of commercial, financial, and tech giants mean a more robust online world, where anything is possible? Or does it mean a replication of the same entities being at the top, with the most control and influence over our digital lives?

The decentralized, digital world is a place for expression. It is a place for more freedom and creativity on many levels, not just financial and technological. For example, ones digital avatar in the metaverse can be the result of the imagination looking nothing like the physical self. Ones digital abode can come in colors, shapes, and sizes unorthodox in the real world.

Online interactions turn into fully immersive experiences in the metaverse. Now, the Sandboxs music-themed world brings concert livestream to a new level.

Through a combination of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), new environments both preexisting and imagined- become accessible. While actual development in the metaverse as we know it dramatically accelerated in recent years, the idea of the metaverse has been around much longer.

Similar to the inception of the internet, Web3 technologies exist to circumvent centralized problems. Moreover, the internet was a place for free speech and expression. Early versions of the internet had less censorship, data harvesting, and privacy concerns.

However as Big Tech started to live up to the name, the internet and our interaction on the internet changed forever.

Initially the crypto and blockchain scene had almost an anarchist hint to it. Still these technologies and the products thereof are often reinventions of systems in centralized, physical reality already monopolized by the big guys.

Once again, we see the entrance and the rather quick domination of the decentralized space. Though, not only through tech giants. Major corporations in the real world realize the opportunity at hand and are joining. In tandem, corporations in the metaverse could just be another form.

With all this talk of big corporations entering the metaverse who exactly are we talking about when we say this?

Certainly its no surprise that four out of the five Big Tech companies invest heavily in the metaverse. This includes Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft. However, at the beginning of the year Apple denied any focus on the metaverse AR/VR for the moment.

Aside from tech-related companies other major market movers are finding their place in the metaverse. Heres two examples.

In February of this year, McDonalds filed 10 trademark applications for the metaverse. The iconic fast food restaurant plans for a virtual restaurant, offering real and virtual goods. This would also include a virtual restaurant with home delivery.

Aside from offerings more traditionally associated with McDonalds it also wants to expand to downloadable media files, like art, audio files, video files, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Currently, McDonalds is the largest contributor to the market share in the entire fast-food industry. It as a company is practically synonymous with globalization, as it is in 120 countries. Moreover, its turnover is close to 10.5 billion USD per year.

While McDonalds provides millions of jobs across the globe and is a cheap, quick food option for families, the impact of the corporation isnt only positive. Certainly the unhealthy food, loss of local culture, and of course market domination are of concern.

Yet another mega corporation with big plans for digital reality. In December of 2021 Walmart filed metaverse trademark patents. There are not many details available on the specifics of the Walmart trademark patents. However, they relate to virtual goods sales, virtual currency implementation and NFTs.

According to statistics from Statista, Walmart is the largest retail corporation of discount department and warehouse stores in the world. The company has operations in 26 countries and pulls in a global revenue of 573 billion USD.

When corporations of this magnitude and legacy enter the Web3 space, does their wealth encourage innovation and fund creativity or continue the monopoly?

Naturally the biggest concern when corporations enter the metaverse, or any digital space, is privacy. Additionally, in terms of the decentralized world, decentralization is at stake something this community works very hard to maintain.

Be[In]Crypto spoke with Dr. Anish Mohammed, CTO of Panther Protocol, an end-to-end solution that restores privacy in Web3 and DeFi, on the topic. Mohammed has over 20 years in security and cryptography and co-founded the UK Digital Currency Association. He reviewed Ethereums Orange paper, and serves on advisory boards for leading companies including Ripple.

For him, privacy is a serious matter in Web3. He says what will likely occur with the entrance of big corporations is, a textbook example of the surveillance economy.

Data unlocks power and money-making potential, and corporations have routinely demonstrated that they value profits over individuals, he said.

This results in a net negative for end users, especially in terms of data privacy and security. After all, data harvesting is just the tip of the iceberg once data is collected, who can access it, how will it be used, and where is it stored?

Mohammed gave two possible scenarios for outcomes of corporations in the metaverse for consumers and participants to have in mind while engaging with the digital world.

Negative: If the metaverse expands and masses adopt lives or at least partial lives in virtual reality there may be no privacy left. Perhaps the most alarming outcome would be the erosion of the right to privacy. The bottom line is that corporations are financially incentivized to collect and monetize data, regardless of how this might impact individuals.

Positive: With big brands comes recognition by the masses. This could introduce people to the digital world and spark curiosity about other Web3, decentralized technologies previously unknown or trusted. Think of the Amazon Effect and how the rise of eCommerce completely disrupted retail shopping habits. Now, imagine how metaverses might similarly change aspects of everyday life as we know it, says Mohammed.

The vast amounts of capital held by corporations can fuel exciting new innovations on a faster, larger scale. Pairing strong funding with strong brand awareness, corporations have the ability to accelerate mainstream adoption of the metaverse.

If big business is entering the metaverse in droves, now is the time to pay attention to how things are being constructed. While educational events pop up for corporations and metaverse real estate prices are dropping its important to see who is jumping at the opportunity.

As mentioned, the entrance of corporations in the metaverse is double sided its once again in the hands of the developers and the people to make sure this new space, which is being built day by day, has room for the freedom, expression, and innovation for which it was created.

Got something to say about corporations entering the metaverse, or anything else? Write to usor join the discussion in our Telegram channel. You can also catch us on Tik Tok, Facebook, or Twitter.

DisclaimerAll the information contained on our website is published in good faith and for general information purposes only. Any action the reader takes upon the information found on our website is strictly at their own risk.

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Corporations in the Metaverse: Innovative? Or Maintaining the Monopoly? - BeInCrypto

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When the pandemic isolated nearly everyone at home, our fascination with forebears intensified. That was especially true after Covid-19 felled many older family members, says Deborah Liu, CEO of Ancestry.com.

The people we lost during Covid-19 are a stark reminder of how important our family stories are, and why we should preserve their memories while we still can, adds Liu, a Silicon Valley veteran whos also the daughter of Chinese immigrants and a mother of three.

Now, as the pandemic starts to recede, Liu is looking for fresh ways to connect people with their pasts and grow a genealogy giant that has already amassed more than 30 billion digital records. Ancestry.com recently revamped its mobile app to better serve users on the move again for work and play. Meanwhile, the company is building more family-oriented collaboration tools, so subscribers can easily scan and share old photos, for example.

We will make Ancestry not just something we do by ourselves, the 45-year-old chief executive explains. We call it the me to we.

Liu took command of the worlds biggest provider of digital family history records during a growth spurt that boosted its 2021 revenue 10% to $1.3 billion. She joined the company early last year, after nearly 12 years at Facebook, where she created and led Marketplace, its popular online flea market. She previously held roles at eBay and PayPal, mainly in product management. Trained as a civil engineer, Liu also holds an M.B.A. degree from Stanford.

TIME recently spoke with Liu about the revelatory risks of DNA tests, conquering her imposter syndrome, managing Generation Z staffers, and ways to expand the number of women in the tech industry.

(For coverage of the future of work, visit TIME.com/charter and sign up for the free Charter newsletter.)

The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What additional insights about your own family did you glean through Ancestry.com?

I started using Ancestry as I was exploring the CEO role here. Discovering new things about my family has just been an amazing journey. My brother-in-law found out that his mother is 40% Native American. There are a lot of stories to be unlocked in each of our families.

Ancestry.coms DNA tests sometimes reveal long-hidden family secrets, such as infidelity or adoption. Special teams handle customer queries about these unexpected test results. How else will you deal with this sensitive issue and avoid the integrity problems that have confronted your former employer, Facebook?

There are a number of safeguards. As we reveal secrets, we want to make sure people are supported on their journey through their history. Special teams ensure people understand what the DNA results mean for their lives.

The customer is in control, first and foremost. Were honoring users privacy and preferences. You can do this test just for yourself and not have other people connect with you. You can get results, then delete your DNA. We will continue to improve our products.

You grew up in a tiny South Carolina town that had few families of Asian origin. You got bullied relentlessly. Some hateful residents even broke windows of your familys home. How did that mistreatment make you feel about your Chinese heritage?

I lived two very different lives in the middle of nowhere. My parents spoke only Chinese in our home. They cooked Chinese food. They prioritized things like seeing our family abroad. They brought us to Asia every four years. I was very proud to be of a different heritage. Yet at the same time, I was really torn because that part of me was something people constantly teased, taunted, and bullied me about. Being mistreated because I am Asian-American taught me internal resilience. That gave me the resilience to say, Im going to show them. Im going to go to college on a scholarship. I had a lot of fight in me.

(For coverage of the future of work, visit TIME.com/charter and sign up for the free Charter newsletter.)

Throughout your career, youve often been a stranger in a strange world. Did being the only woman or only person of color in the room shape your leadership style? Did your only status also complicate efforts to feel like you belonged there?

Being an only enabled me to realize that leaders need to first find commonality and alignment. We talk about diversity and inclusiveness, but without belonging, none of that hangs together. Thats really important to me. I help people find that belonging. Look at the very diverse leadership team of Ancestry. We come from very different backgrounds, but were serving the same purpose. Lets focus on what we have in common: the aligned vision and customers. I then cultivate psychological safety. If you dont feel safe, youre not going to bring forth ideas. You have to trust each other enough to be vulnerable.

What was your biggest fear when you agreed to become Ancestry.coms chief executive and run a company for the first time?

We all fear failure. My biggest fear was rejection, that I wasnt the right person for this role. Stakes were high. Youre announced as CEO of a storied company with 39 years of history and an important brand. I had no idea what the company was like. I had never met anyone in person, never set foot in any of our buildings. I am used to being prepared for everything. To enter a role where I felt so unprepared was like flying without a net. Every day, I said, What if I am not good at this?

Youve now led the company for more than a year. Do you still experience doubts about your legitimacyin other words, the imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome used to be a hindrance. Now, its a tool. I say, I am not going to be the best CEO. Im going to amplify what I am good at. And Im going to get help on the things that Im not. There will never be a point in my life where I feel like Im the expert or the best. People fail when they pretend they know everything.

A record number of companies, worldwide, went public in 2021. At one point, Ancestry.com was public. Blackstone, a major private-equity firm, presently owns a majority stake. When and why might you go public again?

We have been private for over 10 years through multiple investors. Going public is not the destination were shooting for. If it makes sense for the business, we would have that conversation at the right time. Theres no artificial deadline.

Wont Blackstone decide whether to take Ancestry.com public again?

We would make the decision together. We have been successful. We have sufficient cash. Theres no pressure either way.

Worker retention is a major issue for companies these days. How should businesses inspire, retain, and manage their Generation Z staffers?

All companies need to really think about what theyre offering. Its changing a lot. Generation Z employees want meaning in their jobsand to see that their companys vision is aligned with what they care about.

How do you persuade your colleagues that they serve that kind of higher purpose?

Reinforcing and repeating the message is incredibly important. People here are sometimes actually hand correcting records. Its easy to get into the weeds. The greater mission is helping people learn more about their grandparents and the history of this country. Reminding that helps people find meaning in their jobs. Reminding yourself, Im not just creating bricks. Im actually laying bricks. Im actually building a cathedral.

Do female CEOs have a moral obligation to groom a woman as their successor? If not, how else should leaders like you assist in advancing other women?

As a woman leader, I should really be helping other women in the organization who want to grow their careers by making sure they have the right skills. I also should develop women who might have parenting challenges.

Sometimes you feel like youre failing at work or at home. I went through this, too. We have to say, Its okay to have torn feelings and doubts. But lets work through this together.

When I joined Ancestry.com, we announced a return to work three days a week as of September 2021. We changed the policy because people wanted more flexibility. We will have space for you if you choose to come into the office. We also allow 100% remote. The people who most appreciated the change are often moms. They were quietly suffering.

Youre an outspoken proponent of greater gender diversity. You co-founded Women In Product, a nonprofit with more than 22,000 members that advocates for their equal representation. You and your husband invested in about a dozen startups founded by women and minorities. Yet the playing field remains uneven for women in the tech industry. On average, women will represent fewer than a third of the workforces at large global technology companies this year, Deloitte Global predicts. What more should tech giants do to achieve gender parity during your lifetime?

They should really be looking at requirements that are not necessary, such as technical degrees. Were filtering out qualified people with other degrees. A lot of those are women because of the way technical degrees have been earned over the last 20 years.

It means expanding our definition of what is possible. Lets pull from a broader pool of people with different experiences, abilities, and backgrounds who are passionate about the work were doing. It does require extra work from companies to really dig deep and say, Lets open the aperture. Lets bring in more people to talk to. They might be some of the best people we have ever had in this role.

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Ancestry.com CEO Deborah Liu on Recruiting Women in Big Tech - TIME

How much a stock's price changes over time is a significant driver for most investors. Not only can price performance impact your portfolio, but it can help you compare investment results across sectors and industries as well.

Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.

What if you'd invested in Regions Financial (RF) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to RF for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?

Regions Financial's Business In-Depth

With that in mind, let's take a look at Regions Financial's main business drivers.

Regions Financial Corporation is a Birmingham, AL-based financial holding company, providing retail and commercial and mortgage banking, as well as other financial services in the asset management, wealth management, securities brokerage, trust services, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services and other specialty financing.

The company has four business segments.

The Corporate Bank (44% of total average assets as of Dec 31, 2020) segment includes the companys commercial banking functions including commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, investor real estate lending, equipment lease financing and capital market activities.

The Consumer Bank (25%) segment comprises the companys branch network, including consumer banking products and services as well as the corresponding deposit relationships.

The Wealth Management (2%) segment consists of wealth management products and services. This segment provides services such as investment advice, assistance in managing assets and estate planning to individuals and institutional clients.

Other (29%) includes the companys treasury function, the securities portfolio, wholesale funding activities, interest rate risk management activities and other corporate functions that are not related to a strategic business unit.

In December 2021, Regions Financial acquired Clearsight Advisors, Inc. In the same month, Regions Financials subsidiary, Regions Bank, acquired Sabal Capital Partners, LLC. In October 2021, Regions Financial completed the acquisition of the specialized home improvement lender, EnerBank USA, from its parent CMS Energy Corporation.

In April 2020, it acquired equipment finance lender, Ascentium Capital LLC, from Warburg Pincus. Also, in August 2019, Regions Financial closed acquisition of Highland Associates a leading institutional investment firm. In July 2018, the company divested Regions Insurance Group to BB Insurance Holdings a wholly owned subsidiary of BB&&T Corporation.

As of Mar 31, 2022, Regions Financial reported $164 billion in assets, $87.9 billion in net loans, $141 billion in deposits and $16.9 billion in shareholders' equity.

Story continues

Bottom Line

Putting together a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of research, patience, and a little bit of risk. For Regions Financial, if you bought shares a decade ago, you're likely feeling really good about your investment today.

According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in May 2012 would be worth $3,462.03, or a 246.20% gain, as of May 30, 2022. Investors should keep in mind that this return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation.

The S&P 500 rose 215.54% and the price of gold increased 13.78% over the same time frame in comparison.

Analysts are forecasting more upside for RF too.

Shares of Regions Financial have underperformed the industry over the past year. The company has a decent earnings surprise history, having beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing in one. First-quarter results were driven by a rise in loan and deposit balances. Economic recovery and a strong lending pipeline are expected to drive decent loan growth, thereby supporting net interest income (NII) in the upcoming quarters. Regions Financials inorganic growth moves aimed to diversify its revenues bode well. Yet, pressure on margins due to low rates is likely to hamper the companys top-line growth. Lack of diversification in commercial loans and declining mortgage income are concerning. Also, a rising expense base is expected to continue negatively impacting the bottom line in the near term.

The stock is up 5.60% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 11 higher, for fiscal 2022. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportRegions Financial Corporation (RF) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research

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Here's How Much a $1000 Investment in Regions Financial Made 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today - Yahoo Finance

Highly automated and even autonomous vehicles are soon to be a reality for the everyday consumer, but it isnt simple, and manufacturers are facing a decision between safety and speed to market. One of the challenges the sector is facing can be reduced down to a shared responsibility between the vehicle and the driver, a stage which is known as Level 3 autonomy.

For automotive technology to safely operate at Level 3, it needs to successfully decipher the complexity of traffic situations so the driver can be alerted and regain control of the vehicle when necessary. This step exists where assisted driving and autonomous vehicles are not yet equipped to manage complex traffic systems, without the help of the driver.

Due to the complexities of this technology, new players in the market like the tech giants have chosen to skip Level 3 autonomy completely. These decisions have been made not only for safety, but also as the stage raises a number of questions. For instance, insurancewho will be responsible? The driver or the vehicle manufacturer? Shared responsibility makes a clear contribution of responsibility difficult.

It is the incredible advancements in LiDAR that has provided, and continues to provide, vehicle manufacturers with the means to make autonomous driving a reality

However, most companies in the autonomous space are looking to technology that enables complete autonomy. An important element of this technology is LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which acts as a remote sensing measurement tool, emitting laser pulses over a broad field of view, with high frequency and precision. These sensors ultimately allow for objects in a particular space to be reliably detected and localised. It is the incredible advancements in LiDAR that has provided, and continues to provide, vehicle manufacturers with the means to make autonomous driving a reality. This being said, as the autonomous industry relies on the power of LiDAR, it is imperative that the technology can preserve the safety of its users, and the integrity of its inventors. Considering LiDAR is implemented across many sectors to improve the safety of industrial workers, road users and the general public, perfecting it is a priority for all.

In some cases, like autonomous driving, LiDAR does not work on its own, and is being combined with many different sensors to provide strong sensory perception, using reliable environment recognition. Certain LiDAR sensors can be expensive and large in sizea limitation that many developers are working hard to overcome. Not only are large sensors impractical for safety because they unnecessarily increase surface area, they also present aesthetic problems, especially in an industry where visual design is so important. The good news is that there are sensors on the market that are ultra-compact and robust, which means they are insensitive to vibrations and shocks. This makes them very well suited for the nearly invisible integration in cars.

As the autonomous industry relies on the power of LiDAR, it is imperative that the technology can preserve the safety of its users, and the integrity of its inventors

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How will LiDAR impact the progression of autonomous driving? - Automotive World

What does it mean to make a connection, anyway?

Is it nabbing that perfect business card for your next project? A Linkedin add? Running into a professional acquaintance? Or taking that next step from beyond work into a happy hour invite?

The question is probably best answered by the folks that seem to do it effortlessly. You might call them friendly, crafty, outgoing or any other number of adjectives, but we prefer to call them our RealLIST Connectors, 2022 edition.

For our very first list in 2020, we compiled a massive list of whos who in DC, the go-to people that shaped the local tech scene. Last years list (which, by the way, was a huge crash course for me as well) rounded up a mix of those who had risen up after 2020 changed the world. They were the people who, through multiple Earth-shattering events, decided to put their energy toward continued community-building and creating a better DC.

We went beyond this year and kept combing the local ecosystem for those who were really a little bit of everything: mentors, networkers, the people that pull you away at parties to introduce you to someone else and those looking to grow the DMVs tech and entrepreneurship scene.

Still, wed be remiss if we didnt take advantage of the fact that connector is quite literally the name of the game. This list was compiled from a mix of recommendations from last years nominees, crowdsourced suggestions from readers like you and our picks from our own coverage and networks.

Below, youll find the folks who are growing the community each and every day, whether or not its in their job descriptions:

Leona Agouridis. (Photo via Linkedin)

In addition to her work at one BID and with various others, Agouridis heads the initiative to get workers back in the office this summer (and thus have water cooler connections and lunch meet-cutes) through outdoor yoga, concert events and more.

Jan Baker. (Photo via Linkedin)

Bakers nominator had too many positive notes to count, but well give you the highlights: Shes a mentor and lead organizer for groups such as DC Service Jam, UXCamp, Black Girls CODE and Caribbeans in Tech; helps bring tech to local hospitality businesses; graduated from 1863 Ventures; and is an ambassador for the United State of Women (and a lot, lot more, just trust us).

L to R: Mariana Magala and Leela Bhatia-Newman. (Photos via Linkedin, graphic by Technical.ly)

For their pandemic project, Bhatia-Newman and Magala created a searchable online directory for businesses in DC, emphasizing those with BIPOC owners and founders. What began with 150 brands now boasts over 500, and the pair even moved on to sharing resources such as grants, funding, pop-up markets and workshops. Their nominator also said theyve been connecting business owners with retail expansion opportunities and led networking for the local community.

Natalie Buford-Young. (Photo via Linkedin)

Buford-Young has long been a presence on the DC tech and startup scene. Before her role at Springboard, where she helps women-led companies in tech and life sciences, she was a leader in Deloittes Tech Venture Center and Technology Fast 500 program. She works with organizations like The Vinetta Projectand has also been called to Capitol Hill more than once to testify about supporting women entrepreneurs. Her nominators call her an active and powerful connector and advisor, with a keen ear for making smart matches (weve never been, but they also said her annual July Tech Venture Center Party is epic).

Marcus Bullock. (Courtesy photo)

Bullock grows the DMVs entrepreneurial scene every day through his work with the areas incarcerated population and returning citizens. But hes also a fixture in the community as a TED speaker, mentor for local accelerators and more. Hes also landed cool gigs like entrepreneur-in-residence for WeWork.

Grace Czechowski. (Photo via LinkedIn)

Czechowskis many, many nominators call her an empathetic networker who is pure in intention and determined in methods (one also called her the first person to whom theyd send a scene newbie in order to find out what makes the community tick). When shes not helping with staffing, they said shes an active member in a number of networks and works as a mentor at RevGenius.

Robbie Holmes. (Photo via Linkedin)

Alongside his work for the county, Holmes was a co-organizer of not one but two Code and Coffee programs one each in DC and Alexandria. Hes also a mentor for Coding It Forward and moderator in the DC Tech Slack (most often found, predictably, in the #meetups-and-events channel).

Katherine Ferguson. (Photo via Linkedin)

Fergusons nominator called her one of the most connected people they know in the DMV area and a go-to person for introduction within the early stage tech community. She also works with organizations such as MindShare and MissionLink.Next.

Harry Glazer. (Photo via Linkedin)

In 2013, Glazer created Sprockit as a global innovation marketplace where companies can partner with, invest in and acquire startups. Hes also the founder and co-chair of MindShare, a collaboration-based forum for tech CEO and founders.

Victor Hoskins. (Photo via Fairfax County Economic Development Authority)

Hoskins was integral to bringing a number of projects to the DC area, including the Wharf and Union Market. He was also a key part of landing Amazon HQ2 in Arlington and is working on building other tech giants regional presence. The FCEDA has been hard at work on the states Virginia Jobs Investment Program, adding tons of tech jobs to the area.

Greg Jordan-Detamore. (Photo via Linkedin)

An active civic technologist on the scene, Jordan-Detamore spends his days working on open data initiatives and government data projects. In the off-hours, hes also the director of Code for DC, leading and connecting a whole network of civic tech folks.

Mark Lawrence. (Courtesy photo)

Lawrence founded Inncuvate to help small business founders within the various socioeconomic classifications identify breakthrough opportunities. Hes also hugely passionate about building the startup ecosystem in Prince Georges County, serving on boards for both its social innovation fund and Chamber of Commerce.

Bob London. (Photo via Linkedin)

London founded Chief Listening Officers in 2017 to focus on customer insights. Since then, according to his nominator, hes been a trusted advisor in the DC ecosystem. Outside of that role, he works as a pitch coach and helps out local management teams and companies.

Ilana Preuss. (Courtesy photo)

In her work with Recast City, Preuss is a friendly face to many of the areas small businesses and creators. Shes currently heading up a personal effort, echoing a current district-wide initiative, to bring small-scale manufacturing back to the downtowns and storefronts. With this, she hopes to increase equity among creators and keep the industry in DC.

Elizabeth Shea. (Photo via Linkedin)

Shea built and eventually exited SpeakerBox, a public relations and communications company for entrepreneurs. Her nominator said shes been a trusted advisor to both founders and companies. Shes also a member of the Forbes Agency Council, offering insight on how the role of CMO can help companies grow. According to her nominator, Theres not a single person in the region that doesnt know Elizabeth Shea and partner with her in some capacity.

Andra Seiger. (Photo via Linkedin)

Seiger is undoubtedly a DC expert, especially when you consider that she wrote a guidebook, 111 Places in Washington DC. But when shes not exploring and planning, her nominator said shes super plugged into the DC entrepreneurship community, constantly sharing resources and grants with small business owners. She was also a leader of many virtual events during the pandemic.

Parag Sheth. (Photo via Linkedin)

When hes not helping and advising founders through his work at Progress Partners, Sheth is a huge resource among the local community. He does coaching on financial services and strategy and often can be found at local and national events, according to his nominator.

Ayanna Smith. (Photo via Twitter)

With GET Cities, Smith works hard to build up the number of women, transgender and nonbinary people and people of color in DCs tech industry. Shes also a speaker, Techstars mentor and supporter of underrepresented founders in the area, constantly looking for gaps in the local funding and hiring pipelines.

Qyana Stewart. (Photo via Linkedin)

Outside of her 9-5, through which she helps out women technologists, Stewart is the program director for the Entrepreneur Development Network DC at George Washington University. Shes also a mentor at the National Science Foundation and Korean Innovation Center, as well as a tech policy advocate. Ive worked with Qyana and it [was] one of the most rewarding and efficient experiences of my career, her nominator wrote. She really gets it and holds people accountable not just those who are not making tech diverse, but those who need to be able to walk into the light to be in tech.

L to R: Tien Wong and Seth Goldman at Georgetowns 2019 BigIdea CONNECTpreneur event. (Photo by Shashi Bellamkonda)

Alongside his day job, Wong is also the founder and host of CONNECTpreneur Forum. The community helps over 25,000 founders, investors, entrepreneurs and leaders work together in virtual and live forums. The platform helps facilitate networking, dealmaking and connection in the community. For those that cant make CONNECTpreneur events, hes also the cohost of The Monthly Blend, a podcast for the local startup ecosystem.

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RealLIST Connectors 2022: Get to know the 21 people building the DMV tech ecosystem's future - Technical.ly