Prime Video, Citi, Duolingo, Indeed, and Flatiron Health Join Karat’s Brilliant Black Minds Movement to Double the Number of Black Software Engineers in Tech

September 29, 2022

Prime Video, Citi, Duolingo, Indeed, and Flatiron Health join Karat’s Brilliant Black Minds Movement to double the number of Black software engineers in Tech

New York, NY

Karat, the world’s largest interviewing company, today announced that five leading corporations have joined the Brilliant Black Minds movement to help double the number of Black software engineers in the United States. As the movement’s inaugural Partners of Brilliance, Prime Video, Citi, Duolingo, Indeed, and Flatiron Health are the first organizations to commit to supporting and hiring software engineers directly from the Brilliant Black Minds community.

Following its launch in 2021 , Karat’s Brilliant Black Minds program received an investment from tennis champion, Serena Williams , to scale and accelerate its work to close the Interview Access Gap that disproportionately impacts Black software engineers. Today’s announcement further advances the movement by directly connecting engineers to specific roles based on their practice interview progression. Eligible participants who opt-in to new opportunities are invited to connect with a recruiter and fast-track through the interview process with Partners of Brilliance.

“The technical interview should be a gateway to economic opportunity, but we know it can be yet another barrier for Black software engineers. The Brilliant Black Minds program offers free interview practice, feedback, and coaching to help Black engineers unlock the doors to great companies,” said Jeffrey Spector, Karat co-founder and president. “Through the support of our new Partners of Brilliance, we’re now able to connect talented engineers to jobs that will change lives.”

In addition to hiring program participants, Karat’s Partners of Brilliance have committed to supporting the community with workshops and learning sessions. Prime Video’s engineering team has already made significant contributions, with engineers volunteering to lead interview study groups, Q&A meetups, and workshops on topics like technical leadership. Most encouraging is that the team is already seeing Brilliant Black Minds community members advance through the hiring process with these new corporate partners.

At Citi, we create economic value that is both systemically responsible and protects the best interest of our clients,” said Colin Heilman, Citi Global Functions CTO. “Joining the Brilliant Black Minds Movement helps us find the best talent to enable progress, represent the communities we serve, and develop technological solutions that are at the foundation of everything we do.”

“Duolingo’s products are used by people from every country in the world. We understand the value of ensuring our teams reflect the diversity of our customers,” said Natalie Glance, SVP of Engineering at Duolingo. “As a founding ‘Partner of Brilliance,’ we’re excited to help qualified Black engineers find critical roles in our organization, and look forward to evolving the program together with Karat.”

“It’s essential to give every candidate the opportunity to show off their strengths, because even the best resume doesn’t really tell you the potential of a person,” added Cat Miller, Chief Technology Officer of Flatiron Health. “As our long-time interviewing partner, we are excited to support Karat in their efforts to increase the number of Black software engineers within the tech industry. This new partnership allows Flatiron to be intentional in our actions and more equitable in providing access to opportunities for software engineers from historically marginalized groups. Joining Partners of Brilliance will help Flatiron attract employees that reflect the diversity of persons living with cancer in order to solve problems impacting the world.”

Karat is also expanding the movement with many of the most trusted organizations supporting Black engineers. Industry partners include Howard University, INROADS, Inc., Morehouse College, The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), /dev/color, Blacks In Technology Foundation, CodeHouse, CodePath, Rewriting the Code, and Tribaja. Each of these organizations shares a commitment to developing the talent and advancing the careers of the next generation of leaders from underrepresented backgrounds. As part of their partnerships, they will participate in workshops and continue to encourage their members to join Brilliant Black Minds.

“Black people are not just consumers of technology. We are builders and creators," said NSBE CEO Janeen Uzzell. "That's the knowledge NSBE was built on, and it's the reason why Karat's Brilliant Black Minds movement identified NSBE’s STEM ecosystem as the best environment to find great Black talent. NSBE’s powerful impact on the Black engineering space, and our strong base of Black engineers are unmatched. We look forward to working with progressive partners to achieve our mutual goals in STEM excellence, STEM equity, and social justice."

“Joining Partners of Brilliance further advances our mission to provide access, preparation, and opportunity for underrepresented talent,” added Forest T. Harper, Jr., President and CEO, INROADS, Inc. “By participating in Brilliant Black Minds, our students will be part of a historic movement to double the number of Black engineers in tech and help to close the racial wealth gap in America. We are honored to play a part in this movement.”

“Looking back now, I’d never made it this far if I didn’t have people who believed in me and a program that made sure I had the access to practice and networks that would help me succeed,” noted Darius Faison, Brilliant Black Minds participant and now Microsoft software engineer. “The Brilliant Black Minds program provided the blueprint to be hired at companies like Google and Microsoft, places that my five-year-old self couldn’t imagine. If you’re a Black engineer that doesn’t feel confident about succeeding in a technical interview, or if you feel like you’re not really sure what to expect, or if you just want to have access to Black engineers from across the industry, this is the place for you.”

To learn more about the program and how your company can get involved in Brilliant Black Minds, visit https://karat.com/blog/post/meet-karats-partners-of-brilliance/

To sign up for free practice interviews and qualify for great jobs through our Partners of Brilliance, visit https://brilliantblackminds.karat.com/

About Brilliant Black Minds

Many Black software engineers face multiple barriers to entry for jobs in the tech industry, from structural inequities that delay early exposure to computer science to limited information about how the industry hires, fewer connections in their professional networks, and less opportunities to practice technical interviews. As a result, just 5 percent of all software engineers in the U.S. are Black. Karat launched Brilliant Black Minds to close the Interview Access Gap that disproportionately impacts Black software engineers and provide equitable access to interview practice.

About Karat

Karat is the world’s largest interviewing company, pioneering the Interviewing Cloud to solve the multi-decade global shortage of software engineers. The Interviewing Cloud is an always-on, consistent human + technology solution for conducting predictive, fair, and enjoyable technical interviews 24/7. Karat’s global network of Interview Engineers, unparalleled market intelligence, and purpose-built interviewing infrastructure accelerates engineering hiring, improves diversity outcomes, and elevates the quality of hires. Leading enterprises such as Walmart, Roblox, American Express, and Atlassian trust Karat to unlock developer time, raise engineering quality, and drive consistency at a global scale so that they can innovate and win.
About Flatiron
Flatiron Health is a healthtech company expanding the possibilities for point of care solutions in oncology and using data for good to power smarter care for every person with cancer. Through machine learning and AI, real-world evidence, and breakthroughs in clinical trials, we continue to transform patients’ real-life experiences into knowledge and create a more modern, connected oncology ecosystem. Flatiron Health is an independent affiliate of the Roche Group. Flatiron.com @FlatironHealth

Media Contact: Nina Toor