The School of Data Science is an industry-university partnership, committed to growing exemplary talent through research and education. As the only School of Data Science in the Carolinas, SDS offers several interdisciplinary graduate programs and the first data science undergraduate program in the state. The inaugural cohort of data science undergraduate students began classes in fall 2020.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is a mission-driven organization. Every day nearly 5,000 of us show up with one goal: to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities. To fully achieve this goal, we must have a more equitable health care system.  We know that racism and discrimination lead to health disparities. Simply put, no community can truly be healthy until racism no longer exists. Our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work focuses on three areas: within our company, the health care system, and North Carolina communities.

Last week, we all learned of the news of the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg – a true leader, patriot and pioneer. Her death has given us the opportunity to reflect, especially as we at NC TECH launched our inaugural Summit for Women in Tech over the past couple of days. While opportunities for women have certainly improved over the past few decades, there is still a lag in job opportunities, promotion and pay – especially in the tech sector. North Carolina ranks 1st among the states in the percentage of women in IT positions, but the total percentage, 35.5%, is not where it should be. There is much work to be done to fill our tech jobs pipeline with more women, especially women of color.

Stacauto, founded in 2020, is a digital platform enabling consumers to test drive vehicles on their own at local dealerships without requiring in-person contact. They are a distributed team, founded and organized in North Carolina.

In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. President Carter wrote, “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who be-friended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”  Seven years later, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions to American history. Since it is National Women’s History Month, it seems only fitting to take a look back at some of the amazing women who have made significant contributions to the world of technology.

Founded in 2014, Linker Logic Technologies is a software development company based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. We help startups and enterprises launch their products by providing award-winning consulting, design, development, and support services. Since its inception in 2014, Linker Logic Technologies has helped hundreds of founders bring their vision to life.

Founded in 2012, Apparo bridges Charlotte's corporate and nonprofit communities, enabling corporations to fulfill their corporate social responsibility priorities by delivering affordable, sustainable technology solutions to nonprofits. As a result, lives in Charlotte are improves, as nonprofits can do more towards fulfilling their missions.

NC TECH Director of Programs and Sponsorships Tracy Sternbig gives a recap of our June Virtual Diversity + Inclusion in Tech Summit.

The 5Gs of 5IR: Reinventing Technology Communications for a New Era Bob Osmond, president, Racepoint Global  We’ve placed a moratorium on phrases like the “new normal” and “unprecedented times” in our organization, in part because they’re cliché at this point and because they lack anything resembling precision. The only thing normal now is that everything is in flux and flux is in everything. Read more....

HaystackCRM was originally created to manage our customer relationships for our software company. We quickly realized this fresh approach to customer relationship management would be valuable for other small businesses, particularly for sales professionals that tend not to work from an office. It offers a clean, intuitive layout that is approachable for users of all technical abilities.

June's Guest Blog is written by Kim Chapman, President of Network Services Inc. on Women in Technology Leadership. The technology industry has historically been a difficult industry for women aspiring to executive positions. For those of us who started our careers in the ‘80’s, we have certainly seen a shift in the direction of more inclusiveness and a growing diversity in upper management. But there is still a long way to go. Read more...

Describe the journey that eventually led you to your current company? I founded Xtern Software in 2002. I started the business out of my townhouse in NW Greensboro, and soon found a demand for custom software within the Triad and well beyond. The company continued to grow consistently each year, ultimately bringing on additional staff to support the growth of the business. Five years ago, my wife, Jennifer Davis, stepped into the role of VP of Sales & Marketing. Xtern has continued to grow and is planning to bring on two additional software developers in the next few months to support its robust growth. Read the full blog....

People are up to all kinds of things during the pandemic; perhaps even starting companies. Our April Guest Blog explores entrepreneurship in times of crisis -- from business considerations to mindset. Editor’s note: Billy Warden is a writer and the co-founder, with Greg Behr, of the p.r./marketing firm GBW Strategies.

Stromasys virtualizes and modernizes IT operations by migrating vital operating systems and applications to modern platforms or the cloud…and away from aging legacy hardware. Legacy systems pose an increasing cost and risk for organizations due to lack of support and parts availability. We were founded in 1999.

In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. President Carter wrote, “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who be-friended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”  Seven years later, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions to American history. Since it is National Women’s History Month, it seems only fitting to take a look back at some of the amazing women who have made significant contributions to the world of technology.

The Gig East Exchange is a space that seeks to create a home for inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship in our community. To provide low cost space to early stage businesses, and to bring together diverse people from within our community and across the region to share and collaborate.

RevelOne is a marketing specialized talent advisory and recruiting firm. We are founded and lead by marketers. We help companies sharpen their marketing talent strategies and hire the best people to achieve their growth goals.

MicroBachelors Programs: A Viable Solution for Upskilling - North Carolina employers are acutely aware of the shortage of skilled IT workers in our state. According to NC TECH, there were 28,312 IT job postings statewide in December 2019. North Carolina’s overall job growth is on track to outstrip its population growth by 2024, and we can’t rely on in-migration of talent to solve this problem – we must train and upskill the residents who are already here.

Rapidops is a full-service and full-scale digital transformation and software innovation company. We’re digital partners to forward-thinking companies looking to build business value through the creative application of the latest tech by building digital products & platforms, business process automations and AI/ML data analytics.

Pashara Black, Events and Community Outreach Manager for StrongKey, has written an event recap of AfroTech conference in Oakland. The groundbreaking, revolutionary experience for Black techies, startups and entrepreneurs.