Fast Company And Lesbians Who Tech And A...
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May 28, 2020
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NEW YORK, May 28, 2020 – Leading business media brand FastCompany today announced the winners of the inaugural FastCompany Queer 50, a ranking of the most influential and innovative queer women and nonbinary people transforming the world of business, tech, and beyond. Produced in collaboration with Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, the world’s largest LGBTQ technology community in the world, the Queer 50 celebrates some of the most accomplished—yet most underrepresented—leaders from the Queer community.
Irma L. Olguin, Jr. joins winners spanning all sectors of business, entertainment, technology and media. She has dominated an industry that traditionally is not welcoming to women, LGBTQI or people of color by creating an inclusive environment that she couldn’t find anywhere else. With diversity and inclusion at the heart of the business, Bitwise has made Fresno one of the fastest growing tech centers in the U.S. and one that resembles our county: >50 percent minority, >50 percent female and >20 percent first generation immigrant. This company makeup is a rarity for the tech industry especially in an area of the state not known for innovation.
FastCompany editors and a panel of judges compiled the list of leaders and thinkers based on five criteria: the size and growth prospects of each person’s business or organization; their place in the broader business and social conversation; how cutting edge, timely, and relevant their contributions are; their career trajectory over the past 12 months—and potential for growth; and their activism and advocacy for the Queer community.
“I am honored to be recognized in the first class of queer women and nonbinary people, “said Irma L. Olguin, Jr., CEO and Co-Founder, Bitwise Industries. “I consider this validation that the hard work Bitwise is doing to activate human potential with people traditionally overlooked by the technology industry, is essential for businesses. This is a positive signal that the technology industry is becoming more accepting and hopefully inspires the entrepreneurs that will be on next year’s list.”
“Since its inception, FastCompany has sought to surface and highlight leaders from underrepresented communities in the workplace,” said FastCompany Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Mehta. “As the national conversation about diversity and inclusion has broadened and become more robust—and as companies are increasingly embracing hard conversations about workplace belonging—we were excited to join forces with Lesbians Who Tech & Allies to make a new and meaningful contribution to the discussion.”
“Seeing this list actualized has been a dream of mine since I started Lesbians Who Tech,” said Leanne Pittsford, founder and CEO of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies. “This is a historic moment and an important year for visibility. We could not have asked for better partners than FastCompany and Stephanie Mehta.”
As a way to celebrate the list and the month of Pride, Lesbians Who Tech & Allies will also be honoring the winners during and leading up to its (Not IRL) Pride Summit, June 22–26. Information regarding the summit can be found online at https://lesbianswhotech.org/virtualpridesummit/.
For more information or to request an interview, please contact [email protected].
FastCompany’s Queer 50 list is now available online at fastcompany.com/queer-50-2020. The hashtag is #FCQueer50.
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About FastCompany
FastCompany is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Since 2011, FastCompany has received some of the most prestigious editorial and design accolades, including the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award for “Magazine Of The Year,” Adweek’s Hot List for “Hottest Business Publication,” and six gold medals and 10 silver medals from the Society of Publication Designers. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta and the publisher is Amanda Smith. Headquartered in New York City, FastCompany is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About Lesbians Who Tech & Allies
Lesbians Who Tech & Allies is the largest LGBTQ technology community in the world —committed to visibility, intersectionality, and changing the face of technology. We are 60,000 LGBTQ women, people of color, nonbinary and trans people, and allies in tech in 40+ cities worldwide. Over 6,000 women and gender-nonconforming people in tech attended our 2019 San Francisco Summit, making us the largest professional LGBTQ event in the world.
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