BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN THE INNOVATION ECONOMY
Floreo Labs meets with stakeholders from NYC Tech Talent Pipeline | June 2019
Creating sustainable economic opportunities and building resilient communities in the NYC tech ecosystem
An investment in STEM education is an investment in our city's future.
NYC historically ranks as one of the best startup ecosystems in the world, and yet tech job growth continues to elude communities across the city.
We partnered with social impact organizations across the NYC tech ecosystem to lead the design and implementation of STEM initiatives that spanned education, the workforce and business.
INITIATIVES
Education (K-12 / Higher Ed)
Workforce Development
Business Incubation
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Instructional Design
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Technical Trainings
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Curriculum Development
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Product Development
CREDITS
Every initiative was a collaborative effort with each of the teams listed below. Together we flourish!
ADDRESSING THE GAPS
Our work to date has focused on addressing the Leaky Tech Pipeline, a research backed a framework identifying the barriers to inclusion in the tech sector and broader innovation economy. Research shows only 4% of tech entrepreneurs are Black or Latinx and fewer than 1 in 10 are women. Through our education and business services we’ve addressed many of the “leaky” areas.
K-12 EDUCATION
DEPLOYING TECHNOLOGY CURRICULA IN 19 NYC SCHOOLS
We are supporting the implementation of creative technology education programming for over 1000 youth in K-12 schools across NYC.
In a moment in time when schools were forced into online learning and engagement was more important than ever, we partnered with the leaders at Roads to Success to create creative tech programming that could translate from the classroom to a hybrid world, and connected directly to the passions of their key stakeholders, NYC youth.
Together with the staff of RTS, we built curricula for game design, photography and videography, and vlogging topics, and trained the instructional staff who in turn have implemented the curricula in over 19 elementary, middle, and high schools across the five boroughs since 2020.
HIGHER EDUCATION
EXPANDING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE BRONX
Lehman College Blackstone Launchpad Keynote
It’s not a big secret how much we love our community in the Bronx. We’ve been blessed many times over by the partnership we have with Lehman College, specifically through the work Lawrence Fauntleroy has been facilitating with the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline and in his new role directing experiential learning for the new Lehman College business school.
Our very own Cameron Flowers was invited to deliver a keynote speech to aspiring entrepreneurs that completed the Blackstone Launchpad program, a national program working to build the next generation of companies and careers by working with higher ed institutions to deliver startup resources, mentorship and networking opportunities for college students.
Entrepreneurship is incredibly important to the growth of our innovation ecosystems. We’re always excited to support meaningful efforts bridging Education and Business and grateful to Lawrence for the opportunities he’s facilitated allowing us to help build the capacity of local Bronx residents to participate in the greater New York innovation ecosystem.
(Photo credit: Lehman College)
TECH WORKFORCE
Lehman College is the City University of New York's only four-year college in the Bronx, serving the borough and surrounding region as an intellectual, economic, and cultural center. Lehman College partners with The NYC Tech Talent Pipeline (TTP) to coordinate the TTP Residency that connects qualified, upper-level computer science candidates with NYC businesses looking to host short-term, on-site opportunities for emerging technical talent in roles like front end development, back end development, and mobile development, test/QA development.
We worked with the Lehman College Computer Science Department & the CUNY 2x Tech Talent Pipeline to create a semester long program teaching industry relevant skills in modern web development. The department was in need of educators with industry experience to model best practices and on the job necessary skills to their college aged population.
We utilized our network of industry professionals that were interested in teaching to design and lead a program for students in the computer science department that has become a popular course over the last two years.
NYC TECH
TALENT PIPELINE
TECH WORKFORCE
Kura, launched in partnership with our innovation lab, has had a significant impact on both the tech industry and underserved communities. Kura provides free training and job placement in Cloud Infrastructure Engineering, DevOps, and SRE at leading tech companies for aspiring engineers from low-income households.
Our innovation lab was responsible for the instructional design of their pilot program, ensuring that the curriculum was aligned with industry roles and outcomes. Additionally, we innovated the classroom learning experience to address the needs of virtual learners during the pandemic.
The results have been impressive - over $50 million in savings from reduced IT fixed operating expenses, thanks to the increased number of cloud infrastructure engineers to implement and manage automated deployment pipelines and elastic infrastructure. Furthermore, Kura graduates have achieved an average starting salary of $100,000, despite coming from households with an average annual income of $30,000.
ACCLERATING PATHWAYS TO CLOUD COMPUTING
TECH WORKFORCE
Our residency program is an accelerated learning opportunity for university students looking for practical experience in their area of individual expertise. Over the course of a few months, our residents learned about our approach to the innovation process and worked on live initiatives with our principal and lead consultants.
This last cycle we welcomed: Rachel Ng, Linda Chen, Ivory Hillery, and Megan Eng to our team and were blown away by their commitment to the tech for good movement we are currently engaged in. Over the course of the residency they
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Worked alongside our marketing and sales teams to research, analyze and define ideal customer personas in expanding markets
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Researched and presented on the media landscape in various regional markets
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Contributed to the ongoing design and development of our signature workshop series
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Conducted user research and interviews as part of the product development process for future media and content offerings
It was a summer of learning, growth and collaboration all around and it brings us a lot of joy to continue to support the early career experiences of creative technologists across the country!
FLOREO LABS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RESIDENCY
SMALL BUSINESS
Our innovation lab has been working to accelerate small businesses in New York through our consulting and accelerated learning programs. We have helped dozens of founders understand their business model, mobilize around their economic goals, build agile workflows, and reflect and adapt in order to continuously innovate.
Our Lab Accelerator Program was launched to digitize our consulting practice, making it more accessible to a wider range of individuals. Through this program, we have been able to reach even more small business owners and entrepreneurs, providing them with the resources and tools they need to succeed.
One of our most successful cases was with a small business owner who was struggling to grow her business. Through our consulting and learning program, we helped her identify key areas for improvement and implement new strategies to drive growth. As a result, her business saw a 30% increase in revenue in just three months.
Our work with small businesses in New York has been instrumental in driving economic growth and sustainability. We're proud to be a part of the solution and look forward to continuing to support small business owners and entrepreneurs in the years to come.
