Top Tech Companies Partner with Wallbreakers to Diversify Talent Pipeline

Published by Kunbi Tinuoye at June 6, 2019

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EXCLUSIVE: Technology firms, including Airbnb and PagerDuty, have teamed up with Wallbreakers to bridge the gap between the tech industry and untapped talent.

They have joined forces for a partnership that will almost certainly shake up the inclusive hiring process for entry-level software engineers. Through this innovative collaboration, around ten reputable tech brands are now uniquely positioned to access, engage, and initiate dialogue with diverse prospective employees via the Wallbreakers platform.

A key element to the partnership is a company profile on the Wallbreakers (WB) site. The tech firms worked closely with WB to craft profiles that showcase their employer values, D&I efforts, employee resource groups, and so forth.

Andrea Guendelman, the co-founder of Wallbreakers, says the page templates are based on research highlighting what Gen Zers, especially the underserved, are looking for when they apply for jobs. “The profiles highlight the things that Generation Z cares about and that’s values, employee resource groups, and what they’ll be building on the job.”

Launched in late 2018, Wallbreakers transforms underrepresented computer science graduates into entry-level software engineers. They utilize their expertise and extensive network to bridge the skills gap between traditional higher education and employer needs in the innovation economy.

The Tech Firm Will Hold Office Hours

In less than a year, WB is already establishing itself as a leading resource for diverse entry-level software engineering talent. This latest partnership will go a long way toward solidifying their position as a leading player in the tech recruitment space.

Another crucial aspect of the partnership is company office hours. Candidates in the Wallbreakers database will get unprecedented access to key players at these firms. They’ll be able to ask questions and stay connected through scheduled office hours. It’s a rare chance for tech firms to listen to aspiring employees and for prospective candidates to find out more about companies.

LATINA FOUNDER LAUNCHES WALLBREAKERS

The end goal is to for these progressive firms to hire these smart computer science grads in exchange for a competitive recruitment fee. This helps companies solve three huge problems. Firstly, saving engineering recruiting time and money. Secondly, saving college campus recruiting dollars, and finally, solving their diversity pipeline problems.

In fact, Wallbreakers is on a mission to source, train, prequalify and refer the best and brightest to innovative tech firms across the country. They work with over 50 colleges and universities from across the country. Students come from a variety of universities, including Ivy League schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

Wallbreakers alumni cohort 2

Wallbreakers Training Helps Demystify Recruitment Process

Diverse computer science majors engage with Wallbreakers by joining its database or participating in the rigorous online training program. To complete the cohort students need to pass 100 plus hours of software engineering training and participate in mock interviews with senior software engineers.

“Our training teaches them how to apply theoretical knowledge to interview questions, builds confidence, and provides a community that cares about their development,” says Guendelman. “We are creating playful warriors. The playfulness that comes from self-confidence with warrior skills that come from hard work.”

“The Wallbreakers program helped me become more familiar with the types of questions asked in technical interviews,” said Dennis Sosa, who recently graduated from Georgia Tech with an MSc in Computer Science. “I enjoyed connecting with Wallbreakers’ partners it gave me the opportunity to learn about different companies and it also opened up interviewing opportunities for me.”

Wallbreakers kicked off with a 6-week beta pilot in October 2018. The second cohort got going in May, with the third cohort coming up in August.

Ishmael Perez, Wallbreakers cohort 2 alumni

Wallbreakers Has A Stellar Management Team

Aside from fast-tracking the careers of select students who complete their highly competitive cohort programs, Wallbreakers also has a burgeoning database with thousands of underrepresented computer science students from universities across the country. Today around 4,000 are signed up on this list, with ambitious plans to grow the list to 20,000 by 2021.

10 LATINX TECH ENTREPRENEURS KICKING ASS

Indeed, Wallbreakers has a world-class management team with a huge vision. Chilean American Guendelman has been a mainstay in D&I since 2015 with her startup BeVisible, the first and only career platform connecting Latinx professionals. Her expertise is matched by her cofounder’s business acumen.

Latinx serial entrepreneur Isaac Saldana sold his company SendGrid to Twilio in 2017 for a cool $2 billion. Saldana is now spearheading Joy Labs. Launched in 2018, Joy Labs is focused on building great companies with world-class software validation and development practices.

With the shifting demographics (the U.S. is projected to become majority-minority by 2045) and the increasing demand for entry-level technology jobs, Wallbreakers is not only solving a socio-economic issue, but it’s also poised to become a highly successful scalable brand.

Main Image: Tensae Kebede, Wallbreakers cohort 2 alumni

Other firms in the partnership are Drify, Suzy, Emtrain, Unity and Gusto.

Interested?

Are you a computer science major that wants to be part of the next cohort? Sign Up Here!
Are you a company that wants to participate? Fill In Your Details Here.
Do you want to see how WB started off? Sign Up here to Download the Pilot Report.
Want to hear more in person? Ask Andrea about coming to speak to your recruiters!

Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter at @Kunbiti

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Kunbi Tinuoye

Kunbi Tinuoye is the founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz. Previously, she worked as a News Correspondent for NBC’s theGrio. Prior, she was a senior broadcast journalist for the BBC in London. Tinuoye currently sits on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board and CES Conference Advisory Board. She is a key player in the Atlanta tech startup ecosystem and serves as a mentor for Comcast NBCUniversal’s The Farm Accelerator. Tinuoye has received several awards and accolades, including being honored with a Resolution from the Georgia Legislative.