The Abernathy Tech Spotlight series highlights black professionals working in tech, from freelance developers to non-technical founders. Complete this form to submit your profile.
What is your current role and where do you work?
I am currently the founder of The Local Listener, a platform that serves people curated content from around the world right to their inbox.
Having dove into web development recently, I am fascinated by how much can be done with Google DevTools as it relates to changing the look of sites with HTML and CSS. I like using the tool to imagine how the most popular sites could look different if we changed certain elements on the page. I believe it’s an underrated tool for product management folks.
How did you get into tech?
I got into tech from my last startup, which was called LykeMe. LykeMe was an interest based social network that helped people discover those with similar identities and interests.
What project are you most proud to have worked on and why?
I am most proud of LykeMe because it gave me insight into the inner workings of tech, how to go from an idea to a product that people used daily, and how to work with a team of different backgrounds and skills to reach a final goal. I am also proud of LykeMe because it gave me the opportunity to interact with people I would have not had access to had I gone the entry level job route. It gave me confidence that people see value in the ideas I bring to the world as well as the confidence to keep creating.
What do you see as the most interesting technology on the horizon?
The most interesting to me is CRISPR, a gene editing technology that has been in the works for some years now. Although it has not been covered vastly in the media, we will see a lot of work being done with CRISPR in the future of medicine and health.
If you weren’t working in tech, what would you be doing?
I would more than likely be a consultant, since I am a problem solver by nature and would love to keep solving problems in any way that I can.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your tech career?
Leverage your network for introductions to people, to get a job, and to also to fill the knowledge gaps you might have when building a product,business, or working on problems at your place of employment.
What can companies do to create more inclusive environments?
Realizing that diversity does not equal inclusion. Diversity means having a seat at the table. Inclusion means your voice holds weight in the conversation being had at the table.
The Abernathy Tech Spotlight series highlights black professionals working in tech, from freelance developers to non-technical founders. Complete this form to submit your profile.
