Veterans launch diversity app that hones inclusion skills

Twelve diverse US military veterans have today unveiled an interactive app to help organisations accelerate diversity and inclusion learning.

The 12 veterans from diverse backgrounds have launched diversitypop – an effective, unbiased learning technology and mobile app that claims to develop inclusion instincts. It’s built for organisations as an anonymous system to deliver diversity training to people on the go. It deploys a range of repeatable digital experiences that mirror the inclusivity experience to hone inclusion skills that the founders experienced over 30 years ago. 

“When America’s service academy graduates were trained for diversity and inclusion in the 1980s, they did so via immersive experiences and intense interactions with people not like themselves,” stated Drew Bartkiewicz, one of the 12 Co-founders of diversitypop. He was inspired to develop the app from his tenure at salesforce.com in the early 2000s. “They learned at a young age that ‘inclusion was an infusion,’ not only to the mind of the individual but to the effectiveness of the team itself. And now over 30 years later, we formed a company to deliver that learning experience and repeatable diversity training enabled with the scalability of technology.”

BIAS FREE “CLEAN” AI

Although diversity training programmes are usually well intended, a University of Toronto study showed that these programmes can actually increase bias among employees. This is because they publicly force outside ideas about the value of diversity onto employees and imply that the employees don’t have the freedom to think about these issues on their own terms, according to the founders.

The mobile app’s underlying technology applies algorithms and personalisation, and leverages “clean” artificial intelligence and cognitive learning methods that are increasingly the epicentre of modern learning. Its goal is to train the brain for diversity and inclusion without the friction and slowness of traditional methods. 

“As evidenced by the events of 2020, we are all reminded that diversity is only a goal on the organisation chart if we do not individually tap into our inclusion instincts,” commented John Tien, Co-founder of diversitypop and Rhodes Scholar. “What started for us as a mission to improve our leadership skills turned into a mandate to help people grow the greatest life skill there is: inclusion.” 

HONING INCLUSION INSTINCTS

As the need and demand for remote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) technology is increasing, diversitypop plans to make the technology available to all high schools free of charge.  

Business organisations will also benefit from a 30-day free trial.  The app lets members discover topics, surveys and tests to grow their inclusive skills. It “builds and helps sustain personal diversity and inclusion skills” and uncovers potential areas of their own implicit biases, without the need for any personally identifiable information, confirmed the founders. Features include:

• Personalised content about cultures, race, gender, disabilities and a range of other topics. 
• Interactive PopScores that gamify and offer tools to grow inclusion instincts.
• Administrative level to allow DEI leaders to customise diversitypop to their goals and measurements.

“If we can use technology to watch what we eat, workout on smart biometric equipment, meditate, or hail a rideshare, then we can surely deploy software to grow our capacities to better understand and respect people different than ourselves,” added Nana Adae, a Navy veteran, co-founder and senior executive in financial services. “diversitypop is an intelligent and anonymous platform for any person in any organisation to tap the diversity multiples in their midst.”

THE CO-FOUNDERS 

The 12 military veterans that founded diversitypop come from all walks of life, each with inspiring backgrounds. They include:

• Nana Adae is a senior executive in financial services, where she is active in diversity and inclusion initiatives. She spent seven years on active duty as a Cryptologic Officer after graduating from the US Naval Academy. 
• Albert Alba is a retired military veteran with over 26 years of service. He served three combat tours of duty and was awarded the Silver Star and three Bronze Stars. 
• Roy E Alston, PhD is a West Point graduate who served in combat with 82^nd Airborne Division during the first Gulf War. He is a retired Dallas Police Department Major. 
• Drew Bartkiewicz is a twenty-five-year software veteran and Chairman of Patriapps, the leading veteran venture lab in America. He served in Italy and Iraq as a field artillery officer with the 82^nd Airborne, where he received the Bronze Star and Army Commendation medals during the Gulf War in 1991. 
• Steven B Choi is a seasoned leader currently serving as a senior Cybersecurity strategist for the Department of Defense. His combat deployments include Desert Storm/Shield, Afghanistan, and Iraq. 
• Everton Cranston is a global pharmaceutical industry executive with 25+ years working in diverse commercial consulting, sales and operations functions. He served as an officer with the United States Army’s 32^nd Field Artillery Regiment during the Gulf War. 
• Colonel Gregory D Gadson is a 25-year career Army officer. Greg served in every major conflict of the past two decades. Greg’s greatest challenge came in Iraq, where an IED attack cost him both legs above the knees and normal use of his right arm and hand. He received the Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit (2); Bronze Stars (3); Purple Heart; the Meritorious Service Medal (3) and the Army Commendation Medal (3). 
• Adolphus Gwynn is a software executive for the largest software company in Europe. He is a Bronze Star recipient and combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He is an Airborne Ranger, having commanded twice at the 82^nd Airborne Division. 
• Carlos Perez is a combat Army veteran and serves as Treasurer of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA). Prior to joining AAFMAA, he served over 26 years as an Army Officer in a variety of command and staff assignments, including battalion command in the United States and operational and combat deployments to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. 
• Patrice Sutherland is an Army combat veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star. She currently heads up the Government Sales organisation at Integra Lifesciences, where her team focuses on bringing life-saving medical devices to active duty military personnel and veterans. 
• John Tien is a Managing Director at Citigroup. Prior to joining Citi and in his role on the National Security Council staff, John was a senior national security and policy advisor in both the Bush and Obama Administrations, and was also a White House Fellow in the Clinton Administration. In 1986, John became the first ever Asian to be named the top cadet at West Point and serve as the First Captain and Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets. John went on to serve 24 years in the active duty Army to include three combat tours in Iraq. 
• Jim Ziegler is a pharmaceutical industry executive with 25+ years dedicated to improving patient lives. He is currently Senior Vice President, Commercial at lovance Biotherapeutics. He served as an armour officer with the United States Army’s 5^th Infantry Division.