Accelerating Inclusion with ADCOLOR

In the inaugural Culture Briefing partnership between ADCOLOR and sparks & honey, we opened this new monthly series with a conversation about inclusion accelerators. Much has been written about the need for increased corporate diversity in the wake of George Floyd’s death, but the demand for quick results coupled with the steep cultural and operational problems these new leaders inherit has stalled the progress our restless population seeks. Latest data suggests we are still 95 years away from reaching talent parity for Black employees in the private sector.

This is unacceptable. Camilo La Cruz, Chief Strategy Officer for sparks & honey, shared a new solution based on the business accelerators around the country. “Apply the concept of acceleration to the pipeline. When you’re a high-growth business in a high-growth market and you’re looking for more candidates—adding a college degree as a requirement exclude 89% of Latino people and 83% of Black Americans.” One inclusion accelerator is already set up at the University of Missouri-St.Louis. USML Accelerate $50,000 in non-dilutive capital and $200,000 of in-kind resources on top of an 8-week business development program to six start-ups out of more than 430 applicants. Another inclusion accelerator is Headstream, with the mission to “support innovations that reach communities that traditionally haven’t been the focus of entrepreneurs.” This challenge upends the idea that innovation is what we create, but “how we create it and rethinking what ‘advanced’ or ‘smarter’ look like.” 

One of the clearest examples of an inclusion accelerator improving business is Netflix. Their depth of programming and accessible UX has led to “local” shows transcending home markets and attracting huge followings in foreign countries. “This is a huge opportunity for Hollywood,” shared Tiffany R. Warren, Founder and President of ADCOLOR. “I think about how I learned about stereotypes in the 80s and 90s, I learned it from movies and TV.” Whether it’s Shonda Rhimes adapting Bridgerton, Álex Pina’s Money Heist, or Janet Mock’s Pose, the audiences of today and the future are eager for stories that disrupt our previously understood narratives. When the problems, and the appetite for solutions, are this clear, inclusion accelerators are the key to destroying the barriers that have hindered DEI initiatives.

Watch the Full Culture Briefing below:

Watch live Culture Briefings every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 12 pm ET on the sparks & honey LinkedIn page.