Taylor Gordon

Prominent industry leaders are increasingly expected to embody customer ideals and represent the communities they serve. This expectation has even some of the biggest tech giants shook, but Capital One seems to be fearlessly embracing this responsibility with a sense of urgency. This is precisely what propelled Emmanuel Offiong, VP and CTO of Business Bank Engineering, to join Capital One after he saw the company’s deeply rooted commitment to diversifying their teams and empowering small businesses. “What struck me the most was meeting leaders who looked like me in even more senior roles than the one I was being recruited for,” Emmanuel recalled about his interview process with Capital One. This was crucial for Emmanuel who serves as a member of the mentor network for Level Up Ventures, a mission-driven investment firm founded by the Hearst Corporation that aims to close the wealth gap by investing in high-growth Black and Latino-founded startups. He also serves on the board of...

Every year AfroTech brings the best and brightest talent together to network, elevate their skills, and look ahead to discuss the future of tech. This year’s conference proved that the future couldn’t look any sweeter. The TWIX ® College Reception created an exclusive space for the students who will soon be the innovators, creators and industry disruptors of tomorrow. This private networking event gave 75 TWIX ® Scholars the opportunity to take a break from their studies so they could tap in with other up-and-coming tech talent and embrace one of the most slept-on forms of resistance: Black joy. TWIX ® partnered up with Blavity.org to transform The Reverbery into a red and gold foil-wrapped speakeasy where attendees enjoyed mouth-watering sliders, playful caricatures, interactive photo booths, and all-you-can-eat TWIX ® candy bars – and yes, we’re talking full-sized. It was the perfect backdrop for bright-eyed students eager to see what golden opportunities the tech space could...