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Ep. 020 features Wayne Sutton & Melinda Epler, co-founders of Change Catalyst. You may be familiar with their tech conference, Tech Inclusion, which has made it’s way all over the world to educate people on what it means to be inclusive in the tech space.
A little bit about this episode’s guests… Melinda Briana Epler has over 25 years of experience developing business innovation and inclusion strategies for startups, Fortune 500 companies and global NGOs. As CEO of Change Catalyst, Melinda currently works with the tech industry to solve diversity and inclusion together. Using her background in storytelling and large-scale culture change, she is a strategic advisor for tech companies, tech hubs and governments around the world. She co-leads a series of global solutions-focused conferences called Tech Inclusion. Melinda is also Director of Program Development at Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm, where she develops startup curriculum and builds inclusive local and global entrepreneur ecosystems for underestimated founders.
Wayne Sutton is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Change Catalyst and its Tech Inclusion programs. Sutton’s experience includes years of establishing partnerships with large brands to early-stage startups. As a leading voice in diversity and inclusion in tech, Sutton shares his thoughts on solutions and culture in various media outlets where he has been featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. In addition to mentoring and advising early-stage startups, Sutton’s life goal is to educate entrepreneurs who are passionate about using technology to change the world.
Wayne has over 14 years experience in technology, design and business development. Wayne has been recognized as one of the Silicon Valley 100 coolest people in tech, one of the 52 hottest new stars in Silicon Valley, one of the 46 Most Important African-Americans In Technology by Business Insider and one of the Top 100 most influential black people on social media in 2014.
This episode is brought to you by Adnocrats, an advertising advisory + media agency focused on connecting brands with audiences across television, radio, digital billboards, and online.
On this episode Wayne, Melinda, & I discuss:
- The uniqueness of their tech conference, Tech Inclusion
- Their new role at Backstage Capital with Arlan Hamilton and team
- How diversity and inclusion affects individuals at even the executive level
- The importance of mental health
And much more!
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Links to topics mentioned on this episode:
Wayne and Melinda’s Role at Backstage Capital
Deena Black Tech Unplugged 
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