Karat recently hired Crystal Moore as VP of its Brilliant Black Minds program to aid in its goal of doubling the number of Black software engineers in the United States.

The software-based technical interviewing company is focused on conveying the business benefits to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). Brilliant Black Minds is its flagship move to formalize the work into a partnership program.

Karat launched the program 2021, leveraging its interviewing resources, development training, and feedback to help prepare students for technical interviewing. The work recently gained momentum landing partnerships with Prime Video, Citi, Duolingo, Indeed, and Flatiron Health.

Karat brought Moore on board to solidify strong leadership in enterprise partnerships and forming connections with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) – institutions that have been hailed by major tech organizations like Cisco for their economic impact and influence.

A third-generation HBCU alumni herself, Moore has toggled between the private and public sector, focusing on promoting access and advancement to high-wage roles for Black talent. “Serena Williams, she said when she joined us as our champion of brilliance, ‘there's no shortage of Black talent. It's just a lack of opportunity,” Moore told SDxCentral.

Moore will be spending the next six months “getting in the field," connecting with candidates directly, and expanding the network of enterprise partners, or "Partners of Brilliance" within Karat, to drive the work forward.

“It is easy to forget that human element of the work we do. We all want to achieve and see certain numbers because it shows progress and it shows impact. But it's also a balance of reminding ourselves that the numbers are people and that the work that we do is deeper than hiring targets,”  she explained.

Moore believes the tech industry is going to be “one of the greatest drivers of wealth creation in our generation,” and Brilliant Black Minds’ core mission is to foster an equal way into that wealth to not only “change their lives, but change the lives of their family and their communities.”

“I'm a proud HBCU graduate. I think HBCUs are the bedrock of our country. They have such an amazing history of producing Black students and talent in every field including STEM,” Moore explained, citing a report looking at the social mobility outcomes for HBCU alumni.

The report found that low-income students’ mobility rates more than double by attending an HBCU – with an average mobility rate of 34.3% over a nationwide average of 15.8%. The mobility rate represents the portion of a college or university's students who come from the bottom 40% in terms of household income and transition into the top 60%.

These institutions are perfect pipelines for the tech sector, she added. "Creating meaningful partnerships is not always easy. But doing so I think is directly aligned with our strategy, which is to get to exactly where students are and support the institutions that support Black talent.”

While a big part of Karat’s work is in helping diverse talent prepare for technical interviews, Brilliant Black Minds also looks to help enterprises with thought leadership around investing in employees, Moore said.

“If I'm talking to a potential Partner of Brilliance, and they say, 'how many candidates, [specifically] Black engineers, can you send me? I need five.' That signals to me that they're potentially not the right partner. I'm looking for a partner who is committed to the long term, changing the space, changing the industry,” she explained.

For an enterprise, committing to the long term means looking at each employee's 90-day plan or one-year plan and seeing that they have access to mentorship and employee resource groups (ERGs). "All these things could create a long-term relationship with someone of color,” Moore continued.

“I think sometimes the disconnect is companies creating authentic and meaningful opportunities to talk to Black talent directly, but also demonstrating that: I'm not only committed to hiring you, I'm committed to seeing you through in your entire career and supporting you into becoming a leader.”

Moore says while DE&I budgets are often the first to get cut in the face of recession, Brilliant Black Minds’ partners are resisting this tendency. “Something different is happening this go-round, organizations are stepping up and saying we're going to keep [a] laser focus on supporting our talent,” she added.