The Knowledge House partners with Bloomberg to deliver a hackathon that sparks innovation and solves big problems

The Knowledge House announces partnership with Bloomberg to provide underserved young people of color pathways to well-paying tech jobs

The Knowledge House (TKH), a nonprofit headquartered in the Bronx that empowers and sustains a diverse pipeline of technology talent from low-income communities, announced today plans to host the inaugural Hack of Knowledge, which aims to focus on social entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. Organized by a volunteer team of Bloomberg engineers, the hackathon, which will take place on Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1, 2021, will benefit TKH Innovation Fellows, volunteers, and future students. It is the culminating event in TKH’s programming celebrating #NationalVolunteerMonth.

Jerelyn Rodriguez, Co-founder and CEO of TKH, is excited about the partnership. She said, “Bloomberg has been a critical partner to TKH, especially during the pandemic, when a lot of corporations launched diversity and solidarity statements without follow through. Bloomberg stood out, as TKH engaged with more volunteers, received a grant to support students through COVID-19, and hosted a career talk for students led by Bloomberg’s Black In Tech (BBIT) community. In January, Bloomberg hired a recent TKH graduate as a full-time software engineer. Now, through the hackathon, our current students will receive mentorship and career guidance from more than 70 of Bloomberg employees. We’re so excited to formalize this partnership to increase our impact in the year ahead.”

This hackathon is intended to support TKH Fellows as they begin work on their course projects and to recruit volunteers for the upcoming Innovation Fellowships for adults and Karim Karbouch Coding Fellowships for high school students. Bloomberg works closely with TKH fellows serving as volunteer mentors as part of Bloomberg’s Corporate Philanthropy and Engineering Recruiting programs. Bloomberg employees participate in The Knowledge House’s Volunteer Initiative Program (VIP) throughout the year as industry experts to support students and graduates in their career development as future technologists, entrepreneurs, and digital leaders.

“Bloomberg is committed to investing in communities that have been traditionally underrepresented and under-resourced in STEM careers,” said Nancy Cutler, Head of Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. “Funding more coders of color not only generates new pathways to coding and technology careers, it creates a new generation of technologists of color who will spark future innovation.”

Throughout the year, TKH students meet with mentors from the industry to engage in tutoring and interview prep, as well as to learn how different emerging technologies are being used in industry. Volunteers also help prepare fellows for careers in tech and frequently aid in hiring at the companies where they work. 

Bloomberg Engineering Manager and current TKH Board Member, Matthew Newton, helped facilitate the upcoming hackathon. As part of National Volunteer Month, TKH highlighted Matt as April’s Volunteer of the Month. Matt also helped kick off #VolunteerAppreciationWeek by moderating a panel event with two TKH students and volunteer partners.

“The Knowledge House understands the need to create educational pathways in the STEAM field for high-potential under-resourced youths and has made substantial progress in moving the needle towards a more equitable tech workplace for all,” said Matthew Newton. “Bloomberg’s engineers are excited to volunteer to help facilitate TKH’s expansion nationally, while also providing ongoing mentoring to help TKH Fellows secure their educational goals and full-time employment.”

The Knowledge House has tackled inequities and driven solutions in the South Bronx, serving more than 1,850 young people of color, bringing perspective, proximity, and expertise to fight against poverty by pushing against barriers to employment. TKH has recently taken critical steps to create an inclusive economy, expanding its program in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Newark to address economic recovery through the upskilling of underserved young people. TKH continually seeks to help more people use powerful analytics every day, shorten the path from data to insights, and inspire bold new discoveries that drive progress. Partnerships like Bloomberg enhance the level of training and knowledge for fellows by giving them access to one-on-one tutoring and mentoring in all aspects of their work. Partnerships also allow for interactions with professionals in the tech industry to offer guidance in career development and success.

About The Knowledge House
The Knowledge House (TKH) is committed to taking low-income youth and young adults from unemployment and dead-end jobs to financial independence and stability by providing them with free technical training and professional development services that put them on a direct path to employment in the tech sector. Since its founding in 2014, TKH has grown to serve young people in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Newark. To learn more, visit theknowledgehouse.org.

About Bloomberg
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visit Bloomberg.com/company or request a demo.

Media contacts:
Evelyn Erskine, Philanthropy Communications, eerskine@bloomberg.net
Chaim Haas, Innovation Communications, chaas30@bloomberg.net
Antoinette Gregg, The Knowledge House, agregg@theknowledgehouse.org