Improving diversity and inclusion is a difficult challenge in virtually all companies, as well as in open-source communities. Attracting more diverse talent is half the battle, but supporting that talent into staying and growing to become key contributors and leaders can be even harder. In this talk we’ll focus on this second part of the problem: how can you help Women, People of Color, and LGBT people to grow in their careers and become leaders in your community.

Studies have shown that mentorship can play an important role. Sometimes a small piece of advice at the right time can radically change the trajectory of a career. Underrepresented people can benefit more from organized mentoring, because it’s harder for them to find role models that they can identify with.

For about 18 months, we have been running tupu.io, a non-profit mentorship platform for matching mentors and mentees from different tech companies and communities. We will share what we have learned during this time, and hopefully inspire you to give mentoring a try.