What /dev/color does

/dev/color is a U.S. nonprofit career accelerator and community organization founded in 2015 in Silicon Valley by Makinde Adeagbo to maximize the success of Black software engineers, technologists, and executives. The organization operates as a two-sided platform with individual members on one side and corporate accountability partners on the other. Its flagship offering is the A* (A Star) peer mentorship program, structured around small "Squad" cohorts of 7–9 members committing to a 12-month cycle with kick-off retreat, squad budgets, and professionally facilitated programming. Complementary programs include the Executive Accelerator (a 6-month hybrid program for Black founders), Brilliant Black Minds (technical interview preparation in collaboration with Karat), 62 cents Pay Equity Reports (market-value analysis and salary negotiation support with 81cents), The Persistence (invitation-only executive leadership for womxn), Breakpoints networking, /dev/color Socials, and Engineering Leader Events. The program portfolio is rounded out by a job board and the #winning member spotlight blog series.

The organization's revenue model rests on two streams: tiered individual membership subscriptions (General Membership at $99/year and A* Membership at $299/year) and Corporate Partnerships, structured in $50K, $50–100K, and $100K+ annual tiers with multi-year cycles. Disclosed corporate and philanthropic partners span Atlassian, Facebook (Meta), Google, Netflix, Pinterest, Square/Block, Uber, Dell Technologies, LinkedIn, Etsy, Gusto, Intuit, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Code.org, UNCF, and several venture firms supporting founder programming. Salesforce serves as membership application infrastructure and Slack as the member community layer. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with hubs in Seattle, Atlanta, and New York, /dev/color reports roughly 600+ professional members, 500+ engaged employer companies, 6,000+ career milestones, and ~1,000 A* alumni — under CEO Rhonda Allen (appointed September 2020), COO Rhonda Payne (appointed April 2021), and a board chaired by Brian Mariner (Software Engineering Manager, Apple).

The go-to-market motion is hybrid: community-led acquisition of individual members through word-of-mouth, peer referrals, community events, and earned media (USA Today, WIRED, TechCrunch, Axios), paired with direct enterprise partnership outreach to companies seeking diversity accountability partners. Headcount is reported at 1–10, indicating a small operating team relative to the scale of community reach, and Aneesha Raines is currently listed as Interim CEO — a signal worth monitoring.

Name

/dev/color

Legal name

https://devcolor.org/dev/color

Website

https://devcolor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

/dev/color is a U.S.-based nonprofit career accelerator and community organization founded in 2015 that supports Black software engineers, technologists, and executives through tiered memberships, flagship peer mentorship (A*), executive programming, and corporate accountability partnerships with major tech employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to community, networking, and professional development programs. General Membership at $99/year and A* flagship program membership at $299/year.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Annual partnership programs with tech companies including Atlassian, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Pinterest, Square, Uber, Dell Technologies, and others. Partnerships span multi-year cycles involving program sponsorship, talent engagement, and thought leadership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

/dev/color is a nonprofit career accelerator and membership community for Black software engineers, technologists, and executives, providing tiered membership programs (General Membership at $99/year and the flagship A* peer mentorship program at $299/year), executive accelerator and leadership programs, technical interview readiness coaching, pay equity support, and corporate accountability partnerships. The organization combines community-building, peer mentorship squads, networking events, and corporate engagement to advance career outcomes for Black technologists.

Product overview

/dev/color is a nonprofit career accelerator for Black software engineers, technologists, and executives, structured as a membership organization with tiered programs. The core offerings include General Membership ($99/year) providing community access and events, and the flagship A* Program ($299/year) featuring peer mentorship through dedicated Squads. The Executive Accelerator Program extends support to Black founders through a 6-month hybrid experience. Supporting programs include Brilliant Black Minds (technical interview prep with Karat), 62 cents Pay Equity Reports, The Persistence (executive leadership for womxn), Breakpoints networking sessions, /dev/color Socials, and Engineering Leader Events. Together, these create a comprehensive ecosystem supporting career advancement, community building, and entrepreneurship for Black technologists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• A* (A Star): Flagship peer mentorship program for Black software engineers featuring small cohorts (Squads) of 7-9 members with a 1-year commitment, kick-off retreat, and professional development.
• Executive Accelerator Program
• Brilliant Black Minds
• The Persistence

Products and services

• General Membership Annual membership at $99/year providing exclusive access to member events, networking opportunities, Slack community access, partner-led workshops, and featured programming for Black software engineers and technologists.
• A* (A Star) Program Flagship peer mentorship program at $299/year featuring small cohorts (Squads) of 7-9 Black software engineers who commit to a 1-year engagement including a kick-off retreat, squad meetings, and professional development to help members set and achieve ambitious career goals.
• Executive Accelerator Program 6-month hybrid accelerator program for Black founders and senior operators featuring intimate masterclasses, in-person opportunities, individualized executive coaching sessions, and professionally facilitated workshops designed to unlock venture access and supercharge executive skills.
• Brilliant Black Minds Technical interview readiness program developed in collaboration with Karat that provides enterprise-grade technical interviews, real-time feedback, and expert customized coaching to help Black software engineers close artificial interview gaps.
• 62 cents Pay Equity Reports Market value report service developed with 81cents that provides custom-built analysis, recruiter and hiring manager feedback, and recommended action plans to support Black technologists during annual reviews or new offer negotiations.
• The Persistence Invitation-only year-long executive leadership program for cohorts of womxn founders, senior operators, and C-level executives providing peer experiences and industry coaching focused on macro events and day-to-day leadership blockers.
• Breakpoints Member-led networking sessions that bring the /dev/color community together to collaborate on projects, explore opportunities, and participate in discussions, presentations, or pitch sessions with live Q&A and career pathway conversations.
• /dev/color Socials Networking events open to Black software engineers and technologists as well as diversity team members, bringing community and supporters together in local hubs across multiple cities.
• Engineering Leader Events By-invitation events bringing together senior software engineers, technologists, and executives to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the community through virtual or in-person candid conversations.
• Job Board Online job board platform connecting /dev/color members with career opportunities, serving as a talent resource for members and a hiring channel for employers engaged with the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members outpace industry in pay equity, gender equity, and career advancement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, title sponsor, partner and program partner.

• Dell TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CEO Rhonda Allen spoke with Dell Technologies on 'More Than a Seat at the Table' initiative. Strategic partnership involving thought leadership and talent engagement programs.
• Block (Square)title sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Title sponsor for programs section. Logo prominently displayed on programs page.
• LinkedInpartnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Corporate partner listed in current partner logos.
• EtsypartnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Corporate partner listed in current partner logos.
• GustopartnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Corporate partner listed in current partner logos. Head of Financial Products Engineering Kamilah Taylor serves on board.
• IntuitpartnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Corporate partner listed in current partner logos.
• Karatprogram partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Partner for Brilliant Black Minds program providing enterprise-grade technical interviews and coaching for Black software engineers.
• 81centsprogram partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Partner for pay equity reports providing market value reports, recruiter feedback, and salary negotiation support for members.
• UNCFprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Program and mission partner supporting Black technologist education and development.
• Bolsterprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Program and mission partner for executive development.
• Wunderdogsprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Program and mission partner supporting accelerator programs.
• AtlassiancoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner supporting /dev/color's mission to empower Black software engineers. Atlassian is one of the original organizational partners listed in press releases.
• FacebookcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner supporting /dev/color's mission. Facebook AI invited CEO Rhonda Allen to speak on inclusive AI development panels.
• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner supporting /dev/color's mission to advance Black software engineers in the industry.
• NetflixcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner supporting /dev/color's mission. Multiple Netflix engineers are active A* program members.
• PinterestcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner mentioned in founding press materials as supporting Black software engineer advancement.
• SquarecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner supporting /dev/color's mission.
• UbercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner supporting /dev/color's mission.
• MailchimpcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021Corporate partner mentioned in founding materials.
• Code.orgprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership initiative to change the face of computer science, encouraging Black students to pursue computer science education and tech careers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Code2040: Nonprofit focused on increasing representation of Black and Latinx technologists in the tech industry through fellowships and career programs — a directly comparable mission to /dev/color's community and career-acceleration model for underrepresented engineers.
• Black Girls Code: Nonprofit providing technology education and career exposure to Black girls and young women. Operates a similar community-based, partnership-funded model serving Black technologists, with overlapping corporate sponsor base (e.g., Google, Atlassian).
• AfroTech: Conference and digital community for Black technologists and founders. Directly comparable in serving the same target audience (Black engineers, technologists, executives) with events, content, and corporate partnerships, including many overlapping sponsors.
• Blavity: Media and community platform for Black millennials covering culture, technology, and career content. Comparable in operating a community-driven media + events model for Black professionals with significant tech-industry advertiser and partner base.

Emerging players

• Techqueria: Nonprofit community for Latinx professionals in tech — directly comparable member-organization model (chapters, events, mentorship, corporate partnerships) applied to a different underrepresented community.
• Hidden Genius Project: Nonprofit that trains and mentors Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Comparable in mission focus on Black technologists and partnership-funded program model, though with a younger cohort.
• Karat: Technical interview and engineering hiring platform that partners with /dev/color on the Brilliant Black Minds program. Comparable in addressing the engineering-talent funnel and partnering with companies on technical interview readiness for diverse candidates.
• The Knowledge House: Nonprofit workforce development organization training underrepresented young adults in technology skills and career pathways. Comparable in operating a partnership-funded training and career-acceleration model for underrepresented technologists.

Broad incumbents

• BUILD: National nonprofit providing entrepreneurship and college-readiness programs for students from under-resourced communities. Comparable nonprofit model with corporate partnerships targeting workforce pipeline development for underrepresented groups.
• Color of Change: Largest online racial justice organization in the U.S. Comparable in operating a nonprofit with significant corporate and philanthropic partnerships to advance racial equity outcomes, though broader in mission than /dev/color's tech-career focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/devcolororg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/6632469
• Instagraminstagram.com/devcolororg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about /dev/color