What Tech Inclusion does

Tech Inclusion was a conference and event series focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in technology, founded in 2015 by Melinda Briana Epler and Wayne Sutton and operated under the parent organization Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst). Over a six-year run (2015–2020), the brand ran global summits and conferences across San Francisco, New York, Melbourne, London, Austin, Detroit, Nashville, Chicago, and Seattle, accumulating more than 28,000 attendees across 50+ countries and engaging over 11,700 job candidates. In-person programming was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and after a period of virtual programming, Tech Inclusion events were formally discontinued in 2023.

The operating entity, Empovia, monetizes through research-based learning and development solutions sold as professional services to Fortune 500 companies, startups, and venture capital firms. The active product portfolio includes the Empovia eLearning platform (launched 2021), the weekly "Leading With Empathy & Allyship Show" podcast (130+ episodes hosted by Melinda Briana Epler), the Icon Project (a fellows program, community network, annual Icon Summit, and therapy fund delivered through partner mental-health and coaching networks), and the Tech Inclusion Facebook Group (nearly 4,000 members sharing DEI resources and job opportunities). Distribution is primarily direct sales through empovia.co with a self-serve eLearning component; no public pricing is disclosed.

Tech Inclusion is a privately held, for-profit entity headquartered in San Francisco with 1–10 employees. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no patents or regulatory actions on record, and revenue figures are not publicly reported. The entity functions as a branded initiative within Empovia rather than as a standalone operating company.

Name

Tech Inclusion

Legal name

Tech Inclusion

Website

https://techinclusion.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tech Inclusion was a DEI-focused conference series (2015–2020) that operated under Empovia, offering learning and development solutions, the Leading With Empathy & Allyship podcast, the Icon Project fellows program, and an eLearning platform to Fortune 500 companies, startups, and VC firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Training and Consulting

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

DEI, Equity & Inclusion Training (EDABAIAF), DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching (EDABANAJ), DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory (BPACAJAJ)

Keywords

• DEI learning solutions
• Workplace inclusion training
• Diversity consulting services
• Inclusive leadership programs
• DEI training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Learning and Development Solutions: Empovia (parent company) provides research-based learning and development solutions to Fortune 500 companies, startups, and venture capital firms to drive inclusive innovation. The services focus on training leaders, managers, and teams to create inclusive cultures, systems, and products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tech Inclusion was a global DEI conference series (2015-2020) reaching over 28,000 attendees across 50+ countries through 50+ in-person events in cities including San Francisco, New York, London, and Melbourne. The brand now operates as a community and content initiative under parent company Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst), delivering the weekly Leading With Empathy & Allyship Show podcast, the Icon Project (fellows program, community network, annual summit, and therapy fund), and the Empovia eLearning Platform for research-based DEI learning and development solutions. These offerings serve Fortune 500 companies, startups, and venture capital firms seeking to build inclusive cultures, systems, and products.

Product overview

Tech Inclusion was originally a conference/event series (now discontinued) focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in technology. The company now operates under Empovia, offering a portfolio of learning and development solutions including the Leading With Empathy & Allyship Show (weekly podcast), Icon Project (fellows program with community network and annual summit), and an eLearning platform. The products collectively aim to drive inclusive and sustainable change in workplaces through research-based learning, community building, and mental health support resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Icon Project: Programming initiative that includes a fellows program, community network, annual Icon Summit, and therapy fund to access mental health and coaching opportunities through partner networks.
• Leading With Empathy & Allyship Show

Products and services

• Tech Inclusion Conference Annual global conference series focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in technology. The event ran from 2015-2020, reaching over 28,000 attendees across 50 countries, and was held in San Francisco, New York, Melbourne, London, Austin, Detroit, Nashville, Chicago, and Seattle. Discontinued after 2020 due to the pandemic, with the brand transitioned to virtual programming under Empovia.
• Leading With Empathy & Allyship Show Weekly podcast/show hosted by Melinda Briana Epler featuring deep conversations with advocates, activists, and allies about creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. Includes 130+ episodes distributed on YouTube and available on the Empovia podcast page.
• Icon Project Multi-component program offering a fellows program, community network, annual Icon Summit, and therapy fund providing mental health and coaching opportunities through partner networks. Engaged online at theiconproject.org for underrepresented professionals in tech.
• Empovia Learning & Development Services Research-based learning and development solutions, training, and consulting that empower individuals and organizations to create inclusive, accessible, and sustainable cultures, systems, and products. Services are delivered to Fortune 500 companies, startups, and venture capital firms through virtual programs and direct engagement via empovia.co.
• Empovia eLearning Platform Self-service eLearning platform at empovia.co/elearning providing on-demand access to training content for organizations and individuals seeking DEI learning and development solutions outside of bespoke consulting engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28,000+ attendees engaged across 6 years of events in 50+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Icon Project Partner NetworksminorOthersIcon Project partners with external networks to provide mental health and coaching opportunities for fellows and community members. These partner networks support the therapy fund component of the Icon programming.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Paradigm Strategy: Paradigm is a DEI strategy and consulting firm serving enterprise clients on inclusive culture and equitable systems, directly comparable to Empovia's research-based L&D solutions for Fortune 500 buyers.
• Humu: Humu is a people-analytics and DEI platform that delivers behavior-change science-backed interventions to enterprise teams, overlapping with Empovia's training-led approach to building inclusive workplaces.
• LifeLabs Learning: LifeLabs Learning offers live, skill-based DEI, leadership, and management training to enterprise clients—closely aligned with Empovia's manager and team-level DEI training offerings.
• The Awaken Group: The Awaken Group provides DEI strategy and training services to corporate and nonprofit clients, addressing similar cultural-change and inclusive-leadership use cases as Empovia's L&D solutions.
• Capp & Co: Capp & Co provides DEI assessment, strategy, and capability-building services to global organizations, overlapping with Empovia's research-based inclusive innovation methodology.

Broad incumbents

• Aberkyn (Korn Ferry): Aberkyn, a Korn Ferry company, delivers DEI consulting and inclusive leadership development to global enterprises; it overlaps with Empovia's services but operates as part of a much larger talent consulting portfolio.
• BetterUp: BetterUp is an enterprise coaching and well-being platform with DEI-relevant leadership development offerings, comparable to Empovia at the intersection of executive coaching, inclusion, and employee development.
• McKinsey Diversity & Inclusion practice: McKinsey's D&I practice sells inclusion consulting and benchmarking to Fortune 500 leadership, representing the type of large incumbent that competes for the same enterprise L&D budgets Empovia targets.
• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): SHRM offers DEI and HR certification, training, and advisory content to HR professionals, an adjacent but broader incumbent in the workforce inclusion and HR capability space where Empovia competes.

Emerging players

• Include (The Inclusion Initiative): Include is a digital DEI training and benchmarking platform aimed at enterprises, comparable to Empovia's recent pivot toward self-service eLearning for Fortune 500 L&D buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/techinclusionco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@empovia
• Facebookfacebook.com/empovia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/techinclusion
• Instagraminstagram.com/empovia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Tech Inclusion