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Old 11-09-2011, 01:03 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,883,248 times
Reputation: 28563

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I saw a pre-screening and panel discussion of this last week. I thought I'd share this.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

CNN's occasional series covers black tech entrepreneurs and possibly the first look at the whole "accelerator" phenomenon.

This is pretty interesting, it is stage as a Real World like reality show. 8 entrepreneurs, live in a house, in Palo Alto, to have their lives tapped as they seek funding for their startups.

Be sure to watch it when it comes on next week on CNN. A really interesting look at both the world in Silicon Valley, and being an under-represented minority in the Valley. You get to see both sides.
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Old 11-09-2011, 01:27 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,659 posts, read 67,539,821 times
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That's super interesting. I think I saw one of their tv crews outside of Kleiner Perkins a while back as I was pulling into the parking lot. The receptionist said it was CNN.

Will definitely watch.
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:00 PM
 
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As an African American in the valley, I must remark that this place is most definitely not a meritocracy when it comes to Entrepreneurship/Start-ups ...

At big corporations, when looking for a job, when you have (some) racist 1st gen Indian/Asian people (which compose of the dominant ranks in the hiring pools) at a lot of old guard valley companies, it is most definitely not a merit driven process....

When you aren't in the right networking circles because you don't look like or talk like certain people, no.. you don't have an equal chance as others. When a manager doesn't promote you through the ranks or give you challenging work because they dont view you as an equal .. No, you aren't getting a fair shake.. This is all a big problem in the valley, and is most definitely reflected in the skewed #'s of success stories in this area.

I see and hear time and time again of preference given to people of Indian/Asian descent. I have interviewed at some of the top names and have seen and gotten inside information that it was going on myself.

So, propaganda/populist CNN gets together a rag tag group of African American Entrepreneurs whose capability I question .. to put on a show for America (targetted mainly at making ratings and hardly at depicting the reality ... and people will now accept that as the real situation for African Americans in the valley ?

This breaks out :
War of words breaks out over Silicon Valley diversity debate - Oct. 27, 2011
Note his facial expressions and response .. And he claims he was just stating the facts...

Silicon Valley is not the promise land for Black America ... Entrepreneurship among African Americans does best in areas like Atlanta/D.C/North Carolina etc...

Namely because white and black relations have improved a great deal throughout America's troubled history ... Recent immigrants have no grounding in this, don't care to, and actually come w/ a lot of judgmental skew as to how they rank races .. yet compose a great deal of the ranks in the valley.. In many cases, I find that they look out for their 'own'.. Some will be quite frank about their ignorant view that they feel African Americans are the lowest of low in their 'rank' system.. In some cases, even limiting the opportunity of whites ... The African american population is decreasing rather swiftly in the valley (as reflected in latest census data) ..

I know friends in the startup space.. the corp space .. the vc space .. menlo/sf .. sanjose, palo alto.. even some w/ an office right across from KP...

I've even gone to school w/ some of them. People can laugh and have a good time with you, but you really get perspective when you try to pitch business ideas... when you try to pull on them to develop business contacts .. industry contacts.. when you try to do what this show suggests : start a business .. People say the truth comes out when you have some liquor in you.. I've had 'friends' i thought I had throw out the 'N' word after they had some drinks in them ........

While attending school it was : you only got in because your black..
You graduate with honors ... get your masters in 4 years from the top school in America ..

Hard enough to get internships.. and are put on crap projects to fill quotas..
Graduate .. prove the people wrong who thought you just got in because of your skin color ...
THen apply for a job.. and find people still judge you based on your skin color ...

Get in the door.. get sh*t work .. because people still judge you based on skin color...

LOL, asking someone to risk their capital on you in a venture ? LOL, *@#%^ please.
One of many reasons why I am leaving the valley and heading back south to start a venture ..
Promise land for African Americans my a$$ .. the valley has a long way to go at becoming what is already present in places like Atlanta for African Americans .. Numbers speak for themselves.

Entrepreneurship is booming for African Americans in this country it just sure as sh*t isn't in the valley..
Want to fix that ? I think you're going to have to do something more than put together a contrived show attempting to boost CNN's ratings.
These news agencies do anything but uncover the truth and reality .. Most often because the truths hurts and most often hurts ratings.

Last edited by yeahthatguy; 11-09-2011 at 08:09 PM..
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,883,248 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yeahthatguy View Post

So, propaganda/populist CNN gets together a rag tag group of African American Entrepreneurs whose capability I question .. to put on a show for America (targetted mainly at making ratings and hardly at depicting the reality ... and people will now accept that as the real situation for African Americans in the valley ?
I recommend you watch it. The entrepreneur have a varied mix of experiences: at home geek with an idea, top university graduates, etc.

It is also a true to life portrayal in my opinion. The door keeps slamming and things are twice as hard. It definitely wasn't portrayed as easy street.

Also, you should join the Black Founders club -- to meet other like-minded people.
Black Founders | Events for startup entrepreneurs and tech professionals
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:45 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,659 posts, read 67,539,821 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jade408 View Post
I recommend you watch it. The entrepreneur have a varied mix of experiences: at home geek with an idea, top university graduates, etc.

It is also a true to life portrayal in my opinion. The door keeps slamming and things are twice as hard. It definitely wasn't portrayed as easy street.

Also, you should join the Black Founders club -- to meet other like-minded people.
Black Founders | Events for startup entrepreneurs and tech professionals
Do they accept non-Blacks? I ask cause Im interested.
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:49 PM
 
3,201 posts, read 3,858,478 times
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I really enjoyed Soledad O'Brien's last special about Faith & Foreclosure in Hotlanta.

CNN Presents Black in America: Almight Debt - Online Press Kit
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Old 11-09-2011, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,883,248 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
Do they accept non-Blacks? I ask cause Im interested.
Yes. There are other people too. Oh and lots of events are combined with other "diverse" ones.
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Old 11-09-2011, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,659 posts, read 67,539,821 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jade408 View Post
Yes. There are other people too. Oh and lots of events are combined with other "diverse" ones.
Thanks for the 411...I will look into it.
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Old 11-09-2011, 09:08 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
28,226 posts, read 36,883,248 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
Thanks for the 411...I will look into it.
You are Pacific Islander right? We all know, that Asian in Silicon Valley means Chinese or Indian. And maybe Japanese. Everyone else is SOL.
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Old 11-09-2011, 09:43 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,659 posts, read 67,539,821 times
Reputation: 21244
Quote:
Originally Posted by jade408 View Post
You are Pacific Islander right? We all know, that Asian in Silicon Valley means Chinese or Indian. And maybe Japanese. Everyone else is SOL.
LOL..Yup, Im Polynesian.

And I get what your saying.
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