Beginning September 23, 2021, Zillow will host a seven day virtual competition for students to develop and pitch creative technology solutions that will help consumers overcome obstacles in finding a home. Up to $90,000 in cash and prizes is up for grabs as these students gain real-world experience in the technology industry. The hackathon is open to all students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“Zillow is proud to sponsor this hackathon because we best serve our customers when we can recruit and retain some of the best talent in the world — the kind of thinkers and doers incubated on the campuses of the country's historically Black colleges and universities,” said Zillow chief technology officer David Beitel.
Zillow will work in collaboration with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Black Tech Ventures (BTV) to host the HBCU Housing Hackathon, helping students develop their workshops, hands-on enrichment, mentorship and teamwork. The hackathon is open to both students with advanced coding experience and those with little to no coding experience. Students will work closely with Zillow and BTV mentors as well as their four-member teams. Each team will have one member with experience in computer science.
At the end of the week-long event, team finalists will pitch their technology solution to a panel of judges. The first place winner receives a $20,000 cash award, split amongst team members, and Zillow will donate $25,000 to their school’s computer science department. Second and third place winners will receive $12,000 and $6,000 cash awards, respectively, and members of the three top teams will receive new laptops, textbook gift cards and AfroTech World 2021 conference tickets.
“Our goal is to strengthen our recruiting pipeline through engagement with HBCUs and encourage students to consider careers in the tech industry and, of course, at Zillow,” Beitel added. “That's why, in 2019, we joined the HBCU Partnership Challenge, created by the congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. The challenge promotes greater engagement and recruitment at HBCUs by private companies.”
Dr. Chad Womack, senior director of National STEM Programs and Initiatives at UNCF, will be joining the panel of judges for Zillow’s hackathon. Womack co-founded the BTV, a venture tech firm that empowers African American tech entrepreneurs and startup innovators.
“The UNCF is proud to partner with Zillow and Black Tech Ventures on this wonderful initiative for our students,” said Womack. “UNCF is excited to leverage its reach across HBCU campuses to engage our students and market the HBCU Housing Hackathon challenge opportunity.”
In addition to fostering student growth in the technology field, BTV will introduce students to design thinking and the lean startup process to incorporate those principles into their hackathon projects. BTV will also provide mentoring and coaching for student-led teams in the competition.
On the judges panel, Womack will be joined by Zillow and tech industry leaders including David Beitel, Zillow chief technology officer; Eric Bailey, vice president of experience design at Zillow; Aldona Clottey, Zillow vice president of corporate social responsibility; Stan Humphries, chief analytics officer at Zillow; Loni Mahanta, vice president of government relations and public policy at Zillow; Jaisa Minor, head of partnerships at HBCU.vc; Damien Peters, founder of Wealth Noir; and Tiffany Taylor, chief people & impact officer, GSV Ventures.
“Our mission is to encourage and empower more Black Americans to leverage their science, technology and engineering skills as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey,” said Jaye Espy, co-founder of BTV and director of programs and operations. “We started Black Tech Ventures as an organization dedicated to supporting design thinking, lean startup and tech entrepreneurship among HBCU students and alum, particularly those pursuing STEM careers.”
For more information on Zillow’s HBCU Housing Hackathon, click the link provided.
