SEATTLE, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Registration
is now open for Zillow's first hackathon for students attending
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) around the
country. Beginning September 23, the
seven-day virtual competition challenges students to develop and
pitch creative and impactful tech solutions that align with
Zillow's goal to help consumers overcome obstacles on their
journey to find a home. Nearly $90,000 in cash and prizes is up for grabs as
students gain real-world experience in the technology industry.
To learn more or register for the HBCU
Housing Hackathon, visit www.zillowhbcuhackathon.com
Zillow, in collaboration with United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
and Black Tech Ventures (BTV), will host the HBCU Housing Hackathon
to help HBCU students further develop their skills through
workshops, hands-on enrichment, mentorship and teamwork.
To engage HBCU students who have various technical skill levels,
Zillow's HBCU hackathon is open to both students with advanced
computer coding experience as well as those with little or no
coding experience. Students will work closely with Zillow and BTV
mentors. Teams can have as many as four members, and although
registration is open to HBCU students in any degree program, each
team must have at least one member enrolled in a computer science,
computer engineering or related program.
At the end of the weeklong event, team finalists will pitch
their solutions to a panel of judges. The first-place team will
receive a $20,000 cash award, split
among its members, and Zillow will donate $25,000 to its school's computer science program.
Second- and third-place teams will receive $12,000 and $6,000
cash awards, respectively. Students from the top three teams also
will receive new laptops, textbook gift cards and AfroTech World
2021 conference tickets. All eligible hackathon participants
interested in a role at Zillow will have an opportunity to
interview for an internship.
"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," says Zillow Chief Technology Officer David Beitel. "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."
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, HBCUs
produce 27% of all Black STEM graduates. Graduates from these
institutions make up 40% of all Black engineers in the U.S.
"Zillow recognizes the importance of establishing strong
relationships with HBCUs," Beitel adds. "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.
This hackathon is one of the ways Zillow is meeting the
challenge."
Dr. Chad Womack, senior director
of National STEM Programs and Initiatives at UNCF, will be on the
panel of judges for the HBCU hackathon. Womack also co-founded BTV,
a venture tech firm created to empower African American tech
innovators and startup entrepreneurs, with a focus on fostering the
entrepreneurial mindset on HBCU campuses.
"The UNCF is proud to partner with Zillow and Black Tech
Ventures on this wonderful initiative for our students," says
Womack. "UNCF is excited to leverage its reach across HBCU campuses
to engage our students and market the HBCU Housing Hackathon
challenge opportunity."
As a partner, BTV will introduce participants to design thinking
and the lean startup process so they can incorporate those
principles into their hackathon projects. During the hackathon, the
BTV team will also provide mentoring and coaching for the HBCU
student-led teams.
"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," says Jaye Espy, a
co-founder of BTV who serves as its director of Programs and
Operations. "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."
On the judging 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. Special student
judge Richard Clay, Bowie State University Class of 2022, will
participate in semifinal judging.
To learn more or register for the hackathon,
visit www.zillowhbcuhackathon.com.
About the United Negro College Fund
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the nation's largest and
most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the
community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and
development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens
its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the
importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF
institutions and other historically black colleges and universities
are highly effective, awarding 20% of African American
baccalaureate degrees. UNCF annually awards $100 million in scholarships and administers more
than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and
fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and
faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000
students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the
country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in
education and its widely recognized trademark, "A mind is a
terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at UNCF.org, or for
continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on
Twitter, @UNCF.
About Black Tech Ventures
The mission of Black Tech Ventures (BTV) is to empower African
American tech innovators and startup entrepreneurs, and to foster a
culture of entrepreneurship at historically black colleges and
universities (HBCUs). At BTV, we believe innovation and
an entrepreneurial mindset are essential for success in the
innovation and tech economy.
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate
to make it easier to unlock life's next chapter.
As the most visited real estate website in the U.S., Zillow® and
its affiliates offer customers an on-demand experience for selling,
buying, renting or financing with transparency and nearly seamless
end-to-end service. Zillow Offers® buys and sells homes directly in
dozens of markets across the country, allowing sellers control over
their timeline. Zillow Home Loans™, our affiliate lender, provides
our customers with an easy option to get pre-approved and secure
financing for their next home purchase. Zillow recently launched
Zillow Homes, Inc., a licensed brokerage entity, to streamline
Zillow Offers transactions.
Zillow Group's affiliates and subsidiaries include Zillow®;
Zillow Offers®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans™; Zillow
Closing Services™; Zillow Homes, Inc.; Trulia®; Out East®;
StreetEasy®; and HotPads®. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal
Housing Lender, NMLS #10287
(www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).
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SOURCE Zillow, Inc.