New York, United States and London, United Kingdom, 21st February 2024 – The Hg Foundation, a grant-giving charity focused on improving tech education and skills, has awarded a grant of $2.1m to SEO to continue its partnership on the SEO Tech Developer programme, which was seed funded by the Foundation’s first grant in 2021.

SEO Tech Developer was founded as a virtual intensive, free immersion programme to propel first-year and sophomore Black, Latinx, and Native American computer science and software engineering college students to the next level, ensuring they’re prepared to effectively compete for graduate roles in the tech world.  

The Hg Foundation is the seed-funder of the programme and has been heavily involved in its development, which draws on SEO’s 40+ years of experience of running programmes in other competitive professional sectors, such as law and finance. Tech Developer is centred around a six-week virtual summer residency, which includes 300+ hours of technical and soft-skills training. Participants also have exclusive access to tech internships through SEO’s partner employers. 

During the first phase of the Foundation’s support, 238 students took part and the programme’s first cohort showed strong outcomes, with 85% securing tech internships. 73% of all classes since inauguration in 2021 have received full-time offers.

The Foundation’s second commitment to Tech Developer will enable the programme to double in size, reaching 500 students over a three-year period, as well as growing a new First Year Academy to build the pipeline of students interested in and equipped with the tech skills to participate in the main programme. The grant will also support an independent impact evaluation of Tech Developer – the first time SEO has taken this approach.

Andrew Fairbairn, Executive VP of SEO-USA, said: “We know that academic excellence combined with an interest in tech is not always enough to secure quality opportunities in this highly sought-after sector. Our Tech Developer program bridges that gap to provide exposure for future professionals to sharpen their fluency in both the hard and soft skills required to break through in today’s workforce. The Hg Foundation’s goals are very closely aligned to ours, so we’re incredibly grateful to have their continued support as we offer this initiative to students throughout the USA.”

Josh, student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tech Developer, Class of 2022, noted that “SEO impacted my career by giving me a framework and understanding of how software engineers make programs in the real world.” In the summer of 2023, Josh interned at Engineering Tomorrow.

Henry Sallembien, Investor at Hg, who has supported the program since its early days, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with SEO through this regrant. Over the past 3 years, we’ve seen the programme blossom from an ambitious idea to a transformative initiative that has had a profound impact on individuals, with many of the initial students now working in software engineering roles across some of the leading technology companies globally. The SEO Tech Developer programme was one of the first initiatives funded by The Hg Foundation, and we look forward to continuing to work with SEO and support the programme and its expansion over the next three years.”

About the Hg Foundation:
The Hg Foundation’s vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background.  It does this by supporting education and employment-based programmes across the UK, USA and Europe where it can demonstrate measurable, long-term and scalable impact and make a difference to those that need it most.  To date it has committed $25m to programmes that will reach over 50,000 young people and adults from under-represented backgrounds. The Hg Foundation is registered Charity in England, no. 1189216.

Find out more at https://www.thehgfoundation.com/

About SEO:
SEO is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1963 with a mission to provide talented and motivated young people with access to educational and career opportunities. SEO’s six programs create an ecosystem of excellence. SEO Scholars is a free, eight-year, academic program that transforms public high school students into college graduates, with a 90% college graduation rate. For more than 40 years, SEO Career has recruited and prepared high achieving Black, Latinx, and Native American undergraduates for summer internships across Wall Street, commercial real estate, technology, and corporate America, usually leading to coveted, full-time jobs. SEO Tech Developer was founded as a virtual intensive, free immersion program to propel first-year and sophomore Black, Latinx, and Native American computer science and software engineering college students to the next level. SEO Alternative Investments is an industry-wide program that historically has provided education, exposure, training, and mentorship opportunities to high-achieving Black, Latinx, and Native American young professionals in the alternative investments sector. SEO Law helps future lawyers thrive in law school and excel in their legal careers. SEO Leadership Institute provides ongoing development for SEO alumni, customized for each stage of their career, with three distinct features: making connections, professional and personal development, and civic engagement.

Find out more at: https://www.seo-usa.org/