Laura I. Gomez

Laura I. Gómez is a computer scientist known for establishing Atipca, a company that presents bias free names in recruiting.

Early life and education

Gómez was born in León Guanajuato, México and then moved to California when she was eight years old. Gomez got her first software engineering internship at the age of seventeen,[1] when she got an internship working at Hewlett-Packard after she received a work permit.[2][3] For college, she earned a Bachelor of Human Development and Family Studies from University of California Berkeley and a Master of Latin American Studies from University of California San Diego.[4]

Career

Gomez worked with several start-ups and big technology companies, including YouTube, Google, and Twitter.[5][6] She was one of the early employees at Twitter,[7] and her work there centered on bringing Spanish into the user interface.[8] Gomez has also discussed the use of social media as a means to practice as people learn a new language.[9]

Gomez was a founding member of a project known as Project Include, a non-profit led by Ellen Pao that advocates for inclusion in the technology field.[10] Project Interlude funded Gomez's start-up, Atipica, an organization which provides artificial and human intelligence to sort job candidates in a manner that reduces bias.[11] Over time, Atipica was backed by Kapor Capital, Precursor Ventures, and True Ventures.[12] One of the perks provided by Atipica is paid time off for employees supporting a political cause.[13] The funding Gomez raised for Atipca was the largest financing level for a Latinx founder in Silicon Valley.[11] As of 2023, Gomez was working on Proyecto Solace, a mental health initiative for Latinx peoples.[14]

Awards and honors

Gomez was recognized by the Department of State and Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, for her work in the TechWomen Program.[15][better source needed]

References

  1. ^ "Laura I. Gómez". #LatinaGeeks™. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  2. ^ Barber, Gregory; Scoles, Sarah (May 2017). "Next List 2017". Wired, San Francisco. Vol. 25, no. 5. p. 63 – via Proquest.
  3. ^ Martinez, Anna (2020-10-23). "Laura I. Gomez: The CEO Who Defied All Odds". Latinitas Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  4. ^ St. Clair Community College. "Laura I. Gomez". Hispanic and Latinx Scientists. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ Pao, Ellen K. (2017). Reset : my fight for inclusion and lasting change. Internet Archive. New York : Spiegel & Grau. pp. 245–246. ISBN 978-0-399-59101-3.
  6. ^ "The Frederick Douglass 200: the people who embody the abolitionist's spirit and work". the Guardian. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  7. ^ Pérez, Sharon Minelli (22 May 2018). "Potente modelo para las mujeres en tecnología: Evento de Womentechover y Animus contará con líder empresarial en el segmento de Silicon Valley". El Nuevo Dia; San Juan – via Proquest.
  8. ^ Alfageme, Ana (23 February 2011). "Enamorados del Twitter políglota". El Pais ; Madrid. p. 50 – via Proquest.
  9. ^ Smith, Mari (2010). The relationship age. CelebrityPress. pp. 190, 193. ISBN 978-0-9829083-1-0. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  10. ^ Isaac, Mike (2016-05-03). "Women in Tech Band Together to Track Diversity, After Hours". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  11. ^ a b Guynn, Jessica (20 October 2016). "Latina-led Silicon Valley tech company raises $2M". USA Today (Online); Arlington – via Proquest.
  12. ^ Murrow, Laura (May 2017). "Next List 2017". Wired; San Francisco. Vol. 25, no. 5. p. 63 – via Proquest.
  13. ^ Bhattarai, Abha (2021-10-23). "The newest Silicon Valley perk? Paid time off to protest Trump". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  14. ^ "Latino Leaders March - April 2023 by Latino Leaders - Issuu". issuu.com. 2023-05-04. p. 27. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  15. ^ W & L. "The Problem is Not in the Code: Racism, Sexism and Inequalities in Tech". Equality and Difference.