First Tech Fund is a 501c3 non-profit organization offering technology access and exposure, mentorship, and multi-faceted support to students in New York City. The driving force for starting First Tech Fund was to combat the digital divide present in the New York City community. Having experienced the digital divide and the impact technology can have on a student’s life firsthand, First Tech Fund Co-Founder and CEO, Josue De Paz, teamed up with Co-Founder and COO, Hana Seligman, to provide students access to technology and industry mentorship to ultimately impact their life trajectory.
As a part of the First Tech Fund program, each student is given access to a computer that they are able to keep after they complete the program. In addition to this, they are also provided with a WiFi hotspot for a minimum of a year and guidance in a career path of their choice. During the Summer of 2020 in the middle of the pandemic, student-focused organizations were scrambling to ensure their students had access to the technology they needed before the school year started. Like many other organizations, First Tech Fund was urgently seeking a solution to provide their members with this technology. During this time, Josue remembered that he had applied for a job at a company that could solve their problem - Revivn.
“I actually applied for a job at Revivn a long time ago, maybe 2016 or 2017. I was like, wait, I remember this company I applied to, and I think they have laptops. So, I just cold reached out and here we are today!”
After a few back-and-forth conversations, Revivn was able to provide First Tech Fund with the computers they needed for their students. Not only were they able to give the amount requested, but Revivn was able to repurpose and donate even more computers to First Tech Fund.
“Revivn included some donations that we did not request, and that actually allowed us to serve more students. Partnering with Revivn allowed us to be able to serve even more students in that first year.”
We asked Josue and Hana to share with us why these donations from our valued partners are so important, and they shared, “Not only is this a technology donation or monetary donation, but this is a life-changing, trajectory-altering opportunity. You’re changing not only someone's life, but the fabric of our communities. I think oftentimes students that grow up low income don't have access to the information, the network, or some of the key skills that would enable them to break generational cycles of poverty. So, it's not just about giving a computer, it's not just about giving a hotspot, but it's about creating multi-faceted layers of support for our students.”
To learn more about First Tech Fund, visit https://www.firsttechfund.com/.
