A high school student’s nonprofit has placed over 350 underrepresented teenagers in substantive technology internships across 39 countries, growing from 42 to 288 participants in just six months while maintaining a 100% completion rate—a stark contrast to traditional diversity programs facing mounting criticism.
VenturEd, founded by Baltimore teenager Kofi Hair-Ralston during his freshman year, represents a shift away from quota-based diversity initiatives toward what Hair-Ralston calls “access-first” career development. Instead of hiring targets, the program addresses earlier barriers that prevent underrepresented students from entering tech careers in the first place.
“Most ‘diversity’ tries to fix the problem at the hiring stage, but by then it’s too late,” said Hair-Ralston, whose perspective on access and belonging was shaped by growing up Black in a family with two white adoptive fathers. “We’re not asking companies to lower their standards or hit quotas. We’re expanding the pool of qualified candidates so the best talent rises to the top naturally.”
The approach appears to be working. Fellows working with Jammy, an AI-powered music app founded by former Google employee Eric Davich, helped launch the product to “#1 Product of the Week” on ProductHunt and increased weekly usage by 85% in 10 days. Unlike traditional high school internships that often involve repetitive or administrative tasks, VenturEd Fellows build features, run marketing campaigns, and solve real business problems.
The program’s rapid expansion comes as corporate diversity initiatives face renewed scrutiny. Recent Supreme Court decisions and changing political winds have led some companies to scale back diversity programs, while critics argue that quota-based approaches can stigmatize beneficiaries as “diversity hires.”
Hair-Ralston’s model sidesteps these controversies by focusing on skill development rather than demographic targets. The program specifically recruits students who are underrepresented, first-generation college-bound, from rural areas, or lack access to computer science programs, addressing what researchers call the “Matthew Effect” in technology access.
“The talent exists everywhere, but not everyone gets the same opportunities to develop it,” Hair-Ralston explained. “When you remove the early barriers like a lack of exposure, no professional networks, or expensive summer programs, you naturally get more diverse candidates competing on pure merit.” With both a 92% minority enrollment rate and a 3.8 average GPA, VenturEd has clearly achieved btoh diversity and meritocracy.
Current industry data supports the need for such interventions. Only 5% of tech workers are Black and 7% are Hispanic, despite representing 13% and 19% of the U.S. labor force, respectively, according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission figures.
Partner companies include Jammy, Crackd (SAT preparation platform), and Bruin (AI consulting group), each hosting small cohorts for three-month remote internships with dedicated mentors and formal evaluations. The program operates at no cost to students, instead building partnerships with startups that benefit from accessing motivated, pre-trained talent.
Early results suggest lasting career impact. A significant portion of Fellows have received return offers from host companies, and over 90% report plans to pursue technology careers, a dramatic shift from national averages for students from similar backgrounds.
“We’re proving that when you invest in access rather than quotas, everyone wins,” said Hair-Ralston. “Companies get better talent, students get real opportunities, and we solve the diversity problem without the political baggage.”
VenturEd’s third cohort launches in December, with applications coming from over 40 countries. As technology companies navigate changing attitudes toward diversity programs, Hair-Ralston’s access-first model may offer a politically sustainable path toward a more inclusive industry.
The organization reports that demand continues to outpace capacity, suggesting that addressing talent pipeline challenges earlier in students’ careers resonates with both companies seeking diverse talent and students seeking authentic opportunities to prove themselves.