was founded in 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic that amplified the existing inequalities students faced in the education system.
Now more than ever, students require access and support when trying to break generational cycles of poverty.
To empower low income high school students in identifying, navigating, and attaining academic and professional opportunities, First Tech Fund (FTF) provides a supportive, adaptive ecosystem where students get access to free tech, free broadband, skills training, social capital, mentorship, and more.
12 million students are impacted by the digital divide in the United States. EdSurge,2020
44% of New Yorkers who are living in poverty have no broadband connection. TheGothamist,2020
55% more likely to enroll in college if underserved students receive mentorship in high school. CivicEnterprises& HartResearch,2014
2% of New Yorkers possess the in demand skills that employers seek.
NYCTechTalentPipeline,2016
First Tech Fund provides free laptops & WiFi for underserved high school students in NYC
First Tech Fund provides free unlimited internet for students and their families for a minimum of a year
First Tech Fund pairs students with mentors in felds they’ve expressed interest in, meeting 1x a month for the school year
First Tech Fund provides skills training & career development training to all students to prepare them for employment
Since 2020, First Tech Fund has been laser focused on bridging the gap for countless low-income high school students in NYC as they faced the digital divide, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lack of guidance in accessing educational and professional development opportunities that equip them in breaking generational cycles of poverty. We are deeply committed to building systems of support which empower our students to discover, pursue, and take advantage of higher education, summer enrichment programs and scholarships, and to cultivating a community that generates collective success by sharing insights about college, internships, and more.
This report represents the impact that we’ve driven through the frst two years of our organization’s work, and highlights the staf, volunteers and students that we work with. It reafrms our commitment to ofering high quality programming & wrap-around services, while continuing to provide the necessary technology and connectivity access that supercharges our student’s ability to succeed. We’ve taken into account input from our leadership team, our funders, and most importantly, our alumni and current students when thinking about operating and scaling. We’re especially grateful to our Student Advisory Committee, whose input has been invaluable to our planning process.
As we continue to grow this movement, we hope to onboard additional students, community partners, funders, volunteers, and thought partners to ensure that we create a long-term network of highly motivated, ambitious, and community-driven students that creates economic opportunity for generations to come.
Everyone at First Tech Fund is incredibly excited about this next chapter of growth for our organization as we continue to illuminate pathways and catalyze futures for our participants in NYC and beyond – but we can’t do any of this work without you. As you read the pages that follow, we hope that you’ll consider joining our team in one form or another. We tell all of our students at the beginning of our fellowship that a rising tide lifts all boats – we hope that you’ll help us create the next wave of future leaders across industries.
First
Tech Fund Hana Seligman COO & co-founder
First
Tech Fund
First Tech Fund is working to uplift the next generation of young leaders through seed investments and exposure to pathways that allow them to discover, pursue, and succeed in attaining their educational, personal, and professional development goals.
First Tech Fund is dedicated to closing the digital divide by providing low-income and underserved communities with access to technology, connectivity, and sponsorship that allows them to pursue educational, personal development, and career opportunities.
Andres Gonzalez
Anjelica Kempis Benjamin Marinelli
Carlos Martinez
Cristel Gomez Dani Siansky
Emma Hong Farheen Mukarram
Gloria Lin Johanna Valencia
Alex Henson Alice Chou
Aly Wood
Amol Patel
Andres Gonzalez
Anjelica Kempis Benjamin Marinelli
Bethany Wong Christian Rodriguez
Corey Torpie Dani Siansky Danielle Hayes David Lyons Ellen Henrion
Joshua McKie Jerry Tsui Kayla Berrios Keyonne Session Keyra Galvan Kiku Shinfuku
Langston Williams Lisa McMonagle Louis Oprisa Max Nguyen
Gloria Lin Hayley Mojica Jake Wright
Jamie Redman Johanna Valencia
Joshua McKie Kayla Berrios Ketrah Mugambe Keyra Galvan Kristi Kiku Shinfuku Langston WIlliams Lisa McMonagle Max Nguyen Norhan Elbermawy
Norhan Elbermawy Sara Azoulay
Sarah Gurbach Stacy Magallon Tahjai Conkerite Tifany Odeka Tristan Paguio Zehra Mirza
Olivia Fowora
RaeChelle English Ro Wilson
Ryan Treppedi Sally Helmi Sara Azoulay Shelby Wilson Soophia Ansari Tahjai Conkerite Taiwo Akande Tien Lu Tifany Odeka Tristan Paguio
Amanda DeRosa Andie Villanueva Gina Liu Julie Nguyen Kimberly Richardson Sarah WeissOur year-long fellowship puts low-income, NYC students on a trajectory for success in college and careers, provides them with free access to technology, and creates a community of support.
The program runs remotely from September to June on weekday evenings where students receive digital skills training, personalized mentorship, and career exploration and networking opportunities. We hold
workshops on various topics including navigating the college admissions process, resume writing, brand building, and more.
Fellows meet with their mentors on a monthly basis and attend networking and professional development events with our corporate partners and volunteers throughout the year.
In order to show our students the number of possible pathways that exist and to ensure they feel seen, heard and represented, we highlight speakers who are working in industries of interest for our students, as well as professionals that they have limited exposure to. We create a safe space and ask speakers to share concrete examples of how they achieved success in their respective careers, so students know the journey that speakers went through, and not just the end result.
Scott Syroka
DeputyDirectorof Communications
Biden-Harris Administration, U.S. Ofce of Personnel Management
Alaa Al-Barghuthi
Director,SocialImpact Gerson Lehman Group
Victoria Alvizurez
SoftwareEngineer Priceline
Keyonne Session Enablement Trainer Better Emma Hong
ProductMarketingManager Teachers Pay Teachers
Jasmine Aragon CreativeProjectManager Noggin
Catherine Okafor Coach & Founder Elevate 30 Coaching & Consulting
Chelsea Popper-Narvaez
Associate Producer 48 Hours - CBS News
Marc Burnett ProductDesigner Gusto
Vanessa Luna Co-Founder & ChiefProgramOfcer Immschools
Haris Khan
SpecialAssistanttothe Commissioner. Schwarzman Scholar ‘22 NYC Department of Small Business Services
Danielle Hayes
SecondedAttorney Amazon
Vanessa Williams
Sr.CreativeMarketingManager Prime Video
Sarita Ram ProductManagement Consultant & Owner PinkPen LLC
Tracy Ogbunamiri Global Studies Manager,Oncology Genentech
Tahjai Conkerite EnterpriseCustomer SuccessManager Doma
Kati Fernandez Director,Content Development&Integration ESPN+ & ESPN Films
Keyra Galvan
PeopleOperations ProgramManager Robinhood
Emmanuel Hiram Amaud Assistant Professor of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Pierre Bouzi
DevelopmentScientist-Optics Corning Incorporated
Andrea Wright-Macedo TalentResearcher,M&A Robinhood
Mason Williams Production Assistant Rockbridge
Lauren Gardiner Data Scientist Etsy
Branden Crouch PrivateEquityInvestor North Equity
Aly Wood Manager,Diversity&Inclusion Informatica
Kaivalya Gorla GRCAnalystII, Risk and Governance Vimeo
Sayo Kamara Senior Associate Cushman & Wakefeld
Ilhan Ahmed Senior Accountant Netfix
Emily Lee ProductSupportManager Google
Talia Scott Law Student NYU Law
Our goal in the admissions process is to create a complementary and balanced cohort of individuals who will work together to lift each other up. In order to accomplish this, we evaluate applicants based on their aspirations, involvement in their communities, and willingness to learn.
We do not take standardized test scores or GPA into consideration because we believe there are many systemic factors that prevent students from performing their best in traditional settings. Rather than admitting
students who are academically top performers, we focus on an equitable selection process for ambitious and capable students who may get automatically ruled out in other programs’ competitive processes.
We work with a volunteer selection committee who reviews applicants through a double blinded process to combat unconscious bias. Applicants are selected based on a rubric that puts emphasis on need for the program, efort, and thoughtfulness, without taking into account spelling, grammar or sentence structure.
My time with First Tech Fund prepared me for college by exposing me to multiple career paths, making my choices much more informed and less stressful. With FTF, I developed organizational skills that allow me to be productive and responsible with my tasks. Also, I developed networking skills that have helped me build meaningful relationships with many people both in and
BRONX
Fellow2021/ManhattanHunterScienceHighSchool2023
Through the panels hosted by First Tech Fund, I was able to fnd the career that I’m planning to pursue - Finance. I’ve always had a love for math and numbers but didn’t know what I could do with it; the program showed me how this passion can be applied to business and how I can grow not only as a student but as a person who self-advocates for my goals.
BRONX
Fellow2021/UniversityHeightsHighSchool2024
First Tech Fund is the backbone I needed to pursue my dreams. Giving me strength and courage, they’ve constantly pushed me to strive for greatness while also giving me the resources needed to do so. From mentoring, to tips on email etiquette & networking, and supporting my various aspirations, First Tech Fund is the foundation to my stability of success.
STATEN ISLAND
Fellow2021/SusanE.WagnerHS2023
First Tech Fund opened multiple doors for me through the resources they ofer since my junior year of high school. I was able to get college application support and became a QuestBridge Finalist due to the guidance provided through mentorship and the workshops. Through the diferent industry panels, I better understood emerging job opportunities.
MANHATTAN
Fellow2021/UniversityofAlbany2026
FTF feels like more than a fellowship, it feels like a family and I know I can always turn to the staf if I ever encounter any obstacles or need help achieving my future goals.
Fellow2020/FordhamUniversityClassof2025
First Tech Fund helped me build foundational skills like resume building, internship searching, networking, and how to present myself professionally in settings like job interviews - something I didn’t have access to in the community I grew up in. Without First Tech Fund, I wouldn’t have received any internships or job opportunities and am grateful for their support.
of students stated they were “able to participate more efectively in school and remote learning because of access provided by FTF.”
of students stated that “Having access to FTF’s program and technology allowed me to apply to extracurricular activities or summer programs”
of students stated that the WiFi access provided through the program beneftted not only them, but also their families in accessing educational, social, and health services, among others.
of students were accepted to college, career readiness, and/or other extra-curricular programs
college acceptances and scholarship ofers (28 seniors)
86%seniorsattended2or4yearcollegepostgraduation; comparedtoanaverageof62%ofstudentscitywide
of students stated that FTF increased their awareness of a wide range of career paths and opportunities available to them career readiness and/or extracurricular program acceptances 40%
POST-PROGRAM PRE-PROGRAM
of students said they had community support
of students said they found support through the FTF community
of students said a lack of tech negatively impacted their ability to participate in remote learning
In 2020, we piloted a career exposure and digital photography access program for 8 NYC teenagers who were all interested in growing their creative skills and understanding how the skill of photography could be leveraged for future opportunities.
This 7-week program provided students with lessons on foundational photography skills & theories, insight into career pathways, individualized mentorship, and a safe space for constructive art critiques.
“This organization helped me start my career in photography. Because of them I got my frst camera and had my photos featured in a gallery!! This organization is full of amazing people who changed my life for the better.”
- RENELLE• Students’ knowledge of photography techniques increased by +3 pts out of a scale of 10
• Average rating before program: 3.4 // Average rating after program: 7
• Students feelings of connection and support by a community or mentor increased by +3.2 pts out of a scale of 10
• Average rating before program: 4.9 // Average rating after program: 8.1
First Tech Fund partnered with A Book Apart on their buy one, get one free promotion.
As a result, we received 90 free books, which we distributed to our students. Titles that we disseminated covered a range of topics including public speaking, design, and business.
The frst two years at First Tech Fund were full of excitement, hard work, stress, student success, and many learnings.We’re refecting on our past experience as we think about our long-term future and how we want to continue to drive impact in our communities.
Our north star is to create a national network of highly skilled Fellows from low-income communities that can support each other’s growth, share workforce opportunities with each other, and can one day
sustain the First Tech Fund community by becoming mentors, volunteers, staf, advisors, board members, and more. The goal we started with remains the same – create pathways and pipelines of youth of color into professions that help them break generational cycles of poverty.
We’ve outlined below a couple of areas that we’re focused on in the near term and we’d love your help in bringing this vision to life:
We’re working towards massive goals and we need the right people with the necessary skills and experience to get us there – our team is looking to hire staf on our programs team, create an alumni success team, an expansion team, and start building out the foundations for our national team.
First Tech Fund has received over 1,200+ applications for 240 spots in our program – we know that we need to grow the number of seats available for our community. We envision growing our program’s bandwidth, once we grow our team, in NYC and beyond.
As our alumni move on to college and the start of their careers, we’d like to expand our corporate partnerships to provide students with opportunities to grow and make trajectory-shifting starts to their careers.
Over the next decade, First Tech Fund is positioned to continue being a holistic support system for lowincome and frst generation students of color by: guiding students from high school to college and careers; providing them with access to opportunities to get their foot in the door; and supporting a vast network of potential employers, colleagues, friends, mentors, and co-founders.
By 2027, we expect to disseminate 10,000 laptops to students across the country and hope to be serving thousands of students per year in cities across the United States.
Partner with us on our mission to support students by donating new or used technology, sponsoring our work, partnering with us, volunteering as a mentor, or donating ofce space for fellowship events.
