SOTM – DivySci: Forming a Diverse Future of STEM Work

Bizee’s Spotlight Of The Month (SOTM) series features some of the real-life entrepreneurial success stories of Bizee clients. Small business owners in this Spotlight series chose Bizee’s business formation services to officially set up their companies as legal business entities.

This month we’re featuring DivySci, a software platform for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) professions that seeks to help employer organizations dismantle systemic racism, stop discrimination and elevate the human potential of talented people of color in STEM careers. Here's more about DivySci and its path to business formation with Bizee.

DivySci: Bringing Greater Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to STEM Work

The Black Lives Matter protests and related conversations throughout the U.S. in 2020 have reminded everyone of the importance of social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion, not only in America’s legal system and political process, but in the halls of American business and industry.

Many companies are trying to improve their performance on these issues. For too long, many talented people who are black, Latino or from other minority racial, ethnic or cultural groups have been underrepresented in certain career fields like technology and science. Big technology companies often have a very low percentage of software developers who are black and Latino, and even fewer diverse candidates represented at the executive level.

DivySci intends to help correct these racial disparities by helping organizations create a more welcoming, inclusive, anti-racist culture within their companies and workforces. With the power of software, DivySci wants to create more effective human interactions that open up better opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds, while helping organizations reach more of their potential.

“DivySci is a platform that identifies and mitigates bias behaviors within interactions that perpetuate cycles of oppression,” said Ariana Abramson, MSB, CEO and founder of DivySci. “Our goal is to challenge those in places of power to build anti-racist and anti-oppressive structures within their organization.”

Helping Organizations “Walk the Walk” with Diversity

In the aftermath of the nationwide street protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd during the summer of 2020, many American corporations started to put out commercials and public statements announcing their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Some made donations and some retired corporate logos or mascots that were felt to be racially insensitive; the Washington D.C. NFL football team even changed its name.

“Talking the talk” on diversity is one thing, but many companies still need to invest some significant resources and energy into “walking the walk.” Is your company really attracting the best diverse talent? Are you really doing everything possible to make sure your organization is creating a welcoming environment where people from all backgrounds can feel comfortable, seen and heard?

Sometimes well-intentioned corporate leaders can still make mistakes, say the wrong things or perpetuate a work culture that drives talented people away. This is part of what DivySci is trying to correct with its platform: helping executives and company leaders have more effective conversations and eliminate bias.

“We help organizations interact more effectively with their diverse stakeholders by supporting effective and inclusive conversations and experiences,” Ariana said. “Through assessments, both on the leadership and team level, our platform identifies behaviors that perpetuate exclusionary and bias outcomes. My vision is to leverage our technology to form a diverse and equitable future of STEM work.”

Entrepreneurship: The Power to Dream Bigger

Before she founded DivySci, Ariana had extensive experience consulting for multinational organizations and building social enterprises. She is a biracial Afro-Latina from Queens, New York, and she earned her B.S. in computer science and a minor in mathematics from Pace University and her M.S. in information science and business strategy from Columbia University.

Earning her degrees in a field where people who look like her are often unfairly underrepresented or passed over for opportunities led Ariana to imbue her career with a larger sense of mission.

“I am the first woman in my family to study STEM, and I want to be part of the movement of women of color who are building companies that benefit our community,” Ariana said. “I am inspired to lead, innovate and leverage technology for social justice.”

Ariana’s business is focused on a mission of helping other people get empowered, get access to opportunities and get a seat at the table. This same spirit of freedom is shown in the way she works every day as an entrepreneur.

“One of the most rewarding things about owning my own business is the intellectual freedom it gives me,” Ariana said. “I have the space to dream and create, and even better, to use what I build to improve others’ lives. The word entrepreneur makes me feel excited. I am eager to bear witness to how technology and science will transform our world for the better. I am even more excited to know that women of color entrepreneurs will be at the forefront of this revolution.”

Ariana uses her STEM education not only to build her company’s software platform, but to bring a scientific mindset to her business strategy and vision.

“Being a business owner requires you to be flexible while also being unwavering in your core values,” Ariana said. “I compare it to being a scientist. As a scientist, you have a problem you want to solve and you experiment and experiment until you find the right formula to solve it. Being a business owner is the same. There may be times when you have to change direction, rethink a strategy or even revamp your entire organization to find your success. However, staying humble, eager and ready to learn is critical.”

Working with Bizee: Fairness and Transparency

Ariana decided to use Bizee to create her LLC after hearing good things about Bizee from a friend. She found the process of using Bizee’s LLC formation services to be easy, convenient and fair.

“Bizee is affordable, easy to use, fast and transparent,” Ariana said. “They do not add any hidden fees, the process was quick and easy and I loved the added benefit of being matched to additional services to help my business.”

Ariana’s business is on a mission to help make the world a fairer, more inclusive place. Bizee tries to operate in that same spirit of fairness — no hidden fees and a clear, easy process to show you how your business is being created and what needs to happen next in the process.

“The process of registering my company was easy, and the bonus of seeing the steps I needed to take to make sure I filled out the necessary documents was also super helpful,” Ariana said. “I recommend Bizee to any aspiring business owner.”

Ariana has big plans for DivySci and her company’s development is well underway.

“Within the next year, our software will be officially launched, and we will be working with our first clients,” Ariana said. “I am excited to be on this journey to build a company rooted in social justice. I look forward to how my technology will help shape the future of diverse and equitable STEM work. I was nervous and doubtful when launching my business. However, investing in yourself and your dreams is well worth the effort.”

Follow DivySci CEO Ariana Abramson on Twitter at @_arianaabramson and learn more about her diversity and inclusion consulting work at ArianaAbramson.com.