While the deadline for the Beyond Inclusion Scholarship application is approaching (Have you applied? It takes just a few minutes and you can start clicking here!), VentureBeat reporter Dean Takahashi covered the initiative aimed at removing entry barriers in the XR industry.
“Representation matters. We’re committed to reaching a candidate pool that is as broad and diverse as possible, which is why we are proud to support the Beyond Inclusion Scholarship Program,” said Rob Sherman, deputy chief privacy officer at Meta, in a statement. “As companies and organizations build for the metaverse, it’s important that people from underrepresented communities have a seat at the table from the beginning — influencing product strategies, policies and perspective.”
Here’s what our CEO, Kavya Pearlman, said to Mr Takahashi.
“To create fair and equal work opportunities, we need to eliminate financial barriers to entry in immersive technologies and provide equitable measures like fully funded scholarships,” Pearlman said. “We need corporations to fulfil their social responsibility and collectively go beyond just inclusion by committing to increase the representation of underrepresented identity groups. This benefits not just the marginalized community but the entire technology ecosystem.”