Silicon Valley Boot Camp Aims To Boost Diversity

If there is a founding ethos in the world of high-tech startups, it’s this: The idea is everything. Facebook’s initial public offering might have seemed like the perfect illustration. A simple concept, conceived by a college student, became a $100 billion empire in just 8 years.

But if you look around California’s Silicon Valley, ideas all seem to be coming from the same kinds of people. By a recent estimate, 1 percent of technology entrepreneurs are black. Only 8 percent of tech companies are founded by women. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg isn’t just a model of success in the Valley; he’s a blueprint.

A new three-week boot camp for entrepreneurs is aimed at adding more diversity to Silicon Valley’s startup scene.