Be A Geek App

The lack of representation of Black people in STEM is a global issue rooted in systemic racism and a lack of access to and knowledge of high-impact STEM programs and resources.

Research shows African American youth are just as interested in STEM as any other race. However, interest wanes as external forces, such as racism and bias within education and the media, convince them they lack the aptitude or attitude to become STEM professionals.

In the US, Black college students earn just 7% of all STEM bachelor's degrees and Black adults represent only 9% of the STEM workforce. Globally, only 18% of STEM graduates are from Sub-Saharan Africa, despite being home to over 1 billion people. According to a 2019 study, only 3% of Black students in the US had access to a computer science course in high school. 

Additionally, the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found only 41% of fourth and eighth-grade students and 21% of twelfth-grade students could be considered “proficient” in mathematics. In 2015, the NAEP found that 38% of fourth-grade students, 34% of eighth-grade students, and 22% of twelfth-grade students could be considered “proficient” in science. Based on the data, proficiency levels decrease as students progress through the education system.

According to our research and user interviews, while there is a growing number of free, low-cost, and accessible STEM programs for K-12 students in African American communities across the country, many parents, guardians, and educators of K-12 youth, STEM experts who wish to volunteer their time, and potential donors/funders, find it difficult to find, share and register for these programs.

The consequences extend beyond just individual career trajectories. A lack of diversity and representation in STEM means that a limited set of perspectives and experiences shapes technological innovations. From sustainable infrastructure to medical advancements, a workforce with more varied backgrounds would amplify the creativity and problem-solving abilities required to tackle major challenges facing humanity.

Be A Geek is the first organization to develop a comprehensive, searchable, easy-to-use database of STEM programs, accessible via a native iOS and Android mobile app, that bridges the divide between STEM programs and participants, volunteers, and donors. We will pilot the Be A Geek app in the Atlanta metro area, in partnership with local STEM programs, K-12 schools, and community centers and programs. A demo of the app can be found here. 

Parents and Educators

Using the Be A Geek app, parents and educators can easily search for, read reviews, and register their K-12 youth with STEM programs using the Be A Geek app. Key features include: 

• Recommendations for nearby STEM programs based on as age, location, and STEM interest. 
• In app notifications for new program opportunities
• Search and filter options to find the perfect program
• Share program profile pages with friends and family
• Direct messaging with program organizers

STEM Experts

STEM professionals can use the Be A Geek app to discover and sign up for volunteer opportunities in their community that align with their expertise, availability, and location. 

Donors/Funders

Funding is required for STEM programs to sustain and maximize operations and impact. By using the Be A Geek app to read reviews and ratings, donors and funders can easily see which STEM programs drive meaningful change in their community. Furthermore, they can see where gaps may exist. For example, data may show a lack of STEM-specific programming in a region, leading to challenges in building a healthy pipeline of future employees with a certain skill set.

STEM Programs

Lastly, STEM programs, which are at the center of the Be A Geek network, can use the app to directly connect with their target audience. Features include:

• Send in-app promotions and notifications
• Direct message program participants
• View participant lists for past and future STEM programs
• Create and share volunteer opportunities
• Share program profile pages with potential donors and funders

The mission of Be A Geek is to encourage and enable Black students and professionals to pursue and excel in STEM careers. Black youth aspire to become STEM professionals as much as any other race. Yet, too often, systemic racism and bias within education and the media prevent those dreams from becoming reality. Furthermore, the lack of awareness of community STEM programs or the resources required to participate, such as transportation, time, or money, prevents Black students from accessing the programs that would propel them toward a STEM career.

Black STEM professionals face racism in the workplace and are often one of the only Black people in their respective departments, increasing the chances of burnout and feelings of alienation. Like parents and educators, they too find it challenging to identify community STEM programs, decreasing their likelihood of volunteering.

Starting in the Atlanta metro area, we will partner with local STEM programs, K-12 schools, and community centers to pilot the Be A Geek app. We aim to gain meaningful feedback while increasing STEM program participation by making those programs more accessible to find and register for.

Following the pilot's success, we will use user feedback to improve the app, build out additional features, such as the ability for STEM experts to register for volunteer opportunities and a dashboard for STEM program organizers, and begin scaling the app to other cities across the country.

I grew up in a predominately Black neighborhood on the north side of St. Louis, MO where opportunities to explore my passion for technology were sparse. As a child, I took apart every gadget I could in the house, much to my mother's dismay, to learn how they worked. It wasn’t until my early 20s, while serving in the US Navy, that I discovered the tech industry and realized what kind of career path I wanted to pursue.

With the ideal job now in mind, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in information technology management. Within a couple of years, with a bit of hard work and luck, I was recruited to work at one of the largest systems integrators in the country. Five years after graduation, I led a team of engineers and software developers. I have since led the development of a multi-million dollar software product, co-managed a billion-dollar partnership and go-to-market strategy, and I’m the only person to have worked directly for the two wealthiest Black people in the country, both of whom lead large tech companies that earn billions per year.

During my ascension, I remained aware of where it all started: a little Black boy taking apart TV remote controls in my bedroom. As my responsibilities grew and I led meetings worldwide, including at the Pentagon, I couldn't help but notice how few people in the room looked like me. I was often the only Black person in the room. I then decided to make it my life’s mission to create as many opportunities as possible for Black kids to learn about and pursue their STEM dreams. 

I started by volunteering at local STEM programs, such as hackathons, learning first-hand the positive impact of these types of programs and the importance of being a mentor to young Black girls and boys. However, I also noticed gaps; parents unaware of nearby programs, struggles to find age-appropriate offerings, and a lack of culturally-relevant curriculum. After interviewing dozens of parents, educators, STEM program organizers, and STEM professionals, I created the idea for Be A Geek.

My lived experiences, technical expertise, and numerous connections with STEM experts and programs across the country make me uniquely positioned to bring the Be A Geek app to the market. Our app, and ideas like it, are very much needed, and now is the perfect time to pursue this vision.

We have defined requirements, conducted user interviews, completed the design of the Be A Geek app, and created a high-fidelity, functional prototype, which is viewable in the elevator pitch video.

I am applying to Solve to receive financial support, access to a network of social enterprise leaders, and increase exposure to potential supporters and users of the Be A Geek app. 

Financial and in-kind support

I am currently bootstrapping the design and development of the app and the overall stand-up of the organization. With in-kind support, donations, and grants, I will be able to accelerate the development and testing of the mobile app and bring on support to assist with back-office, legal, and marketing-related tasks, such as filing annual state and tax returns and creating graphics for social media.

Network access

Solve attracts some of the brightest minds aiming to eradicate social issues across the globe. Becoming a member of that community is invaluable and would allow me to seek out advice from social enterprise leaders more experienced than me, as well as offer guidance and mentorship when I'm capable of doing so.

Increased media exposure

The Be A Geek app will be piloted in Atlanta, GA, but our goal is to scale nationwide, and potentially globally. Exposure in the media and at conferences allows us to market to potential users and supporters.

Google Maps, Foursquare, and Yelp are three examples of mobile-based technology solutions that allow users to quickly find places of business in specific areas. Using those platforms, you can read and leave reviews, contact those businesses, find their web site addresses, and quickly learn more about their products and services. Restaurants, shoe stores, pharmacies, and nearly every other type of business are listed. However, if a parent or educator wanted to find the nearest STEM program, they're forced to spend hours digging through pages and pages of websites, searching for hours, prices, contact information, and schedules.

The Be A Geek app aims to make finding a community STEM program as easy as finding the nearest gas station. While some websites have compiled lists of STEM programs, no organization has made that list dynamic, searchable, rate- and reviewable, span multiple geographic locations, or used the power of mobile technology and AI to recommend programs based on location or interest.

• Version 1 will allow parents and educators to find and register for STEM programs, leave and read reviews, and direct message STEM program organizers. 
• Version 2 will allow STEM experts to find and sign-up for volunteer opportunities. 
• Version 3 will introduce a dashboard for program organizers, serving as customer relationship management (CRM). 
• Version 4 will allow STEM experts to virtually connect with each other and aspiring STEM professionals and introduce an AI-powered STEM-bot that will help parents and educators come up with fun STEM activities and answer questions about STEM careers and pathways.

Each release has the potential to increase visibility of STEM programs, ultimately driving more diversity in the STEM workforce.

In simple terms, by inspiring interest, providing access and connections, and building supportive networks, we will increase the pipeline of Black students entering and succeeding in STEM long-term.

By getting more Black students interested in and involved with STEM programs at an early age, while connecting them with diverse STEM experts, Be A Geek helps put them on the path to STEM education and careers.

The more Black youth that pursue STEM careers, the more it will help diversify the STEM workforce and better reflect the Black community's perspectives, drive economic mobility, and drive inclusive innovation.

Our more detailed theory of change is below.

Our four major impact goals and their respective measurement indicators are:

Increased interest in STEM careers

• Increased percentage of Black students expressing interest in STEM careers through surveys/assessments

Increased access to high-impact STEM programs

• Increased percentage of Black student enrollment/participation in community STEM programs via the Be A Geek app
• Increased awareness of local STEM programs by the parents and educators of K-12 students

Increased representation of Black students in STEM careers

• Increased percentage of Black college students majoring in STEM and graduating with STEM degrees
• Increased percentage of Black STEM professionals in the workforce

Creation of a supportive network for Black students interested in STEM careers

• Increased percentage of Black STEM experts volunteering with STEM programs
• Increased number of partnerships forged between STEM programs and donors/funders/corporation

As mentioned previously in the application, we will pilot the Be A Geek app in the Atlanta metro area. Data collection will start there and the app will be the primary tool for impact measurement.

The Be A Geek platform is made up of two components: a native mobile iOS and Android application for parents, educators, and STEM experts, and a web-based dashboard for STEM program organizers and Be A Geek sponsors (institutions of higher education and corporations). 

Mobile app

The mobile app allows parents, educators, and STEM experts to search, register, and leave/read reviews for STEM programs, message program organizers, enable connection between current and aspiring STEM experts, and engage with an AI-powered STEM bot.

Dashboard

The dashboard allows program organizers to create and modify STEM programs listed on the Be A Geek app, view program participant lists, message program participants, send app notifications, and share program information. Additionally, the dashboard will allow Be A Geek sponsors to create and export reports based on anonymized data to identify STEM programs to invest in/support and where deficiencies may exist, in terms of available STEM programs.

1 full-time

3 part-time

12 consultants from Develop for Good (7 UI/UX designers, 5 developers)

We've been working on the current iteration of the Be A Geek app since October 2023. 

The founder/CEO of Be A Geek and three board members are African-American. Two are men and two are women, and our backgrounds include technology and philanthropy, biology and ornithology, community development and corporate strategy, and project management and sales, respectively. This was intentional as we find it very important for our organization to reflect the demographic we aim to serve and future we're striving to build. As we continue to develop our solution and, hopefully, grow the team, we will continue to be intentional about hiring from a diverse talent pool. For Be A Geek (the organization), diversity is not a slogan or HR goal, it's our way of being.

Customers:

• Parents and educators who want to enroll their K-12 students in STEM programs 
• STEM experts who want to volunteer with STEM programs and connect with current and aspiring STEM experts
• STEM program organizers who want a CRM to better manage their programs and connect with participants
• STEM program donors and funders who want to support Be A Geek and STEM programs in their local community

Beneficiaries:

• Black students
• Institutions of higher education and corporations

Products and services:

• Be A Geek mobile app
• Marketing and outreach to increase interest in STEM and build awareness of local STEM programs via social media and our website
• Be A Geek podcast - interview Black STEM professionals to learn about their journey and career field
• Be A Geek Bus - transports students to/from STEM programs after school and on the weekends. Our plan is to pilot this service in Atlanta.
• STEM Behind the Scenes (SBTS) - we will partner with organizations with and without a "STEM identity" to bring in both students and their parents for on-site field trips.  Each SBTS visit is meant to peak behind the curtains and better understand how STEM contributes to the operations and success of the organization.

Customer Value Proposition:

• For parents/educators: Personalized STEM program matching, reviews, registration in one platform.
• For volunteers: Curated list of local volunteer opportunities aligned with expertise/interests.  
• For programs: Centralized platform to promote offerings and engage participants/volunteers.

Costs:

• App/dashboard development and maintenance
• Marketing, podcast, and user acquisition
• Partnerships and community outreach efforts (Be A Geek Bus, SBTS)
• Operational costs (staff, facilities, etc.)

Revenue:
Our prospective revenue sources include:

• 20% - one-time and recurring donations
• 30% - Service/product revenue (e.g., network sponsor fees, merchandise proceeds, Be A Geek app paid premium features) 
• 50% - grants from foundations and corporations

Connecting students with STEM programs will always be free!

As mentioned in the previous answer, our prospective revenue sources include:

• 20% - one-time and recurring donations
• 30% - Service/product revenue (e.g., network sponsor fees, merchandise proceeds, Be A Geek app paid premium features) 
• 50% - grants from foundations and corporations

As a 501(c)(3), we expect grants, such as the one we hope to receive from MIT Solve ;-), to be our largest source of revenue. 

Revenue from Be A Geek network sponsors (institutions of higher education and corporations) will be the second largest source of income. Along with Black students, we consider colleges/universities and corporations to be primary beneficiaries of our work. While students will always be able to use the app for free, we will invite colleges/universities and corporations to become sponsors of our work, which will grant them access to anonymized data to help inform their community outreach and support efforts.

Lastly, one-time and recurring donations will make up the remaining 20% of our revenue. We plan to accept donations via our website and the Be A Geek app.