Employee Resource Groups: Looking back at 2024
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play an important role at Upstart by not only providing spaces for Upstarters to connect with other members of their communities, but also to learn about different lived experiences. These groups are employee-led and employee-founded with a goal to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace at Upstart. We currently have nine ERGs - our first ERG is Superwomen and our newest ERG is the Veterans Community. We also encourage Upstarters to join ERGs that don’t always align with their experiences so they can learn from those who may hold different perspectives.
In 2024, Heritage and Pride months were some of the most action-packed months for ERGs. They represent a fantastic opportunity for members to share their culture, give tips on how to be an ally, or connect on a shared background or experience. Unidos, Upstart’s ERG for Latinx Upstarters, celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with cooking and art classes, trivia, and lotería, a traditional Mexican card game. They also presented about its history and importance at our weekly all-hands meeting, TGIF. The following month, Unidos’s leadership team worked with Upstart’s office management team to set up an ofrenda in our San Mateo, CA office for Dia de los Muertos, giving all Upstarters the opportunity to honor, participate in, and learn about the holiday. While this was a rich month and holiday where members and allies got to know each other better, we know that recognizing and appreciating Upstarters for all that they are is extremely valuable year-round.
Our ERGs also hosted multiple speakers to share their experiences with Upstarters. In August, the African American Employee Network (AAEN), hosted Tamarrian Rogers, who was recognized on Forbes’ lists of America’s Top 50 Women in Tech and the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech in 2018 and is the founder of Sarell. In September, Catalyst, Upstart’s ERG for LGBTQIA2+ Upstarters and allies, hosted Ethan Dettmer and Abbey Hudson, two of the lawyers involved in the litigation against Prop 8 in California.
“I was really proud of our fireside chat with Ethan and Abbey discussing the California Prop 8 case defending the right and access to marriage for all people. Getting to hear their perspectives and ask them what challenges they faced, how they strategized to craft a winning case was really a rare treat!” -Casey Meadows, Head of Talent Acquisition Analytics and Catalyst Co-Lead
In October, Superwomen hosted Arlan Hamilton, the founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capitalist firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech entrepreneurship by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women and/or LGBT. And in honor of Veterans Day, in November the Veterans Community ERG hosted Jimmy Pearson, a U.S. Navy veteran and current talent strategy consultant.
“I am proud of how the community came together and supported each other throughout the year….our community never wavered and we always had each other's back.” -Jeff Carlisle, Associate Operations Manager, Complaints and Veterans Community ERG Lead
The impact of ERGs can also be felt outside of specific events or holidays. At the core of every Upstart ERG is a community of people who want to connect and encourage each other. Whether that’s by leaning on each other through tough work weeks, teaching each other new skills, or sharing recommendations for earplugs to soothe overstimulation, our ERGs support each other in big and small ways every day.
Thank you to all of our ERG Leads for a wonderful 2024 - we’re looking forward to 2025!
- African American Employee Network (AAEN): Erica Sallee and Cameron Fulford
- Asian Professionals of Upstart (APU): Shruti Tulpule
- Catalyst: Casey Meadows and Joanna Thompson
- Middle Eastern, Southwest Asian, and North African ERG (MESWANA): Nadia Noor
- Spectrum: Maureen Hernandez
- Superwomen: Sai Vemuri
- Unidos: Valentina Albright
- Uplift: Amber Yao
- Veterans Community: Jeff Carlisle
- And thank you to our executive sponsors as well!
- culture
- employee-resource-groups
