Reflecting on RenderATL: Empowering Advancement in Tech with Brilliant Black Minds

“I was laid off and I’m getting back into the swing of things,” said 15-year software engineer Darren Martin. “With Brilliant Black Minds , you get the full-blown technical interview experience without jumping through any hoops. Brilliant Black Minds is awesome.” Dozens of other Black software engineers echoed his gratitude for the program’s impact on their careers at our RenderATL booth at the AmericasMart Conference Center in Atlanta last week.?

Our approach to sponsoring RenderATL (Render Atlanta) was rooted in fueling the career boost that many Black engineers need right now. So we offered two experiences: (1) a Karat Real Talk panel where Black tech influencers shared practical insights on personal branding, and (2) a high-quality headshot booth to spark their confidence and help them stand out.

Not Your 90s Headshots

Refining your professional brand looks different in the era of AI-generated headshots. That’s why we partnered with the talented New Jersey photographer, Joel Arbaje , to capture each engineer’s unique styles and personalities with color and depth. As we collect these one–of–a–kind photos and share them on our social media handles, they demonstrate?how each engineer can use them to tell their story, enhance their visibility, and shine a bright light on their talents.?

Combined with the 200+ headshots we gathered from the National Society of Black Engineers conference this spring, we’re nearing an archive of 400 faces ready to be hired from our community. Behind each of those faces is a unique talent and story, ready to? make their mark on this world’s future through tech.?

This huge collection of photos gives a glimpse of the vastness and diversity of talent in the Karat Brilliant Black Minds software engineering community, which now consists of over 3,700 members. Roughly 4% of all Black engineers in the US are members of Brilliant Black Minds, and over 30% of them are experienced in their specialty. Each day, they actively engage in the exclusive career advancement and networking opportunities that our company provides. Their presence and engagement is one of many reasons we know that the talent pipeline has no shortage of highly qualified Black engineers seeking opportunity on the job market.?

Hire Brilliance with Confidence

In 2020, our racially divided nation cried out for change. In response, we witnessed companies make bold commitments to the Black community. Acknowledging the need for systemic transformations, tech companies promised to revisit their pay structures and hiring policies to improve equity and inclusion. Just three short years later, tech layoffs have disproportionately impacted Black professionals, exacerbating the already stretched racial wealth gap in the industry. It is more crucial than ever to enact tangible change and create opportunities that bridge this gap.

Black professionals continue to face significant barriers to career advancement, hindering their access to the life-altering economic opportunities that the tech industry promises. But at RenderATL, we experienced a vibrant conference where roughly 3,000 Black tech professionals comfortably engaged in their culture and were excited for the right platform to showcase their brilliance. It was the perfect setting for sharing Karat’s unique approach to unlocking opportunity with this inspiring audience of developers. By partnering with Brilliant Black Minds, companies can tap into the industry's top hiring solution for pre-qualified engineering talent. With our rigorous technical interview practice sessions and the opportunity for fast-tracked interviews with our corporate partners, we streamline the hiring process while ensuring that exceptional Black engineers get the recognition they deserve.

Through partnerships with Brilliant Black Minds, companies like Citi and Prime Video are helping to bolster diversity, inclusion, and innovation within their own companies and for the broader tech sector.?