When you think about big tech, Milwaukee, WI might not be the first place that comes to mind. But Black woman techpreneur Nadiyah Johnson is aiming to change that.
Johnson is the CEO and founder of Jet Constellations, “a local software company that functions to promote STEM education in Milwaukee, consult tech-oriented start-ups and build a nurturing ecosystem of techies and entrepreneurs.”
Interestingly enough Johnson initially wasn’t pursuing a career in tech. She told ESSENCE, “It wasn’t a linear route.” But during her sophomore year, Johnson made the decision switch majors from international politics to computer science.” She credits her Dad for the inspiration, and said “it’s been one of the best career moves I’ve made so far.”
As Johnson ascended the career ladder, she realized something was missing. “Throughout my entire academic career, in undergrad and then graduate school, getting my master’s in computational science, I started to notice this pattern of lack of representation, especially when trying to find mentors.”
It came to a head after she started her first job at GE Healthcare. Johnson says “that pattern continued and persisted. Eventually I started to hear buzz that Milwaukee, the city that I was born, raised, and educated in was transforming into a tech hub, and that there were different companies working to invest and make this happen.”
Her mission was clear: “if we did lean in as a city into making Milwaukee a tech hub, Black and brown folks needed to be at the center. So that’s why I started my company Milky Way Tech Hub to ensure that this was a priority.”
Even the name was intentional. Johnson shared how it came about, explaining it was “my love of space, time, and the theory of relativity. It’s the biggest and blackest thing I could think of, with the Milky Way being our galaxy.” She added, “I wanted it to be a message that tech is all inclusive, just like our galaxy, and that no one should be left out.”
In 2021, “we partnered with Governor Evers Tony Evers to declare the entire month of October to be dedicated to our mission of equitably advancing the technology industry throughout the state of Wisconsin.” And Wisconsin Tech Month was launched! It started with 40 events, Johnson said and this year, “we’re approaching 100 events across the entire state.”
Johnson wants to change the narrative. She’s tired of “Milwaukee being in the news for not the most positive things.” She wants the positive to be showcased as well. This is “the largest tech initiative being led in in the Midwest. But more importantly, it’s being led by a Black woman.”
“The thing that I would love to see more of and will also function as solution for [increasing] representation in tech, is for us to make tech cool,” stated Johnson. “I’m on TikTok, and the Gen Z’ers are always sharing Beyoncé and other artist artists, and making them so popular. But there’s some Beyoncé’s even within the tech industry, with Jessica O. Matthews and Morgan DeBaun. I want to ensure that their stories are amplified in the same way, so that we can make tech cool and inspire people to get involved.”