In our effort to support communities working to close the digital divide on both national and regional scales, the Digital Equity Accelerator relies on a diverse network of industry leaders, who help our cohort further unlock their potential for impact. Check out the folks lending their expertise to the Accelerator as Mentors and Technical Experts, and join us in offering them a warm “hello”!

With over 170 phenomenal applications from around the world, getting down to seven members was an inspiring challenge, and we are so grateful to the dozens of organizations that took the time to share with us their groundbreaking projects. Please welcome the inaugural cohort of the Digital Equity Accelerator!

Aspen Digital and HP Inc. introduced the first-ever Digital Equity Accelerator cohort. The group comprises seven nonprofits from the U.S, India, and Morocco that are innovating to strengthen education, healthcare, and economic opportunity for women and girls; ethnic, racial, and religious minority communities; aging populations; people with disabilities; and the educators working with these groups.

As we prepare to welcome the Digital Equity Accelerator’s first-ever cohort, we are thrilled to introduce a phenomenal group of leaders who will serve as our inaugural Advisory Council. Comprising leaders at the forefront of advancing equity in education, healthcare, and economic opportunity across the digital space, this diverse network serves as a brain trust to ensure that the Accelerator centers on and serves the communities most impacted by the digital divide.

Shahed Amanullah has spent his career developing innovative approaches for shifting power and equity, often to marginalized communities. Given that background, I was thrilled to have the chance to get his perspective on the work ahead for our program's new Digital Equity Accelerator.