When Nashlie Sephus imagines her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, to last, she sees the city transforming into the next great tech hub.
The Why and How of Diversity in Tech | Nashlie Sephus | TEDxJackson
Sephus is the founder and CEO of The Bean Path, an incubator and tech consulting organization that provides tech advice and guidance to individuals and small businesses to grow networks and make communities more fruitful. The tech nonprofit leader recently purchased a 14-acre site to build a workspace called the Jackson Tech District.
“I want to provide tech help and exposure to people in the community who otherwise wouldn’t have had the power or access to it,” Sephus told Lifewire in a phone interview. “I want to close the technology gap in my communities.”
Sephus founded the nonprofit in 2018 to advance digital literacy, promote tech workforce development, and equip small businesses and startups in the community with tech tools, awareness, and know-how. The Bean Path CEO also has a mission to strengthen Mississippi’s tech ecosystem and foster collaboration and inclusion across the state, starting with the capital city of Jackson. In addition to providing tech consulting, The Bean Path hosts office hours at local libraries, hosts engineering and coding programs, and offers scholarships and grants to students and community members in Jackson.
