- Justworks Pledges to Donate 1% Of Its Equity and Profits
Justworks, the software platform that gives small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) access to benefits, payroll, HR, and compliance support all in one place, announced that it is launching Justworks.org. The charter of Justworks.org is to create equitable access to entrepreneurship.
To realize this charter, Justworks has pledged to donate 1% of the company’s equity and profits—joining other influential tech leaders in the Pledge 1% movement. With these resources, Justworks.org will work to level the playing field for entrepreneurs who have historically faced inequities in opportunity along race, gender, sexual orientation, and other socioeconomic lines.
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“At Justworks, we’re driven by our mission to help entrepreneurs and businesses grow with confidence,” said Isaac Oates, founder and CEO of Justworks. “Entrepreneurship is challenging enough on its own, but disparities in access to resources and opportunities can be an obstacle for many entrepreneurs—preventing them from having a fair shot at realizing their potential. Through Justworks.org, we’ll build on our mission and level the playing field for more founders.”
Making entrepreneurship more accessible is what sparked Oates to found Justworks in 2012. He saw first hand that the needs of growing businesses had become more complicated, but the infrastructure to support them hadn’t kept up. Last year, Justworks launched the Just Thrive program to make its platform more accessible for both new and existing minority and women-owned businesses (MWBE). Through Just Thrive, MWBE customers get access to special discounts, resources, networking opportunities, and additional visibility for their business. Justworks has also developed its grantmaking muscle through the Spring Forward Fund, an annual $25,000 grant for one of its non-profit customers. The company also encourages all of its employees to volunteer, as well as providing them paid time off specifically to do so. With Justworks.org, the company’s goal is to build on these initiatives and introduce new ones that amplify its reach and support for underrepresented founders.
Justworks.org will initially focus on high-impact grantmaking for incubators and other organizations that help early-stage MWBE businesses access the fundamentals of entrepreneurship: raising financing, building products, finding customers, and ultimately delivering revenues and profits.
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To spearhead this effort, Justworks has brought on seasoned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and social impact veteran, Yrthya Dinzey-Flores as Vice President of DEI, Social Impact, and Sustainability. Dinzey-Flores has led philanthropy, social responsibility, diversity, equity, and workplace inclusion in the private, non-profit, and public sectors, including the NYC Department of Education, Robin Hood, Toyota, Thomson Reuters, Time Warner, and most recently, Open Society Foundations. At Justworks, she will execute the vision for Justworks.org and lead a comprehensive and forward-thinking diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy to support Justworks’ mission and drive toward sustainable outcomes. Dinzey-Flores will also formalize and grow the company’s environmental, social, and governance commitments.
“I am thrilled to be joining such a dynamic company with a bold vision and unique potential,” said Dinzey-Flores. “Throughout my career, I have been driven by an innate desire to help people use the power of their voice for progressive change, whether in a corporate, public, or civic setting. I’ve been inspired by Isaac’s vision for Justworks, including his sincere commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and responsibility. I know that together we can become an agent of lasting change.”
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