Santa Monica Headquartered Technology Company Becomes One of the Largest Signatories in City’s Tech Equity Initiative
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Bird, the leading provider in micromobility solutions, today proudly announced it has joined PledgeLA. Launched in late 2018, with the Annenberg Foundation and the Office of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, PledgeLA is a groundbreaking coalition of venture capital (VC) and tech industry leaders. The initiative seeks to usher the Los Angeles tech industry into a new dawn of equity, inclusion, and community engagement.
“Inclusion and innovation must go hand in hand. The promise and commitment of those who support PledgeLA will help ensure that as a city, we seize opportunities to create technologies and innovations that are reflective of all individuals in our community,” said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird. “We are proud to partner with Mayor Garcetti and the Annenberg Foundation as we work together to establish a progressive Los Angeles-based technology community that is representative of diverse backgrounds and experiences to foster positive innovations.”
Los Angeles is one of the most civically minded and diverse communities in the world—and one of the greatest examples of why transforming how people move is so critical. Bird was founded in Los Angeles largely due to these factors.
In its infancy, Bird established “community” and “inclusivity” as foundational values that serve as its guiding principles today and complement the mission of PledgeLA. As a company dedicated to increasing universal access to emission-free, alternative transportation, Bird is applying those core values to its support and backing of PledgeLA. By taking the Pledge, Bird joins influencers throughout Los Angeles in saying yes to increasing community engagement, improving diversity, equity and inclusion, and reporting its progress annually. We will work together to ensure the greatest number of individuals can benefit directly from the job opportunities associated with LA’s emerging tech industry.
“As one of the largest LA-based companies, Bird’s decision to join PledgeLA reflects how a prominent brand can leverage their scale to become a regional leader in this work,” said Cinny Kennard, Annenberg Foundation’s Executive Director. “We have a long way to go as a community, but Bird, along with our other signatories from LA’s tech and venture capital sectors, are working proactively to ensure that our city is a place of opportunity for people from all backgrounds.”
To get involved or for more information, visit www.PledgeLA.org.
ABOUT PLEDGELA
PledgeLA is a first-of-its-kind partnership to promote civic engagement, diversity, and inclusion across LA’s booming and dynamic tech sector created in partnership with Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Annenberg Foundation, and Los Angeles venture capitalists (VCs) and tech leaders. PledgeLA signatories are making a commitment to track civic participation and diversity data each year and make that data publicly available, as well as expand their engagement with local nonprofits that support diverse talent and reflect the civic spirit of Los Angeles.
