Brands Tap This Startup for Greater Representation at the College Recruitment Stage

As Black Lives Matter protests reached a fever pitch last year following the death of George Floyd, it wasn't long before the conversation turned to the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in many workplaces. In response to that conversation, this fall brought the launch of Hive Diversity, a platform that helps companies build work forces that better reflect the broad array of people living in the U.S. The diversity platform works to connect brands and companies with college students of various backgrounds, underscoring the importance of recruitment at the entry level. Since its debut, Hive Diversity has been embraced by a vast array of consumer-facing brands from consumer-packaged goods to retailers looking to improve their track record on inclusivity. Those businesses include household names such as yogurt maker Chobani, footwear retailer Steve Madden, Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International and luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue. Hive Diversity was founded by Byron Slosar, a former undergraduate career advisor and recruiter for Tulane University. It was in that role—while meeting with a transgender student—that the idea for the startup was born. The student was seeking guidance on how to work at a company where he could be his true self and feel at home, but there was no readily available solution. (The student now works at Hive as the finance and business development lead.) Two years after that fateful 2015 meeting, Slosar began building the platform, unveiled in October. “We’re done filling potholes," Slosar said of the effort. "We’re building a whole new road." Hive Diversity is a two-sided marketplace: On one end, it serves the needs of corporations seeking greater representation in their workforces. On the other, the solution recognizes the evolving range of interests and majors students pursue, with the idea of matching these students with roles for which they might be well-suited, even though their area of study may not adequately prepare them. For example, to solve the challenge of the sparsity of students with finance degrees, Hive Diversity will launch a finance-focused curriculum in the spring for students whose schools don't offer finance major. The aim of Hive Diversity's clients is to create a pool of candidates that will eventually fill senior roles. Currently, students from more than 625 universities across the U.S. are on the platform. While companies pay an annual fee for the service, it's free for students. Chobani discovered Hive Diversity through its chief legal officer Kathy Leo, who had a connection to Slosar, said Jami Secchi, its vp of talent acquisition and development. Chobani has set a three-year target, which concludes at the end of 2023, of increasing by 50% representation of underrepresented groups at director-level and above, for which the company is utilizing Hive Diversity to help achieve. "We recognize that [diversity and inclusion] is an ongoing process, with many goals, challenges and milestones on the road ahead of us," said Secchi. "Hive not only makes these connections but also takes the extra step in educating students on what employers look for when hiring, and how to position themselves for a successful job match." Steve Madden appreciates that Hive Diversity takes a holistic approach to build authentic relationships with a diverse network of students. It helps the retailer remove barriers that might have previously prevented those candidates from rising throughout the job application process, said Liz Rodbell, the footwear brand's group president. "In hiring, we know that connecting with a diverse set of candidates is only one part of the equation," she said. "We also need to be cognizant of our application process and ensure that talented people aren’t being left out for reasons that have no bearing on their ability to fulfill job requirements." According to a 2020 study provided by workplace consulting firm Mercer, despite some improvement, companies in the U.S. still have a lot of ground to make up. For example, 85% of executives, 83% of senior managers and 77% of managers are white, while only low-single digit percentages either Hispanic and Latino or African American. Meanwhile, men account for 77% of executive roles, 71% of senior manger positions and 63% of managers.