BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TUGG, the non-profit arm of Boston’s tech community, today announced that it had partnered with Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the world’s most innovative companies and their investors, to put on the 7th Annual Tech Gives Back event taking place on October 19. More than 2,200 professionals from Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, California and Texas will volunteer hundreds of hours in the tech industry’s largest day of service of the year. Tech Gives Back is a fun, interactive event created to provide the tech community with an opportunity to work alongside their colleagues and peers to positively contribute to their communities.
TUGG worked together with Building Impact to curate dozens of impactful projects serving nonprofits across Greater Boston. These projects serve the elderly, youth in poverty, homeless families, and young people emerging from the criminal justice system. These diverse programs offer business professionals an opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with non-profits that address major issues that affect the technology industry such as access to STEM education, job training and diversity initiatives.
One example of TUGG’s new and innovative programming is Guppy Tank. Guppy Tank is put on in partnership with The Boston Foundation and Boston Public Schools and will bring groups of sixth graders to leading tech companies for an experiential “Shark Tank”-like learning activity. The program was originally ideated, developed, and tested by Salsify to create a unique STEM learning experience for students interested in entrepreneurism and also to build meaningful employee engagement. TUGG is excited to scale Guppy Tank with the help of Building Impact to 10 new companies as a part of Tech Gives Back 2017. In addition to Salsify, Buildium, Hubspot, InsightSquared, Mendix, Rapid7, Threat Stack, Toast, Wayfair and WeWork will also host their own Guppy Tanks.
“TUGG and Silicon Valley Bank made a concerted effort this year to expand the variety of volunteer projects to include issues core to the tech community, including STEM and inclusivity initiatives,” said TUGG Executive Director Elizabeth Dobrska. “We believe that offering a wide array of meaningful projects for tech professionals is a key contributor to Tech Gives Back’s substantial growth and look forward to continuing to evolve the day of service.”
Dobrska continued, “Support from a growing number of corporate sponsors has also been a key growth driver for Tech Gives Back. Tech companies large and small use this community holiday as a method to engage their employees’ altruistic natures and create a connection with their communities. It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Brooklyn Boulders hosted a pre-party for all Tech Gives Back volunteers on October 18 to give volunteers a chance to meet the non-profit they will be working with and connect with other professionals working on the project. Discounted rides to and from the pre-party were provided by Uber, the exclusive transportation partner of Tech Gives Back 2017.
About TUGG
TUGG (Technology Underwriting Greater Good) is the non-profit arm of Boston’s tech community that connects New England's tech entrepreneurs with the riskiest social enterprises serving local under-resourced youth through entrepreneurial, educational, and life experiences. TUGG is one of the only funders of experimental youth programming in Boston. To learn more, visit tugg.org and follow @TUGGorg on Twitter.
About Silicon Valley Bank
For more than 30 years, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has helped innovative companies and their investors move bold ideas forward, fast. SVB provides targeted financial services and expertise through its offices in innovation centers around the world. With commercial, international and private banking services, SVB helps address the unique needs of innovators. Learn more at svb.com.
