Ne-Yo Invests $2.3 Million In This Coding School, Wants To Inspire & Provide for Youth of Color

R&B star Ne-Yo is another person that wants to help change the lack of diversity problem, focusing on lack of diversity in the technology field, and surrounding aspects. To help provide opportunities, he invested $2.3 million in a coding facility named Holberton School.

Among donating the $2.3 million, Ne-Yo is joining its Board of Trustees as a result. This new venture will ensure that students from underrepresented communities receive the chance to pursue a career in coding. Holberton is also tuition-free up until you land a job within that respective field. The fees will start once your career begins. Tech Crunch adds that the school requires 17 percent of your salary over the course of those first three years of joining the workforce.

“This is not a realistic career for people who came up like me. It’s more realistic to do what I do, be a singer or an NBA star,” Ne-Yo said during a party celebrating his new role at Holberton hosted by Trinity Ventures on Wednesday night in San Francisco. “Thanks to these guys it now is. I have a platform, and I’m going to use this platform to spread the word.”

The school is able to keep its costs low by not hiring formal teachers or giving lectures. Instead much of the curriculum is based around students working on specific projects and helping teach each other. They also work with mentors from companies like Uber and LinkedIn to finish the two-year program. Already, some of Holberton’s students have interned or been hired at companies like Apple, NASA, and Dropbox.

Although the coding is relatively new (18 months old), they are doing well in their endeavors. “I’m very, very excited about this,” Ne-Yo said at the celebration. “Let’s make Holberton one of the biggest schools on the face of the planet.”