New Vision Foundation is opening a learning center in Saint Paul. Their goal? To provide people of color in Minnesota pathways to success through coding and digital literacy classes. Here are a few fast facts about the company and the CEO, Hussein Farah.

• New Vision Foundation has been around for over three years. They’re in 9 schools in the Twin Cities Metro and serve around 355 students.
• Success to New Vision means having more people of color participate in high-paying tech jobs as a means of closing the racial income divide.
• Hussein Farah was born in Somalia and went to school in Kenya. He came to the United States with his masters in Software Engineering.
• Farah’s biggest motivation is making a Minnesota that’s inclusive for everyone. He would like young people of color to think beyond being consumers of technology - and instead potential creators.

Congratulations to Saint Paul's Tribe Games for the successful launch of HyperDot! Developer Charles McGregor is the only black person to own a game development studio in Minnesota.

As for the game? It's a minimalist action arcade game with one rule: dodge everything.

HyperDot is available on Steam, itch.io, or Xbox.

Minnetronix Medical is expanding headquarters this year! This is the Saint Paul-based medical technology company's fourth expansion since moving to Energy Park Drive in 2000. Minnetronix Medical is anticipated to add 75 jobs over the course of the next three years. 

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) will assist the expansion with a $500,000 award from its Job Creation Fund and a $500,000 Minnesota Investment Fund loan.

The Minnesota High Tech Association is accepting applications for their SciTechsperience Internship program. SciTechsperience connects small Minnesota businesses with college STEM majors for paid internship experiences. Employers receive a wage match of 50% of the intern’s wages (worth up to $2,500), and at least 200 wage matches are available while supplies last on a first-come, first-hire basis.

What are you waiting for? Apply on SciTechMN.org

Is someone you know ready for a career in tech? MSP TechHire has scholarships available for accelerated learning programs in the Twin Cities including:

• Full Stack software development bootcamp and user experience design program at Prime Digital Academy
• Hardware technical support and IT training programs at Creating IT Futures
• Software development bootcamp in either Java or .NET/C# languages at Software Guild

To learn more, visit stpaul.gov/msptechhire.

Green Card Voices is celebrating the launch of their new book Green Card STEM Voices: Stories from Minnesota Immigrants Working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math with an afternoon of networking, panels and celebration. New connections start building on Saturday, February 15 at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Registration is free and the resources invaluable! Learn more and register at Eventbrite.

Join your fellow entrepreneurs, founders, community leaders, and regional thought leaders on Wednesday, February 26 for BETA State of the State - 2020. The purpose of the event is to provide the community with an informative download on Minnesota’s entrepreneurial system and the area’s most exciting activities.

Get your ticket today at Eventbrite.

The second annual TechTalent is on Thursday, February 27 at Target Field. Organized by the Minnesota High Tech Association, TechTalent will explore the specific ways the tech and STEM education communities are addressing supply and demand in Minnesota. Attendees will leave with a richer understanding of the factors that influence the pool of available talent, what skills new hires should have, and what employees at all levels need to feel engaged and committed in a company.

Interested? Register online at mhta.org/event/techtalent/