When my fellow G2 co-founders and I started the business over a decade ago, we committed to a set of values: Performance, Entrepreneurship, Authenticity, and Kindness — which we refer to by its PEAK acronym. We knew that regardless of how G2 grew and evolved, we would always be rooted in these foundational values.
G2’s commitment to our PEAK values and joining the pledge
It’s important to us to promote our PEAK values both inside and outside of G2. When it comes to Kindness, we believe purpose starts with being compassionate. Our values aren’t meant to be works on paper; they represent the sum of the actions we take, and to be compassionate requires action!
This is why G2 has decided to join Pledge 1%, a global movement that inspires, educates, and empowers every entrepreneur, company, and employee to be a force for good. Over 10,000 members in 100 countries have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite half a billion dollars in new philanthropy.
By taking this pledge, G2 joins leading companies like Salesforce and Atlassian in pledging a small portion of future success today to have an enormous impact tomorrow. Specifically, we’re setting G2’s intent to donate 1% of the company’s equity. Beyond this, G2’s co-founders — including myself, our CEO Godard Abel, our CTO Mike Wheeler, Mark Myers, and Matt Gorniak — have also personally agreed to donate 1% of our own equity.
Suzanne DiBianca, EVP and Chief Impact Officer at Salesforce, shared her perspective on G2’s Pledge 1% commitment, noting:
- "It's inspiring to witness companies like G2 committing to being a force for good. By setting aside 1% of the company's equity to support equitable access to tech education, G2 exemplifies the positive impact businesses can make on the workforce of tomorrow. Together, we can create lasting change and support communities, demonstrating the true potential of corporate impact."
A clear need to develop the next generation of tech talent
As a growing tech company, it’s extremely important to us to help develop the next generation of tech talent — especially within underrepresented populations, which may not have as much exposure or access to the field.
In the U.S., access to courses that provide gateways for STEM careers can be scarce. According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, more than half of high schools do not offer calculus, four out of 10 do not offer physics, more than one in four do not offer chemistry, and more than one in five do not offer Algebra II. Additionally 74% of students graduating with a degree in STEM identified poor instruction early on as a major barrier to success. When we look outside of the U.S. to Africa, it was found that among countries surveyed, STEM and computer labs exist but less than half of them are functional, while a lack of facilities inhibits practical training.
I have personally observed the need for equitable STEM education throughout the world, including students in marginalized communities in economically developing nations, inner-city youth in Chicago, or for kids living in rural America — like I did growing up, where I experienced it first-hand in a small way. While I recognize the great deal of privilege I’ve benefited from in my life, I’ve also seen how a lack of available courses impacted my probability of getting into a top university — or how when I got to university, I was behind because the courses my peers had taken in high school hadn't been available to me. I know this challenge exists today, and is often more severe, with education much further out of reach for many.
Giving back to reach our next PEAKs together
There are a number of wonderful nonprofits and organizations today that support this cause - some of which I have had the privilege of working with, including Chicago Tech Academy and Ennovate Labs. On my recent trip to Africa, I could see and feel the entrepreneurial energy in motion, and there is so much potential to create even greater impact.
At G2, we believe that a quality tech education creates economic opportunity through tech company jobs and through the products tech companies create. The 2 million reviews on G2 are a start to democratizing tech knowledge, but we can do more. This is why G2 has decided that STEM education access for underrepresented populations will be the focus of our pledge.
We have built the world’s largest software marketplace and created jobs for 650 global employees who are climbing their PEAKs together. Recognizing our fortunate position, we’d like to do our part to improve accessibility of tech education to help build the next generation of tech innovators.
With our commitment to Pledge 1%, we aim to help many others reach their PEAKs as well. If you’re an organization who hasn’t yet committed to the pledge and is open to the opportunity, we hope you’ll join us! Learn more about Pledge 1% here.
