The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable

GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
Diego Mariscal, Founder, and CEO of 2Gether-International


Disabled and proud, Diego seeks to navigate the relationship between disability advocacy, entrepreneurism, and sustainable impact. Since founding 2Gether-International in 2015 Diego has collaborated with multinational organizations, been recognized internationally for his work with the disability community, and attended global summits to advocate for entrepreneurs with disabilities.

The mission: Connect disabled founders with the resources they need to thrive. Disabled people are historically underserved by resources and programs targeting entrepreneurs. 2GI seeks to challenge the entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting founders with disabilities, and flipping the narrative to see disability as a competitive advantage for businesses.

What is your personal Story?

I was born with cerebral palsy, but even though I grew up with a Disability, my parents still had high expectations for me and didn’t treat me any differently from my brother, who is close to me in age and who does not have a Disability. Being raised this way made me both ambitious and independent.

My ambition and sense of independence flourished when I started swimming competitively. I even went on to win the first gold medal for my sport in the national paralympic swimming competition (representing Nuevo Leon in the Mexican National Paralympics from 2004–2009).

In high school, especially because I didn’t see many other visibly Disabled students, I wanted to help my peers understand what it means to have a disability. That’s what led me to launch “Limitless Prepa Tec,” a Disability Education program in my hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. It was an immersive and experiential program: our activities included eating while blindfolded, communicating without speaking, and riding public transportation in a wheelchair, all activities to give a feeling of what it was like to be Disabled.

Within four years, the program was in 15 high schools throughout the country, impacting more than 3,000 students, and we were almost 80% corporate-funded. To this day, Limitless continues to be one of the largest youth-led programs in Monterrey, Mexico, working to educate students about Disabilities.

Limitless set the stage for my current work in the United States, founding and running 2Gether-International, a startup accelerator for Disabled Founders working to close the employment and wealth gap.

What does inclusive leadership mean to you?

There are several tenets of inclusive leadership that I feel strongly about, including:
  • Providing accommodations that allow people to thrive in the work environment
  • Allowing staff to own and manage their respective projects
  • Being vulnerable, and accepting when you have made mistakes in your leadership
  • Being open and receptive to feedback

What inspired you to start 2Gether-International, and what does your organization do?

I wanted to show the world that disability is synonymous with innovation and creativity, and where Founders and Entrepreneurs with Disabilities have pathways to success, self-reliance, and confidence. 2Gether-International is the leading accelerator in the world that exclusively supports founders with Disabilities, and we focus on those with high-growth, early-stage tech startups. Our accelerator sessions for founders take place throughout the year and are ten weeks long; the students start learning practical skills from day one. We also connect entrepreneurs with the right resources and support systems to help them thrive.

So far, we have supported close to 70 companies, and since the launch of our accelerator programs in 2020, graduates have collectively raised more than $41 million dollars in funding from investment, revenue, and acquisitions.

What is your greatest vision for 2Gether International in the decades to come?

In the coming year, I’d like to highlight that we are set to launch an online platform, providing materials and asynchronous training to prospective applicants. And then, we will build the first-ever fund for founders with disabilities. And in the coming decades, my team and I will work to position 2GI as the premier accelerator for founders with Disabilities, setting the stage for a 2GI Cohort to foster the next unicorn company led by a Disabled Founder. Ultimately our vision is that Disability becomes synonymous with pride, innovation, and creativity instead of pity or limitations.

How could GlobalMindED further support the efforts that you are a part of?

GlobalMindED’s initiatives to close the equity gap by connecting students with limited resources to mentors have similarities to our work at 2Gether-International. We’re building community and making connections to ensure that overlooked and systemically less advantaged founders have access to opportunities, guidance, and capital. If any of your students are interested in an internship be sure to email denise@2gether-international.org
Join us for the conversation
Social Justice and Equity:
A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark!
Tuesday January 24th 4:00 EST
Register here


Some of the original social justice conversations began in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution to promote more egalitarian societies and reduce the exploitation of certain marginalized groups due great disparities between the rich and poor. Today, social justice has shifted towards a stronger emphasis on human rights and improving the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized groups that have historically faced discrimination in society. We continue to see and experience discrimination based on race, sex, age, wealth, ethnicity, heritage, social status, religion, and others. 

Social justice and equity work is still all too common and very necessary. Even in the context of a pandemic, after the murder of George Floyd people spilled into the streets to protest police violence, racial discrimination, and the scourge of white supremacy. The United States recorded its largest protests in the history of the country’s existence. Join Equity and Social Justice leaders to discuss where we are, what has changed, and where we should be going to realize country where thriving is a right and not a privilege.  

Led by Dr. Ryan Ross with Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting, Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion City of Omaha Mayor’s Office, Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC, Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, and Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer Colorado Department of Higher Education.

See bios below
Join us in Denver June 7-9 for GlobalMindED 2023
Early Bird Registration Open Now
Register here

To get a feel for the conference experience, please see this brief video by The PhD Project from the 2022 GlobalMindED Conference
Join us for the conversation
Social Justice and Equity:
A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark!
Tuesday January 24th 4:00 EST
Register here


Some of the original social justice conversations began in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution to promote more egalitarian societies and reduce the exploitation of certain marginalized groups due great disparities between the rich and poor. Today, social justice has shifted towards a stronger emphasis on human rights and improving the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized groups that have historically faced discrimination in society. We continue to see and experience discrimination based on race, sex, age, wealth, ethnicity, heritage, social status, religion, and others. 

Social justice and equity work is still all too common and very necessary. Even in the context of a pandemic, after the murder of George Floyd people spilled into the streets to protest police violence, racial discrimination, and the scourge of white supremacy. The United States recorded its largest protests in the history of the country’s existence. Join Equity and Social Justice leaders to discuss where we are, what has changed, and where we should be going to realize country where thriving is a right and not a privilege.  

Led by Dr. Ryan Ross with Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting, Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion City of Omaha Mayor’s Office, Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC, Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, and Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer Colorado Department of Higher Education.

See bios below
The GlobalMindED Inclusive Success NetworkTM had another banner year of growth, impact, and outcomes for First Generation, poverty-affected and minoritized students. Here are some of the highlights: 
 
  • Return of in-person GlobalMindED conference with record attendance and the largest First Gen Leadership Class ever of 122 student leaders. See PhD Project brief video of the event. 
  • Our fourth annual Inclusive Leader Awards recognized 15 DEIB leaders across sectors.
  • Almost all our 100+ panels and sessions of 2022 featured a student. 
  • Of the 300+ speakers, 73% were diverse leaders sharing their thoughts. 
  • We held our first Industry Marketplace Career Exploration Arena at GlobalMindED 2022 with 40 companies, giving K-12, college students, educators, and leaders a way to learn about emerging fields and careers. Join us for the next one at GlobalMindED 2023. 
  • Our first satellite event at Georgia Institute of Tech was livestreamed via the Atlanta PBS affiliate. 
  • We became an official initiative of the Foundation for the Support the United Nations (FSUN) and will hold our first UN event on March 22, 2023. 
  • ·We served ten colleges with the GlobalMindED Success Collaborative connecting students at each HBCU, MSI, HIS and Tribal College with role models, mentors, internships, and jobs. 
  • We had partners/volunteers from Microsoft, Salesforce, Rubrik, HP, Stanford MBA and more. 
  • We spoke at the White House Initiative for HBCUs with sponsor Hewlett Packard. 
  • Our team, Board, Colorado Board and Executive Leadership Council are all majority diverse serving a majority diverse population of emerging leaders. 
  • We continued to publish our daily newsletter and conduct monthly virtual Equity events, led by people of color with majority diverse panelists and students. These are the role models for our students.
  • Our annual operating budget increased by 67% emerging COVID strong. 
  • We doubled our staff from four to eight as we grow to scale our impact. 
  • Our Young Professionals grew to 40 strong, with a ten-person leadership cabinet made up of, but not limited to, graduates of our programs who are now working professionals.  
  • Since 2015, we have successfully connected 1,200+ students to internships and jobs. 
  • Our founder, Carol Carter, was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Denver Business Journal. 
 
We are grateful for the support, inclusive leadership, and financial contributions of our community and sponsors who work tirelessly to open doors for the students we serve, the institutions who support them, and the businesses and non-profits who are committed to hiring a capable, diverse talent pipeline.  We look forward to seeing all of you June 7-9 at our best event yet, GlobalMindED 2023 - Transforming Boundaries: Creating Systemic Access and Equity. The Inclusive Leaders Awards Dinner is June 7, followed by the conference June 8- 9 at the Denver Downtown Sheraton.  
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