Dillard University and Opportunity Hub (OHUB), the nation’s leading inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship and investment ecosystem, have partnered to build a model to ensure that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) can thrive in the current and future Industrial Revolutions.

In the partnership, Dillard will become an official OHUB as a part of H2 TheFuture, a new energy and climate technology initiative led by Greater New Orleans, Inc. and funded by The Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Together, OHUB and Dillard will offer co-branded monthly “Equity in Climate Tech Masterclasses”, startup programs in the form of “One Day Startup” and “High Growth Company Building” alongside technology skills certificates in software development, technical sales and new energy. The first High Growth Company Building Certificate Program will launch on Friday, October 6th. Dillard students and alumni will receive priority consideration when applying. The deadline to apply is October 6th.

“This opportunity signifies a monumental step towards a better future for our students and the larger community. Our campus will become a hub that will foster creativity and ingenuity for our next generation of leaders and agents of positive change, said Dr. Rochelle Ford,  Dillard University President. “We share OHUB’s mission of equitable career pathways and opportunities for growth.”

Today, less than 1% of technology talent and 8% of overall talent in tech are Black. Less than .69% of venture capital went to Black founders in 2022 and 1% of capital allocators are Black.  All of Dillard’s students and faculty will receive complimentary verified accounts on the OHUB ecosystem app. They will be able to build community in their gated channel while connecting with a wider community of innovators, startup founders, investors and employers for learning, mentorship, networking and more.

“Edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, blockchain, hydrogen and blue ocean fueled by billions in venture capital are responsible for two-thirds of today’s net new jobs in America; yet Black Americans and other socially economically disadvantaged communities are not aware and positioned to take advantage of these intersectional technological revolutions as creators, operators and investors at sustained scale, ” says Rodney Sampson, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Opportunity Hub. “Our partnership with Dillard and Dr. Ford’s administration and faculty will serve as a disruptive end-to-end model to exponentially increase the required early exposure, definitive technology skills, in-demand career pathways, problem solving, startup know-how and capital formation required to position New Orleans as a leading viable diverse, equitable and inclusive tech hub.”

Sampson will also serve as the first OHUB Distinguished Innovator, Entrepreneur and Investor in Residence. He will work with Dillard’s faculty and administration to create instructional positions with experts and practitioners of the subject matter.

Future plans include collaboration on a campus co-working space and tech hub, venture fund and inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship and investment certificates, major and minor.

“This dynamic collaboration intends to level the field and establish a world of possibilities via technology tools and exclusive educational programs,” said Ford. “The OHUB x Dillard  ecosystem will cultivate an authentic and sustainable approach to delivering diverse, equitable and inclusive innovative entrepreneurial solutions throughout the region.”

About Dillard University 

Dillard University, Louisiana’s oldest historically Black university, is a private four-year liberal arts faith-based university. Located in New Orleans, Dillard offers 22 bachelor’s degrees and two certificates in the disciplines of Business, Health and Wellness, the Humanities, Nursing, STEM, and Social Sciences. Its diverse student body is comprised of students from 33 states and 12 countries. Website: Dillard.edu

About Opportunity Hub

Opportunity Hub (OHUB), co-founded in 2013 in Atlanta, GA by Rodney and Shanterria Sampson as a follow-up to the highly successful Kingonomics’ conferences in Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC grew to become the largest Black-owned multi-campus entrepreneurship center and technology hub in the United States definitively focused on diversity, inclusion and equity as a business development and investment thesis for the upskilling of in-demand technical talent, new high growth company building and innovative capital formation as a path to creating shared prosperity and multi-generational wealth creation for everyone, everywhere in the future of work, fourth industrial revolution and beyond. Each year, thousands of people learn, engage, build & work via the OHUB ecosystem. Learn more about how OHUB is leading the charge to scale racial equity in the fourth industrial revolution at OpportunityHub.co and download the new ecosystem app at www.EcosystemApp.co