Inspiring Conversations with Jonathan Cornelius of Meet & Innovate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Cornelius.

Hi Jonathan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a part-time humanitarian and full-time leader of diversity. I pride myself on building a platform that helps skilled and diverse tech space candidates acquire their dream job. My diversity-centric startup, Meet & Innovate, is steadily changing the racial demographics of tech companies. Meet & Innovate strives to improve diversity in large corporations and serves as an agent of change within the U.S. tech space. What began as a bright idea then later blossomed into an essential tool for businesses and qualified job seekers. Meet & Innovate is here to leave its mark on the world.

Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I was around children from all nationalities who spoke the same vernacular. I played competitive sports throughout my childhood and later fell in love with basketball. Basketball taught me different skill sets like being focused, using effective techniques, and teamwork. Through sports, I learned that I hate losing more than I love winning. From those early days, I vowed always to give my best, whether participating in sports or pursuing an education.

At the age of fifteen, my family decided to uproot our life from Philadelphia to move to Dunwoody, Georgia. The adjustment from the North to the South was not easy. High school was quickly approaching, and I soon realized that I would be attending a predominantly white Christian school. The transition from the inner city to an unfamiliar territory had me feeling a bit uneasy, yet I knew God’s grace would keep me on the right path.

Throughout high school, I felt like a pariah amongst my classmates. Although I had uncomfortable moments, I never lost sight of who he was: a black man. My high school experience led me to strive to be a voice for minorities and advocate for change within my community. I have never feared using my voice to stand up for what I believe to be correct. Growing up, teachers always admired the confidence and integrity I had when speaking before large audiences. I understood that my voice was a gift to be a change agent in society at a young age. While taking a public speaking course at Georgia State University, my professor recognized my talent for communication. She decided to take me under her wing and become my mentor. One day, I expressed to my professor a desire to host a TED-talk-style event in the school’s auditorium about winning at life. She then booked a hall and allowed three of her classes to attend the event.

After the successful event, an African-American male student approached me and said, “It’s so good seeing someone that looks like me do this.” Not only did this hit a soft spot in my heart, but it also reminded me that my speaking ability is a gift to help others achieve their dreams. To keep the momentum going, I hosted a similar event on my own. Although only five people attended, this did not stop my determination to keep going. Eventually, my audience grew, and I began to have a consistent following on my university’s campus. I developed a love for hosting networking events and finally decided to produce these events into something grander. In the summer of 2019, I interned with a risk management company to learn more about consulting clients’ business aspects. I worked with skilled information technology professionals and understood the specifics of risk management. I became a sponge of knowledge as I observed how effectively I spoke with clients. As time went on, I mastered painting a concise picture of how my services can ultimately benefit a company and match their specific needs. This internship inspired me to combine my love for helping minorities enter the corporate world and connecting them with progressive tech companies, thus creating Meet & Innovate.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey to growing Meet & Innovate hasn’t been comfortable. Over time, I understood that to grow as a leader, I would have to change my old habits. I had to reconsider my social life, including the people who were taking and not contributing positively to my relationships. Doing this was hard, but it’s leading to my success. COVID-19 also helped to steer me on a more positive path. I describe this change as my world completely stopping. I saw this as an opportunity to evaluate how I handled a large number of my business affairs. I had to realize that I had not been the best communicator, and at times I had been arrogant when interacting with others. Through this reflection, I vowed to be the best version of myself and allow that to shine through my company. We are a small company, but that does not stop us. The need is there, and that is why we go hard for the vision. People have doubted my skill sets because of my age and experience. I am outworking the skeptics. None of this would be possible without my drive to win and my will to make a difference. My perseverance is helping me grow a business that is what makes me different from my competitors.

As you know, we’re big fans of Meet & Innovate. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Meet & Innovate is a diversity-focused recruitment platform that leverages technology to place diverse job seekers in their dream internship and full-time job opportunities. We are on a mission to create a compelling company that focuses on bringing diversity to the workplace. Partial diversity exists in the technology space. It is partial because Asian representation is high, but what about other minorities? Diversity in the workplace is more critical now than ever. Our goal is to take the technology space from partial diversity to complete diversity. We do this through our Diversity Database. A tool that allows our clients to intentionally seek out minorities that have low representation within their organization. We offer candidates from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to interview and find employment with companies that want them to succeed. We are here to diversify America’s technology sector.

We focus solely on bringing diverse talent to technology companies. Meet & Innovate is a voice for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous job seekers. Our talent database is 100% built around diverse talent. No other organization is as diversity-centric as we are. Our business exists to level the playing field in the tech space. Readers should know that we are diversity change agents. We are set out to place one hundred diverse candidates into permanent corporate tech positions in a year. Research performed by CNBC concluded that major corporations like Apple and Amazon lack diversity in gender and race. Apple reported that only 6% of its employees were black for the years 2014-2018. These statistics explain why Meet & Innovate has a deep passion for creating diversity in the tech space. Over time we will level the playing field. We are proud that we are influencing tech companies to notice that diversity in the workplace is essential.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
COVID-19 has taught my organization to stay diligent and me. Many people have lost their jobs and are actively seeking employment. As a black man, I know that this has dramatically affected my community. As a business leader and a company, we are here to connect diverse candidates to job opportunities. The world practically stopped, and it gave us a chance to reflect on our company values, business model, and goals. I realized that opportunities still exist during these dark times, but they do not come easily. I had to dig deep and keep pushing.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@meetandinnovate.com
• Website: http://meetandinnovate.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathandcornelius/

Image Credits
Georgia Conroe