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Irma Olguin: Why we should bring tech economies to underdog cities

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode Work, Play, Rest - Part 1.

Irma Olguin wants to bring the tech industry to cities like her hometown, Fresno. She believes building a support system for tech workers will strengthen communities and revitalize undervalued cities.

About Irma Olguin

Irma Olguin is the CEO and co-Founder of Bitwise Industries, a company that provides coding classes and workplace training to people in cities like Fresno, CA and Toledo, OH, with the goal of building tech economies in those cities.

At Bitwise, Olguin oversees the operations teams, the company's tech-focused training program and software development. In 2019, her company Bitwise Industries secured one of the largest series A rounds of funding ever for a female, Latinx-led company.

Olguin holds a B.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Toledo.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier and Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
Matthew Cloutier
Matthew Cloutier is a producer for TED Radio Hour. While at the show, he has focused on stories about science and the natural world, ranging from operating Mars rovers to exploring Antarctica's hidden life. He has also pitched these kinds of episodes, including "Through The Looking Glass" and "Migration."
Katie Monteleone
Katie Monteleone is a producer for TED Radio Hour. She started out as an intern for the show in January 2019. After her internship, Monteleone began producing for Life Kit before returning to the TED Radio Hour team in October 2019 as a full-time producer.
Sanaz Meshkinpour