OREANDA-NEWS. KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced a partnership with Girls Who Code, the leading national nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology. KKR will provide a significant financial commitment in addition to leveraging the firm's global resources and network to further grow the organization. Additionally, KKR portfolio companies First Data (NYSE:FDC) and GoDaddy announced they will each sponsor a Summer Immersion Program this coming summer, providing 40 girls with seven weeks of free, immersive instruction in web development and design, robotics, and mobile development.

"Similar to the financial sector, the field of technology is often lacking the kind of diverse workforces that lead to the highest performing teams, the highest performing cultures and the best business outcomes," said Ted Oberwager, a member of KKR's Private Equity and TMT Growth Equity teams. "As the tech industry expands and companies increasingly need to integrate technology in order to succeed, this imbalance will not only impact Silicon Valley, but every industry. We are honored to partner with Girls Who Code, alongside our portfolio companies First Data and GoDaddy, on the excellent work they're doing to address this issue, and we hope this is just the start at KKR and beyond."

The partnership with Girls Who Code is the latest initiative born out of the firm's continued focus on Inclusion and Diversity, which began with KKR's Inclusion and Diversity Council (IDC) founded in 2014 to help realize a goal of creating a more diverse workplace. As part of today's announcement and through the month of May, KKR will match 2:1 any additional donations to Girls Who Code by eligible KKR employees through the firm's Matching Gifts Program. Funds raised will be used to help scale a number of programs at the organization including student stipends, curriculum development, measurement and evaluation, software, and more. Over time, KKR anticipates deeper integration between Girls Who Code, KKR itself, and KKR's 100+ private equity and growth equity portfolio companies, which touch all segments of the economy.

Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, said: "We need women in technical roles at all companies, and the commitment from KKR, GoDaddy and First Data will help provide the necessary training and experience to empower more girls to pursue majors and eventually careers in computer science."

Auguste Goldman, Chief People Officer of GoDaddy, said: "At GoDaddy, we're committed to making a positive impact on the future of women in tech so the Girls Who Code mission to inspire, educate and prepare the next generation of female leaders resonates with our employees. We're proud to support the organization and look forward to providing an inspiring space for the Summer Immersion Program participants to learn and have fun."

"Working with a terrific organization like Girls Who Code allows us to prepare the next generation of technology leaders," said Guy Chiarello, President, First Data. "First Data is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, and we are always mining for the best and brightest technology talent. We look forward to watching the progress these girls make during the summer program and perhaps one day welcoming them back as full-time First Data employees."

First Data's Summer Immersion Program will take place in Atlanta, Georgia while GoDaddy's will take place in Sunnyvale, California. Each program provides training for 20 rising high-school junior and senior girls, and is designed to provide even those with minimal familiarity with computer sciences the foundation they need to pursue more technical fields in college and beyond. 93 percent of past Summer Immersion Program participants said that because of the program, they now want to major in, or are interested in computer science.

About Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. Through its Summer Immersion Program and Girls Who Code Clubs, the organization is leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. 

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, credit and hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world?class people, and driving growth and value creation at the asset level. KKR invests its own capital alongside its partners' capital and brings opportunities to others through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. 

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy powers the world's largest cloud platform dedicated to small, independent ventures. With more than 16 million customers worldwide and more than 70 million domain names under management, GoDaddy is the place people come to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers and manage their work. Our mission is to give our customers the tools, insights and the people to transform their ideas and personal initiative into success. 

About First Data

First Data (NYSE: FDC) is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions, serving approximately six million business locations and 4,000 financial institutions in more than 100 countries around the world. The company's 24,000 owner-associates are dedicated to helping companies, from start-ups to the world's largest corporations, conduct commerce every day by securing and processing more than 2,800 transactions per second and $2.2 trillion per year.