DeiMarlon Scisney, born and raised in Indiana, has made Seattle his home for the past 4 years, where he has fully embraced the entrepreneurial spirit and has been working tirelessly to scale businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BI-POC) in the area. 

DeiMarlon’s passion for diversity and representation was ignited during his tenure at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he recognized a significant underrepresentation of diverse partners in the business. This spurred him into action and led him to conceptualize and implement the Minority Partner Initiative, a program dedicated to leveling the playing field. Equipped with a budget of over $22 million, this initiative provided financial assistance, mentorship, and skill development opportunities to underrepresented groups, helping them to secure their place in the competitive technology landscape. During this period, he collaborated with organizations such as the Black Business Accelerator and the Impact Accelerator, forming partnerships that significantly amplified the collective impact of these initiatives.

Bearing the lessons from his time at AWS, DeiMarlon forged his path to entrepreneurship by establishing his own BI-POC engineering firm, HOP (Helping the Overlooked Prosper). The Small Business Digital Maturity Study by Deloitte found that, only %36 of small businesses nationwide have fully adopted digital tools and technologies. H.O.P operates internationally with 6 engineers and empowers small and underrepresented businesses with technical assistance to help them thrive in today’s digital age.