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Tony Uceda: Accelerating the Growth of the LGBTQ+ Community

Tony Uceda: Accelerating the Growth of the LGBTQ+ Community

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, who are advancing the UN SDGs. 

Spiffy here! I’m back with the scoop on the changemaking leaders of Planet Earth. As the only interplanetary journalist stationed on this blue planet, I’m thrilled to present this galactic exclusive with Tony Uceda, the VP of development of StartOut. Let’s see what he’s up to! 

Spiffy: Thanks for joining me today, Tony! Tell me, what challenge are you addressing through your organization?

Tony: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! StartOut’s mission is to accelerate the growth of the LGBTQ+ community. Specifically, we aim to drive its economic empowerment. We hope to build a world where every LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has equal access to lead, succeed, and shape the workforce of the future.

Spiffy: What motivates you to do it?

Tony: What motivates me to do my job is the recognition that not everyone is granted equal access to resources, and we often lack safe spaces to be our genuine selves. Until that access is granted equitably, I will be motivated to continue this work.

Spiffy: What is the impact of your work?

Tony: I’d say the impact of my work is that it supports any LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and founders.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent milestone or initiative by StartOut. 

Tony: StartOut now has over 25,000 members—wow! 

Spiffy: Congrats! To what do you attribute that success?

Tony: Well, the recent economic instability in this country is encouraging more people to pursue their dreams of creating their own business. The StartOut team is here to help turn those dreams into a reality.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Tony—it’s been an honor!

Tony Uceda is the VP of development for StartOut, the largest LGBTQ+ non-profit with the mission to build a world where every LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has equal opportunity to lead, succeed, and shape the workforce of the future. He is a Hispanic LGBTQ+ advocate, a son of a Cuban/Spanish family, and a gay Catholic advocate. (First published on the Ladderworks website on November 29, 2022.)

© 2022 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by George Romar. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.