The Monthly Tech-In: August 2023

Ah, fall, we feel you coming. For many of us, this means back to school, back to full swing at work, both football and fútbol fans in the stands, and baseball playoffs right around the corner. So for this issue, we decided to huddle on how teamwork makes the dream work when tech intersects with sports.

We’ll also introduce you to Latina entrepreneurs who are breaking barriers, an AI-powered career matchmaking service for neurodivergent job seekers and South American farmers working toward a sustainable supply chain that spans across continents. 

Tech has rapidly emerged as an MVP in the world of sports, providing valuable insights that lead not just to improvements in lineups and scores, but also allow athletes to advance STEM resources to their local communities. In turn, sports give back by teaching commitment and grit.

This summer, audiences around the world watched the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. But in North Carolina, thousands of girls were dropping out of soccer by their 15th birthday. A regional sports organization, NC Fusion, mined league data to learn that the girls felt like they didn’t belong in the sport, and then hoped to convince them otherwise through an email campaign using Copilot in Microsoft Dynamics 365. The campaign and TV ads showed how soccer builds confidence through teamwork, perseverance and resilience.

On the court, Donovan Mitchell is an NBA All-Star. But where he really shines is in his community, giving back to a nonprofit, The Children’s Village, where his grandmother was a teacher who instilled in him the importance of education. For Mitchell, helping kids get excited about STEM and its problem-solving skills was a slam dunk. He partnered with Microsoft to build a tech lab and produced a customized curriculum that includes coding, professional development and internet safety.

Sports aren’t your thing? You can still borrow winning strategies from athletes that just might turn you into a GOAT at work. Based off data from the Work Trend Index, Microsoft WorkLab generated six athletic principles that work for work, too. 

Ready for kick-off? We asked Bing Chat to create a mascot that represents two core values of the office and the field: learning from a loss and working together.

Now it's your turn! Use Bing Image Creator to make an inspiring mascot for your favorite fall sport and share it with us in the comments.

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a good (career) match with Mentra

When David Thomason was looking for a job, he was asked one question that made a big impact on him: “Are there any workplace accommodations that will help you succeed in this role?” As a neurodivergent individual, the question resonated with him. It was part of the onboarding process for Mentra, a Microsoft AI-powered platform that matches neurodivergent job candidates with careers tailored to their strengths. Thomason’s next role turned out to be a software engineer for Mentra, so now he’s able to help companies attract more diverse thinkers like himself, by eliminating barriers to neuro-inclusion. 

#WeAllGrow partnership reveals how Latina entrepreneurs leverage tech

Did you know that Latina entrepreneurs are the fastest-growing group of business owners in the U.S., with nearly two million businesses? To better understand and support them, Microsoft partnered with the #WeAllGrow Latina community to commission the Latina Entrepreneur Community Pulse Report. The findings? Latina entrepreneurs are tech-savvy and find AI technology relevant to their business but need resources and support to help maximize AI’s potential.

Small Latin American growers and a big European producer juice up a sustainable supply chain

Better agricultural practices and safer working conditions are goals for both a small fruit farmer in Brazil and Eckes-Granini, Europe’s largest producer of branded fruit juices. Together, they use a custom-made data model built on the Microsoft intelligent data platform to get a holistic picture of hundreds of vendors and suppliers, creating a sustainable supply chain that stretches across the Atlantic.

NTD because JOMO and goblin mode: A guide to Gen Z-influenced work phrases

Gen Z’s influence on the modern workplace is growing by the day, spawning phrases like JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) and goblin mode (embracing authentic selves). For many of them, hybrid work is the only work they have ever known and they’re making it clear they prefer a balance between ambition and boundaries.