Dallas women create corporate diversity ranking website

DALLAS - Two Dallas moms are hoping to change the face of corporate America.

Their tech company aims to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace by giving employees a platform to rate their businesses and give job seekers a heads up.

Mandy Price and Star Carter can both recall workplace experiences that left them feeling demoralized.

“Someone that was very senior asked me if I got into Harvard legitimately. I was frozen at that moment,” Price said.

Now they’re driving to change workplace culture from the inside out.

“Our bread and butter of our platform is diversity, equity and inclusion,” Carter said.

The best friends, both University of Texas and Harvard law school grads, are founders of Dallas-based Kanarys. It’s on online platform that allows users to rate employers based on things like diversity in leadership, diversity and inclusion benefits and resources and perks like paid maternity leave, transgender inclusive insurance, covered fertility treatment.

“We provide that insight so individuals can really see the culture of the company and not just the statement companies make about diversity inclusion, not check the box but how are people’s actual experiences in the workplace,” Price said.

Sehla Ashai said she left an employer after witnessing discrimination and welcomes tools that help find a better fit.

“We want to go to a workplace where we are valued where we feel that our mission is aligned with our leadership,” Ashai said.

The anonymous information Kanarys gets from users also informs employers, offering strategies that go beyond hiring practices.

“Our platform is there so that people can talk about these experiences without worrying about that negative career ramification,” Carter said.

Companies from AT&T to law firms are getting on board.

“You can pay a lot of lip service to diversity and inclusion, but if you really dive into it and see what do your employees think and what are other people doing,” said Phil Appenceller, CEO Munsch/Hardt.

Price and Carter are also busy moms. They want change to see change now, so the next generation has a different experience than theirs.

“I didn’t want to teach them those survival skills, I wanted the workplace to be better,” Price said.