Microsoft launched TechSpark Jackson to expand its targeted initiative to address the digital divide in communities across the United States. TechSpark provides digital skills training, computer science education, broadband connectivity, and digital transformation to support inclusive economic opportunities.

JJ Townsend, a Teach for America alum, spearheaded the effort to help local Mississippi partners address those challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the digital divide across the US, disproportionately affecting people with disabilities, racial and ethnic communities, women, and those with less formal education. Mississippi employers seek to hire people with strong digital skills, but they need more qualified workers in the state.

Townsend and Microsoft supported several collaborative programs, including Jackson State University’s Cybersecurity Readiness program, gener8tor Skills Accelerator Mississippi, CoBuilders Accelerator, and Jackson Tech District Makerspace. Techspark also works with local high school teachers and students through its TEALS program to increase computer science access among Black and African American students. 

The collaborations are a starting point as Microsoft continues to listen and learn from community stakeholders and leaders and develop additional partner-driven response strategies.

And so far, Techspark has been a success in Mississippi—so much so that the company announced in early 2023 that the program would expand to all 50 states.

“TechSpark’s initial partnership in the state was helping to launch CoBuilders Accelerator with Innovate Mississippi, a nonprofit aimed at promoting entrepreneurship,” wrote Townsend. “Over the past 20 years, they have been instrumental in developing 1,500 new companies and have facilitated over $181 million in seed and venture capital. The first cohort of the Microsoft-powered CoBuilders Accelerator ended this fall with 16 startups receiving seed funding, mentorship, and access to Microsoft’s Founder’s Hub to enhance their growth.”