Stephanie Lampkin taught herself to code at just 13 years old. By 15, she was already working as a full-stack web developer. She credits her aunt, a computer scientist, for sparking that early passion. Later, Stephanie Lampkin earned a degree in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University. She then completed an MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management.
After graduating, she built an impressive career. She worked in technical roles at Microsoft, Deloitte, Lockheed, and TripAdvisor over 18 years. However, one experience changed her path completely. She applied for an analytics job at a major tech company. Instead, they offered her a sales role. She saw this as clear evidence of bias in hiring.
So, in 2014, she founded Blendoor. This enterprise software removes bias from recruiting through data analytics. Specifically, the platform hides identifying details like name, age, gender, and race during initial screening. As a result, recruiters can focus purely on skills and qualifications. Additionally, Blendoor integrates with a company’s HR systems to track hiring patterns. This helps organizations spot exactly where bias occurs in their process.
Major companies quickly took notice. For example, recruiters at Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft all began using the platform. Furthermore, Blendoor introduced the “Blendscore,” a rating that benchmarks companies on diversity and inclusion.
Beyond Blendoor, Stephanie Lampkin has built an equally impressive public profile. She earned a spot on MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 list. She also made Fortune’s 40 Under 40. Meanwhile, she has spoken at TEDx events and appeared on the cover of The Atlantic. In addition, she founded Visible Figures, a community supporting Black women in tech. Today, she serves as vice chair of Fair Pay Workplace.
Ultimately, Stephanie Lampkin’s guiding belief is simple: talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not. Through Blendoor, she continues working to close that gap.