behind the beta.
A podcast and essay series · by The Reluctant Graduate
A podcast and essay series spotlighting Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices in tech and startups, especially women.
The builders the industry keeps overlooking. The founders who didn't have a warm intro or an alumni network or a room where everyone looked like them. The ones doing the work anyway, season by season, without the fanfare.
This is not a panel.
On Substack · Podcast + essays · Free
episodes
7episodes · updated hourly
- 01Unraveling the Dark Side of Reddit: How a Moderator Weaponized Influence to Harm a Coding Bootcamp
In the age of digital marketing, social media platforms hold unprecedented power, and Reddit is no exception. In a recent podcast episode for my podcast Behind…
December 1, 2025
- 02Behind the Beta Presents Vibes Under 35: Introducing Jasnoor Kaur @ SoinsAI
I met Jasnoor Kaur in a pretty Christine like way—after doom scrolling on TikTok. Despite what may might think, there is a robust and growing startup community…
November 9, 2025
- 03Chris and Dennise Talk Tech Sales: A Conversation With Dennise Quevedo @ Elevate Hire, ex-Google
The tech world moves fast—we know that. From product updates to AI breakthroughs, it feels like every day there’s a new tool or platform changing the game. But…
July 14, 2025
- 04Why Amos Winbush III Is Rebuilding DEI From the Ground Up @ bckers
With the recent decision by multiple companies and organizations to back away from their previous DEI initiatives, I was interested in exploring the other side…
March 22, 2025
- 05Dead Simple, But Not Basic: Jason C. McDonald on Python for Real Developers
A CS student and a time lord walk into a bar. What do they talk about? Python, of course. Also artificial intelligence, cozy mysteries, and The Wind in the Will…
March 15, 2025
- 06Behind The Beta Chapter 002: Where's the Beef? (Orlando Caraballo @ The Once Project)
Remember that commercial for Wendy’s with the old lady screaming “Where’s the beef?” That’s what I thought of while creating this podcast. I had a sillier versi…
January 24, 2025
- 07Behind the Beta Chapter 001: WhatsApp With That?
There is this story that I always mention when I talk about my trip to Medellin, Colombia: a simple man with a simple fruit stand on the side of the road, selli…
January 16, 2025