DCist by Christina Sturdivant

As Mayor Muriel Bowser attempts to shape the city into a destination for techies, she announced an incubator today to make sure minorities will be a part of the pack.

The District’s first "inclusive innovation incubator," housed at Howard University, will support entrepreneurs who are typically isolated from the tech industry and provide solutions for communities who lack resources.

“Howard University continues to be the catalyst for diverse and innovative thought-leaders and an opportunity for the underserved and underrepresented,” said Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard's president, in a statement. The hub, Frederick continued, will give users access to affordable workspace, training, and other resources "to help bring smart ideas to the marketplace.”

The District will also use the university's resources to solicit funding from venture capital firms, according to a release.

Inclusivity has long been a problem in the tech industry. In a 2014 blog post, Google wrote about diversity among its staff, finding only 17 percent of its tech employees were women and five percent were black or Hispanic. After Google revealed their dismal numbers, other tech giants like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple also released statistics.

D.C.'s incubator will be run by Luma Lab, a black-owned tech education company based in the District. The city contributed nearly $1 million in grant funds for the space, which spans more than 8,000 square feet in the 2300 block of Georgia Avenue NW. It's slated to open this fall.

And later this week, Mayor Bowser will attend the South by Southwest Festival—which will also host President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama—to further push her tech agenda.