Inclusion Works: Discover enBiPa - a non-profit community run by women & queers

From the historical point of view, the tech industry was (and remains) dominated by men. At WorksHub, as part of our Inclusion Works campaign, we are keen to support and bring awareness to companies that strive to make a change.

Thus, we are happy to discover and know more companies, start-ups and communities that work towards inclusion, gender equality, diversity and direct their support towards specialists, regardless of sexual and gender identities.

enBiPa is one of such companies. It is a queer social tech community, established and run by women and queers. They are best known for building JustOne, the first non-profit WEB 3.0 social media & NFT directory platform. JustOne# Rainbow photo sharing app is available on iOS, Android, and Web.

We recently chatted with Oge Arya, the Foundation Assistant at enBiPa, about the company’s vision, the products and services they’re looking to provide, plans for the future, company culture, team values and much more.

Tell us more about enBiPa and JustOne, what is the idea behind it?

enBiPa's mission is to create a non-profit independent manipulation-free ethical social media network and to connect like-minded people, which builds and strengthens community.

enBiPa is a social tech geek community started in Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX. enBiPa is a non-profit community run by women & queers across the globe.

Both online & in person, enBiPa is creating a collaborative environment that supports community engagement and memorable experiences. When building the JustOne, our small team included all the features we always wanted from a photo sharing platform: zero compression, chronological feed, user data that is not for sale, ethical advertising, etc.

Why do you think there’s a need for such a product at the moment?

Social media has such potential to bring people together, but unfortunately, for-profit corporations seem to be more interested in manipulating users, and selling products & data. Algorithms are being used to promote content that sparks outrage, divides society, and keeps users scrolling. Social media platforms have continuously implemented new content filters until shadow banning and# biasedbanning practices became the norm. These practices ultimately block and silence minorities and LGBTQIA2+ communities. If these filters are really meant to protect us, why are trans bodies repeatedly erased while hate speech is still so visible?# TheSocialDilemma

JustOne is changing it up with open source software, decentralized networking, and the first non-profit company structure on social media. We are also implementing ethical income models such as an independent small-business-friendly ad network, sponsorships, a donation-supported community, and other unique B2B services.

What are your plans for JustOne for the next year?

We have a dedicated timeline. The JustOne community has been growing since 2018, and we have designed an extensive roadmap to move us forward. We believe the future is Web 3.0. We believe independent, open-source, and non-profit social media, advertising, and technology will be very important like never before. We are also currently working on our own currency technology ($J1) and non-profit NFT (npNFT) assets.

The JustOne project is also planning to go fully open source and run on the decentralized network by 2023.

What is your opinion about diversity and inclusion in tech? Is this something you are considering when hiring new members of the team?

Unfortunately, gender inequality is still such a common issue in the tech industry. Uniting under the enBiPa umbrella is actually the reaction to this situation. JustOne, the first women & LGBTQIA2+ managed and operated, non-profit social media platform. Also, enBiPa has a democratic and transparent management structure. We’re so proud to be the first tech organization run by women and queers.

What is the team currently working on?

JustOne is currently the first project of our enBiPa community. However, social media will not be only our thing. We are always working on different projects like events, tech, music, crypto, artificial intelligence, multimedia. And they will all still be ethical, non-profit, & open source!

enBiPa will also provide free coworking spaces, social media tools, technology, and networking and collaboration opportunities to their members & host IRL and metaverse events!

What tech stack are you using and why have you decided to use it?

We’re using totally open source technologies and tech stacks at the back. Currently our stack is based on NGINX, Node.js, React, Apache, PHP, and React Native in mobile.

What type of culture would you like to build at enBiPa?

We’re planning to keep our inclusive, transparent, and democratic culture. enBiPa is community owned and operated. Any LGBTQIA2+ friendly person can be a part of enBiPa, regardless gender & gender-orientation. Attaining ownership (trustee member) status requires volunteering a minimum of 5 hours per week in the first year. Team members can watch our weekly remote board meetings, vote in the board of directors elections, and run for a seat on the board of directors. Our all-volunteer team members are also eligible to receive an hourly salary as calculated according to their approved work each year. Every year, enBiPa will donate its profits to women and LGBTQIA2+ owned small businesses and organizations all over the world.

Tell us a bit about your interview process?

We would like to know what they can bring to the table, and how we can support each other. Not necessarily for a limited time, actually in a lifetime. And, if we feel like a good match, we allow them whatever they want to do.

Finally, why should someone join enBiPa?

enBiPa is managed, operated, and owned by its employees and members.

Every year enBiPa will donate its profits to women and LGBTQIA2+ owned small businesses and organizations all over the world. Our difference is starting with our business model. We aim to create independent, community-supported, cross-platform social media and event technologies. We believe there should be public-owned social media alternatives to private social media networks. We believe we can create a huge, ethical, non-profit ecosystem together. If you believe in our mission, you are welcome to be part of it and join us.

Thank you for sharing enBiPa’s story with us! If you would like to join their team, make sure to check out their open roles here.