Dez White’s rise in the male-dominated world of tech development was fueled by her need to solve a problem. The Southern California native was first a writer, penning scoops on her blog. But her desire to find a way to encourage skittish sources to share information led her to create an innovative product.
White was newly married and pregnant when she taught herself the basics of app development. She then partnered with a developer who would write the code as she absorbed each step. She added an investor and a patent to the mix, and in 2011, Invisible Text was born. Users of the app will find that conversations are deleted when they end. Messages can be recalled before they are read by the recipient, and messages can’t be screen-grabbed and shared.
Now an entire suite of apps — Invisible Text, Invisible Call, Invisible Email and Invisible Social — all of White’s products seek to preserve user privacy by leaving no record of communication.
At just 32, her launch into the tech world has made her one of the youngest female African-American entrepreneurs in the industry. In 2017, White expects to release Blind Debit, a new pay by fingerprint technology program.
Recognizing the need to bring more women into the tech industry, White founded GirlCodeLA in 2014. The organization helps get girls and women interested and involved in the basics of coding, app development and tech marketing through events around the country.
The organization is dedicated to the memory of Camille Alexander, Dez’s older sister, who had a birth injury that resulted in cerebral palsy. GirlCodeLA donates a portion of its profits to help children with special needs.
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