Vivian Chu Makes Fast Company Queer 50 List
https://www.fastcompany.com/queer-50/2021
AUSTIN, June 3, 2021 – Leading business media brand Fast Company today announced the winners of its second annual Fast Company Queer 50, a ranking of the most influential and innovative queer women and nonbinary people transforming the world of business, tech, and beyond. Produced in collaboration with Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, the world’s largest LGBTQ technology community in the world, the Queer 50 celebrates some of the most accomplished—yet most underrepresented—leaders from the Queer community.
Vivian Chu joins winners spanning all sectors of business, entertainment, technology, and media, including Janelle Monae, Lena Waithe, Black Lives Matter’s Alicia Garza, WNBA’s Layshia Clarendon, Reddit’s Jen Wong, and JoJo Siwa.
Chu is the co-founder of Diligent Robotics and helped create Moxi, the first robot teammate in the field that works in hospitals to help clinical staff with non-patient-facing tasks so they have more time for patient care. Chu is a 10+ year expert roboticist who specializes in human-robot interaction and has received high-tier industry recognition including being recognized by MIT Technology Review on its “35 Innovators Under 35” list and being featured on Robohub’s “25 Women in Robotics You Need to Know in 2016” list.
Fast Company editors and a panel of judges compiled the list of leaders and thinkers based on five criteria: the size and growth prospects of each person’s business or organization; their place in the broader business and social conversation; the impact of their contributions during the unprecedented events of the last 12 months; their career trajectory over the past 12 months—and potential for growth; and their activism and advocacy for the Queer community.
“I am so honored to have been recognized with this prestigious award from Fast Company,” said Chu. “The work we are doing with Moxi in healthcare has allowed us to redefine human-robot interaction and I look forward to a future where people can focus on work that is meaningful to them while letting robots take care of dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks. It is incredibly gratifying to have the opportunity to drive innovation in robotics and AI while building a company that values diversity.”“Fast Company has always looked to celebrate leaders, especially those of underrepresented communities,” said Fast Company Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Mehta. “Thankfully, more companies are having conversations about and celebrating diversity and inclusion in the workplace. And we couldn’t be more excited to partner with Lesbians Who Tech & Allies to add to these important discussions.”
“After the success of last year’s inaugural list, I am thrilled to see it continue and highlight more leaders making a difference,” said Leanne Pittsford, founder and CEO of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies. “It’s yet another opportunity to encourage companies to build a more inclusive environment.”
As a way to celebrate the list and the month of Pride, Lesbians Who Tech & Allies will also be honoring the winners during the (Not IRL) Pride Summit from June 21-25. Information regarding the summit can be found online at https://lesbianswhotech.org/virtualpridesummit/.
Fast Company’s Queer 50 list is now available online at fastcompany.com/queer-50/2021. The hashtag is #FCQueer50.