Today, ZestFinance, one of the fastest growing financial technology companies in the US, announced it has achieved several of its commitments to increase workforce diversity -- made as part of the first-ever White House Demo Day focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, held in 2015 [see also: White House Fact Sheet]. Additionally, ZestFinance announced a new family leave policy as part of its continued commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

“Good ideas come from everywhere, and people with radically different worldviews approaching a problem together will always generate more creative ideas and solutions,” said Douglas Merrill, Founder and CEO of ZestFinance. “Simply put, diverse teams yield better business results. Every company should be focused on hiring for diversity. It’s good for the world and good for business.”

Continuing its dedication to the breadth of diversity that matters in the workforce, ZestFinance has achieved the following commitments it made last year:

  • Increasing minority diversity by 25 percent by 2Q 2016.
  • At least doubling the number of veterans in the company by the end of 2016.
  • Ensuring a diverse slate of candidates that includes at least one woman and person of color for every job position by the end of 2015.

The company continues its work on achieving the following commitments:

  • Gender parity in its workforce, which builds on the company’s success of achieving this goal for its C-suite in 2015.
  • Tripling its number of employees with disabilities by the end of 2016.

As part of its ongoing focus on a diverse and inclusive workplace, ZestFinance announced it has extended its family leave policy to give new parents even more support during their first year with their child. Starting today, the new policy includes:

  • Six months of paid time off for primary caregivers with the option to work part-time for six additional months with full benefits; and
  • Three months of paid time off for new secondary caregivers.

“Our extensive benefits, our unique hiring approach, and our culture are all reflective of our huge diversity focus,” said Sonya Merrill, Chief People Officer of ZestFinance. “We hire for horsepower and culture fit -- over skill -- in order to widen the scope of people who could qualify for a job here. And, we do all we can to ensure that Zestians have the support they need to focus on what matters most to them -- their personal lives.”

Additionally, the company has partnered with Maybrooks, a career resource for moms, to create opportunities for mothers who are looking to rejoin the workforce. And, in partnership with the National Business and Disability Council (NBDC), the company is working to create a consortium that will help startups throughout the Los Angeles area source and hire people of color, women, people with disabilities, and veterans. The NBDC is also assisting Zest with its diversity hiring efforts.

About ZestFinance

ZestFinance, Inc. applies its unique credit-decisioning technology — based on data science and machine learning — to help lenders effectively predict credit risk so they can provide lower cost credit to more people. The company also provides convenient, online loans direct to consumers. ZestFinance was founded in 2009 by Douglas Merrill and a team of former Google employees with the mission of making fair and transparent credit available to everyone. For more information, visit www.ZestFinance.com.