The blog post by Devonaire Ortiz discusses the challenges faced by tech startups in hiring due to limited resources, lack of brand recognition, and the need to innovate rapidly. At Cockroach Labs, Ortiz, alongside Chief People Officer Lindsay Grenawalt, embarked on developing a national university recruiting program to address these challenges, particularly focusing on diversity and inclusion. The program emphasizes long-term investments, data-driven strategies, and establishing connections with computer science faculties and students. It aims to increase employer awareness, develop diverse talent pools, and engage underrepresented groups by leveraging educational outreach in classrooms and workshops. The program also highlights the importance of internships, noting that former interns are more likely to accept full-time positions. By targeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Cockroach Labs seeks to bridge gaps in diversity within the tech industry, using an education-first approach to inspire more students from varied backgrounds to pursue and complete computer science degrees. The initiative involves partnerships with universities, interactive sessions, and the creation of resources to maintain engagement beyond recruitment events. Performance metrics and feedback from students and instructors are used to evaluate the success of the program, aiming to improve and expand its reach each year while addressing systemic issues within the tech hiring landscape.