The idea:A jobs website that connects employers with candidates of color

The aha moment:While browsing the GroupMe messaging app one evening in 2016, Shaniqua Davis, 27, kept noticing missed connections between job seekers and employers looking to hire. “In these large groups, like ‘black professionals in Chicago’ or ‘women’s entrepreneur groups,’ people were saying, ‘Do you know anyone who’s hiring?’ or ‘My company has a job open,’ ” she recalls. The piece that was lacking: someone to bring them together.

Since then:Davis created Noirefy (she named it that because she likes the way it sounds), a website that’s laser-focused on linking minority job seekers with companies looking to diversify their staffs. “Most people recruit from the networks of who they know, and they hire people who share their same backgrounds,” says Davis. Noirefy bridges that gap: To reach the 20,000-plus candidates in Noirefy’s database, employers pay to post openings; sliding-scale fees start at $65, depending on how many listings an employer wants and how long it wants them to run. The biggest recruitment project to date: A top tech company recently partnered with Noirefy on a six-month effort to help fill more than 200 positions across the country. Eventually, Davis hopes Noirefy will help normalize such hiring so it doesn’t have to be part of a concerted program anymore: “I want companies to see diversity not as a project or a quota—just a normal part of hiring practices.”