Unitive Files Patent Applications To License Anti-Bias Technology

SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Unitive announced today the submission of six patent applications for its comprehensive anti-bias technology. Amid a growing sector of technologies aimed at tackling workplace bias, Unitive is the first of its kind to file a request with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to patent technology that tackles unconscious bias through the entire hiring and promotion process.

"I am pleased to be a pioneer in what will certainly be a robust new tech sector focusing on Full Talent Activation," said Laura Mather, PhD, founder of Unitive. "Our patents secure Unitive's place as the first and only comprehensive solution disrupting unconscious bias in the hiring process that keeps underrepresented groups at status quo instead of advancing within the Fortune 1000."

Built on an exhaustive examination of academic research on linguistics, decision-making and human resource science's current best practices, Unitive is the first comprehensive solution to help teams keep talent and ability as the utmost priority throughout the hiring process. The platform is already in use with customers to be announced in this fall.

The patent applications span each pillar of Unitive's core technology, including tools for crafting job descriptions, screening resumes and conducting interviews in an unbiased manner, conducting fair performance reviews and determining which candidates should be promoted. The technology applies research on eliminating bias from hiring and promotion processes by automating a sweeping majority of those tasks. In addition, the system flags user activity that signals unconscious bias may have influenced a hiring or promotion decision.

After spending tens of millions on diversity trainings for its employees, Google in May announced a dismal 1% increase in women in technical roles and no increase in Black and Hispanic employees. With unconscious bias dominating headlines from Baltimore and Ferguson to Sand Hill Road, recruiting diverse talent has become a C-suite priority for hiring managers nationwide.

ABOUT UNITIVE
Unitive is a technology solution for full talent activation, helping corporations build diverse, innovative, productive teams. Unitive goes beyond training and reinforces behavioral change in real-time. Unitive transforms theoretical ideas about unconscious bias into pragmatic solutions that build stronger teams.

MORE ABOUT LAURA MATHER
Laura Mather, PhD, built her career creating software solutions for organizations like the National Security Agency, eBay, and her own cyber security start-up Silver Tail Systems. After selling Silver Tail in 2012, Laura Mather's personal journey as a computer science PhD at the University of Colorado and successful executive and entrepreneur set her on a determined journey to build a technology solution to address unconscious bias in the workplace. Mather has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Creative People in Business and by Fortune as one of the Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs.

Here are some links for relevant coverage about Laura Mather:

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/13/3657911/unitive-hiring-bias/ 
http://www.fastcompany.com/3045899/hit-the-ground-running/the-growing-business-of-detecting-unconscious-bias 
http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/20/technology/unitive-diversity/index.html?sr=twmoney0320biasedjobads1043astory 
http://www.fastcompany.com/3018200/most-creative-people-2012/16-laura-mather 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2014/11/08/how-software-can-help-move-the-needle-on-diversity/ 
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/valley-boys

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SOURCE Unitive