Out100: Kortney Ziegler

Photography by Ryan Pfluger at Runyon Canyon Park, Los Angeles, on September 28, 2015. Styling by Michael Cook. Groomer: Dallin James at The Wall Group. T-shirt and jacket by Topman.

Though he admits he was new to the tech world in 2013, when he launched Trans*H4CK, Dr. Kortney Ziegler, also an academic and filmmaker, has been making big strides since. Based in Oakland, Calif., Trans*H4CK is a hub for developers, designers, and aspiring coders, and works within the Silicon Valley milieu to bring trans, gender-non-conforming, agender, and non-binary people into the tech industry's wealth building. "[We're] not only able to participate in the company culture, but reap the benefits by being creators and being well compensated for it," says Ziegler. "Raising six figures in funding is a significant, big deal for me in the tech world as a black, transgender person. We're able to now grow in ways I never imagined. It's been kind of magical."

SLIDESHOW | Out100 2015