Hip hop collides with Silicon Valley in new SF musical "Co-Founders"

Zoom in: The musical explores the tension underlying a Black woman trying to enter circles she's long been excluded from while investigating the perils of tech when it comes to grief.

• The brainchild of Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis and Adesha Adefela, "Co-Founders" is now playing at American Conservatory Theater's Strand Theater (1127 Market St.) through July 6.

What they're saying: The fingerprint of historical figures like the Black Panthers is reflected in the music and parallels the grit needed to pave your way in the tech world, according to Austin.

• "That's where the synergy is with the spirit of the entrepreneur," she told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's like, 'Hey, I gotta make something out of nothing, and even though everything around me says no, I know that I have it within me to say yes.'"

My thought bubble: This musical tackles head-on the intersections of tech, race and class, reminding us that seemingly siloed corners of the Bay are never as disparate as they seem.

Fun fact: The production includes interactions between on-stage actors and a holographic avatar controlled by an actor backstage via live-motion capture.

If you go: Tickets range from $25-130.