Agree only in part. We women also need to recognize that #gender is only one factor in #diversity. This panel has two Black men on it at a time when Affirmative Action was struck down by #SCOTUS. I see myself in this panel as Meka Asonye is a first generation American. https://lnkd.in/eannS3pP who says, “Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity isn’t.” I am more like him than Elizabeth Holmes whose parents, a former Enron exec dad and a inside the beltway lobbyist, had deep pocketed and powerful investors. My fundraising reality is more like Meka’s than that of Elizabeth Holmes. https://lnkd.in/gEJPAQ6n “Wealth and privilege allowed Elizabeth Holmes to start Theranos” I once saw what looked like a “manel” then saw that one panelist was in a wheelchair. #Disability is an important part of #inclusion. Personally, some of the worst “ableism” and denial of #menstrualhealth realities I have encountered is from fellow women or female bosses who teach women we must be “strong” to be able to compete in “a man’s world.” While there is some truth to that, we need to make a more balanced and more compassionate world than some feminists impose on fellow women. I had a female #VC feel entitled to interrogate me on why I do not have children in a way I cannot see a man thinking it was okay to do. I get you are considering buying a piece of my company and founders are essential to the brand, but my uterus is not also part of that deal. I look at this flyer and I *do* see a type of #diversity. We need to look at “merit” and “diversity” through multiple lenses and metrics. Gender is one important one but alone is insufficient. I get that I ruffle #feminist feathers when I point these things out. Personally I do my best to create balanced panels and events but in the last all woman panel I co-organized, there was not one person of color on it. We tried, but accomplished Black women are in high demand. The student event had no #budget to pay speaking fees. So, I am okay with this Carta panel, if in the broader set of events there is gender diversity and other types of diversity. I see myself and the realities I face as a founder in that panel. I can see myself benefiting from that panel more than if we replaced a first generation Black man with an woman whose lived experience was defined by “old money.” I would love if my “Daddy’s” golf buddies could fund me. That’s not my reality as a founder. “The patriachy” manifests just as much through women as men. The wealthiest and most powerful women in the world are mostly granddaughters, daughters, wives, ex-wives. “The granddaughter of the L’Oréal founder and heir to the family fortune is the world’s richest woman for the fourth consecutive year.” https://lnkd.in/eAb89smc Usually, it is “good” daughters who inherit, not the ones disrupting structural inequity and power for equalizing #equity. I’d love to learn how to be the source of creating value myself, not just being born into it or marrying it.
Passionate Leader for Equitable Capital Access ● Scroobious Founder, CEO ● All Raise Boston Co-Chair ● Angel Investor ● Activist ● Dynamic Speaker ● Executive in Residence ● Pitching & Fundraising Expert ● Startup Mentor
Carta - it's not too late to add a woman to your panel of investors for this virtual event. 98% of #VC funding goes to male or mixed founding teams. It's been well established that women are more likely to write checks to women because they have shared lived experiences and can understand the market potential and scalability of businesses that men overlook. We need to hear from women experts and thought leaders. 📣 Call to action: comment and tag #women #investors you'd like to see on this #panel to provide some suggestions.
