Empowering Underrepresented Founders and Entrepreneurs
Money is not enough. We have pledged our time to make the technology industry more inclusive and help underrepresented groups gain access to venture capital and experienced tech mentors.
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Like so many others, we are outraged at the senseless violence, police brutality and unequal treatment endured by people of color in America. We cannot stand by in the face of clear injustice. Black Lives Matter.
These are not truths that we are just realizing today. We call upon fellow venture investors to join us in pledging to do even more.
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Money is not enough. We also need to pledge our time to make the technology industry more inclusive and help underrepresented groups gain access. Commit to making 1 to 4 hours per week open for office hours to talk to anyone about technology, whether they’re an African American college student in Virginia or a person of color interested in IT. The “warm intro” is famously the best way to meet a VC who might invest in your business or give you helpful advice. We have not done enough to connect ourselves with people who aren’t embedded in Silicon Valley. We need to hear the ideas they bring and fund the problems they are working to solve. Regardless of how we got here, or how hard we say we are working to improve, we need to deliver results.
This group of investors has committed over $2.1m, and more than 240 hours per week for open office hours to date.
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Connections made since launching: 480 and counting!
