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Diversifying Venture: Who Writes the Checks?

Diversification is something that folks in the world of venture capital have always paid attention to when it comes to the type of companies invested in. More recently, the conversation has turned to diversity in who is invested in. We turned the spotlight on who is doing the investing. There is growing agreement that it matters, but how do we make real change when it comes to who writes the checks?

Did you miss the conversation?

The slides in this presentation can be found here.

Let's keep the momentum going!

Thanks to all who joined us last week for Diversfying Venture, a conversation about how to increase the number of women and minorities making funding decisions. Sue Preston from SeaChange Fund moderated a discussion with Trish Costello from Portfolia, Tim Porter of Madrona Venture Group, and Lisa Nelson, co-founder of M12, Microsoft's Venture Fund. Ewan Duncan kicked us off with this presentation around the current state of affairs.

Sue charged us all to go out and make change so that a year from now we can gather again and celebrate all the progress we've made. Here are some resources suggested by our panelists to help you get started:

Connect with women and minority founders
AllRaise
Female Founders Alliance

Good reads
Deconstructing the Pipeline Myth and the Case for More Diverse Fund Managers
The Real Reason There Aren't More Women in VC (The Muse)
Why Women Make Better Venture Capitalists (Forbes)

Applications are open at VertueLab for their Climate Impact Fund Fellowship for emerging investors who are focused on increasing access and opportunity for cleantech innovators and startup founders who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.