Our Theory of Change

Pathways into the tech workforce need further development and expansion to reduce barriers to entry for job seekers, expand the pool of technical and non-technical talent, and provide sustainable talent pipelines for tech employers. Workforce development initiatives can include revamping community college curricula and programming to better align with emerging technology needs, bootcamps which provide skill development in specific areas, and apprenticeship and internship programs where young professionals develop skills and social capital by working on discrete projects within companies while gaining access to critical networks.

These programs should be developed in collaboration with industry leaders to ensure that curriculum aligns with the needs of tech companies, while prioritizing the development of talent in local communities to ensure companies reflect the communities in which they are situated. Additionally, in entrepreneurship and venture capital, initiatives are needed to inspire underrepresented entrepreneurs, provide programming for emerging entrepreneurs and companies, and make connections between entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and the social networks of power within the technology sector.

Within higher education institutions, tech companies, and venture capital firms, comprehensive organization-wide diversity and inclusion strategies must be implemented and prioritized in order to create authentically diverse and inclusive workplace environments. These efforts should start with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion from the highest levels of executive leadership, and include an articulation of core organizational values, specific diversity goals, and consistent data collection and reporting on employee demographics and satisfaction.

A comprehensive strategy for diversity and inclusion must be implemented, which includes all aspects of the company, and not one-off trainings or workshops. Recruitment, interviewing, compensation, performance management, and promotion processes and practices should be audited to examine potential biases, and overhauled as needed to ensure fair and effective processes at each stage in the employment lifecycle. Investment decision-making processes should similarly be examined for bias along with trends in referrals, pitches, and investments. Specific strategies for creating inclusion
must also be implemented, including creating harassment and bias free work environments, supporting employee affinity groups and networks (e.g., ERGs), providing flexibility for parents and caregivers, and supporting work-life balance.

The tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in the United States is an intricately related, far more exclusive tier of the broader tech ecosystem, with nearly insurmountable obstacles for large portions of the population. There are even greater obstacles to pursuing tech entrepreneurship for individuals from racial and gender backgrounds underrepresented in tech. We are proud to be pioneers in gap-closing investing, identifying and investing in companies that provide both market and social equity growth. For over a decade we have consistently proved that positive impact does not have to come at the cost of financial returns.