Embracing Equity in Tech & VC

This International Women’s Day, we asked ourselves what it would look like for us to back the visionaries advancing women in tech and VC.

When this conversation came up, there were plenty of questions flying around the office about what equity looks like, what we need to do to build stronger communities, and how we can address some of the gaps facing female founders.

So this International Women’s Day, we opted to open the conversation up to the women in our team and community to hear their take.

How can we create a more equitable rather than equal environment in VC?

Sarah Moore - Investment Analyst, Investible

Equity recognises that each person has their own unique circumstances and allocates resource and opportunity on the basis of that. What’s really important in this process is recognising that these strategies and discussions are a responsibility that is owned by everyone in the space, not just women.

A great place to start is by actively expanding your network to be more diverse and inclusive. VC relies heavily on relationships and often includes a large element of “who you know”. It’s important to recognise that not everyone has access to these networks, whether that is to find investment or the opportunity to work in the VC space. By actively seeking and building relationships beyond our comfort zones there is an opportunity to improve access to resources and create more connectivity and opportunity for women within this space.

Where do you see the gaps in support for female founders and how could this be better addressed?

🚀 Clare Leighton - COO and Founder of fileAI

Support for female founders should not rest solely on the shoulders of other women. I've seen and experienced incredible support for women, by the women in our industry. However, as founders we should have access to best-in-class advice, network and mentorship, regardless of gender; and this will take a more proactive effort on the part of male industry leaders to balance this.

The conversation, especially today, is being dominated by women. Equality leads to better business outcomes, but we can't move the needle if only half of the industry is engaging in the discussion.

The goal for me is to reach a point where success is not defined as a 'female founder' - just 'founder'.

What do you look for in a VC as a female founder?

shanya suppasiritad - Founder and CEO of Rntr.

Beyond the obvious financial backing, I'm looking for support & guidance when I search for a VC. It’s especially important if they have been a founder before and have gone through all the pain.

Knowing my VC understands the unique challenges faced by women in the industry, and has the ability to better prepare us and put us in a position to advance goes a long way in finding the right investment fit.

Women are often tasked with championing diversity initiatives in firms. What can the broader team do to support this?

Amy Huang - Chief of Staff, Investible

I've been part of the minority throughout most of my career, and what I've regularly seen is that minority groups, including women, are often left to do the heavy lifting in driving diversity and equity initiatives in their business. While we shouldn't undermine the amazing work that these people do to champion change in the workplace, I personally think this can be quite problematic when it means that everybody else takes a step back, because they think it's not their place or their role.

In the case of gender diversity, it not only means that the women are expected to step up and take on the extra workload of driving support and getting alignment, but it also signals that it's "their problem to deal with". While in most cases, my female peers are happy to passionately champion inclusive workplaces, they're also stretched incredibly thin and receive little to no recognition for the additional work that's involved. While not revolutionary then, I think there are some pretty simple steps for organisations to take to create a more wholistic and equitable approach in the broader team:

• Educate yourself and your team around bias. Simply having a conversation with the team, and calling out how different expectations and norms impact the availability of opportunities can go a long way.
• Champion at the leadership level, even if you're not a woman. In fact, if you're a white male in leadership, I can't tell you enough how important it is for you to be a vocal advocate, rather than a passive bystander.
• Recognise and reward the work that goes into it. Build it into performance reviews, feedback sessions, KPIs, whatever it is that you do as a business to formally evaluate the value of work, and create a whole-of-organisation approach to it.

Join the Conversation

#internationalwomensday is a great platform to speak about the ways in which we need to become more gender-equitable in workplaces, industries, opportunities, and social settings; but it isn’t the only time these conversations need to happen.

We’d love to hear your opinion on some of the questions above, and some of the questions we didn’t get to ask here.

We’ve also dropped below a series of resources and communities supporting and uplifting women across the tech and VC industries. Take a look.

WORK180 Communities

WORK180 's community to connect with like-minded women on topics such as personal branding, negotiating at work, building confidence, and finding a balance between work and personal life.

VC Women Down Under

A community championing women working in VC as investors and operators across Australia and New Zealand.

Startmate Women’s Fellowship

A two-month program helping ambitious women find their dream job in a startup.

Women in Tech APAC

Women in Tech APAC is dedicated to help women advance by connecting them with other professional women working across all technology sectors.