加利福尼亚州:风险资本社会has an abysmal track record when it comes to funding entrepreneurs of color.
下面是数字的背景故事。据非营利投资者网络BLCK VC，风险投资公司的创始人中仅有1％是黑人（数据来自哈佛商学院）。正如令人震惊，尽管也许并不奇怪，因为高科技产业的混乱的过去对令状大的多样性，80％的风险投资公司都没有对他们的工作人员一个黑色的投资者。
Over the past week, big-name firms SoftBank and Andreessen Horowitz took baby steps toward addressing this, but far more needs to be done — especially when it comes to finding and funding climate tech. The specifics:
- SoftBank has created a separate $100 million fund specifically dedicated to people of color: Cool, but that amount is minuscule alongside the $100 billion in the SoftBank Vision Fund.
- The new Andreessen Horowitz effort is a donor-advised fund launched with $2.2 million (and growing) from the firm’s partners with a focus on early-stage entrepreneurs "who did not have access to the fast track in life but who have great potential."
让我们切入正题。这些都是善意的姿态，但他们甚至不开始解决偏见弥漫在VC系统中，至少存在于美国的一个。
"Black entrepreneurs don’t need a separate water fountain," observed Monique Woodard, a two-time entrepreneur and former partner at 500 Startups who backs early-stage investors, during a BLCK VC webcast last week that was livestreamed to more than 3,000 people. (She wasn’t specifically addressing the two funds.) "You have to fix the systemic issues in your funds that keep black founders out and keep you from delivering better returns."
这有什么错“系统”？我从哪里开始？在网络直播一黑的风险投资家，驱动资本合伙人凡琼斯，比喻卷入了VC界的赛道上比赛中，你已经接种于车道八阻碍与背心的重量和水泥靴。“有，我们应该有今天的谈话，我们曾在20世纪60年代没有理由，”他在讲话中说。
埃莉斯·史密斯，实践实验室的CEO，是开发虚拟现实软件的多样性和包容性培训启动，告诉穿上“盔甲”的与白人为主的生态系统支持企业家参与 - 在她的经验已经反复质疑，她的使命描述为利基或为昙花一现。
史密斯说，所面临的黑色创始人的最大问题之一：许多投资者无法认清面临的有色人种社区的问题。“当你要解决的问题是不是一个由谁做出什么决定出资人面临着会发生什么？”
或者，如贾利·古柏，循环经济的启动Rheaply的共同创始人和首席执行官。手机app买球靠谱吗所说的那样：“我得超额实现。”他补充说：“你是跑一跑加倍努力为您的白人。”
他亲眼知道。Rheaply，这使得软件，帮助企业共享未充分利用的资产，募集种子$ 250万披露年3月从海德公园天使为首的一批资金。库珀开始与潜在投资者来说一年多以前，被它多么困难，即使他的得分介绍来袭。虽然他对自己的“承诺”资金合作伙伴的一致好评，库珀是在他的带动投资者的投资组合所代表的只有黑色的创始人。“这是可耻的，我知道芝加哥的所有黑VC创始人，”他说。
随着他的一些盟友，库珀勾画出他描述了作为一个“承诺”，旨在帮助更明显暴露出这个问题。这样做是为了鼓励热初创 - 无论是创始人的种族或性别的 - 不向不表示自己的球队的投资者或投资组合中的黑人社区的企业资金。请继续关注，因为它们更敲定细节，但库珀说这个想法的反应至今一直喜人。
As a climate tech startup founder, Cooper agreed with my personal conviction that any VC firm funding solutions to address climate-related technology solutions must pay particular attention to the issues of equity and inclusion. And yet, when I’ve asked well-known VCs about their strategy for this, none has offered specific strategies for recognizing the needs of people of color in the ideas they consider. I must admit: I never have asked any of them specifically about their strategies for funding entrepreneurs of color. But this is something I’m going to change. "The problems are so enormous, we need every brilliant committed mind thinking about this," Cooper said.
这种情绪是由拉梅斯·纳姆，与E8的天使投资人网络，其最近推出的脱碳-8的基金，专门支持气候高科技的未来学家和董事会成员的响应。纳摩表示，投资者资金的气候科技创业必须认识到气候危机和种族平等的危机之间的交叉点。这就是为什么脱碳-8将是有意寻求关于颜色的企业家。
"We think that means it also makes sense to find entrepreneurs and teams who are minorities that are in the groups that are most impacted themselves. Because if we are going to help some people build companies in this, and they’re going to profit, as the entrepreneurs should, we’d like some of that to go back into those people, in those communities."
真相。
This article first appeared in GreenBiz's weekly newsletter, VERGE Weekly, running Wednesdays. Subscribe这里。跟随我的Twitter：@greentechlady。
