CEO DATELINE - Venture capital association commits to industry diversity
CEO DATELINE - Venture capital association commits to industry diversity
- August 4, 2015 |
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Walt Williams
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The National Venture Capital Association will lead an effort to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in the profession, the organization announced Tuesday.
The new effort will include 45 venture capital firms that have invested in nearly 7,000 startup companies across 45 states. NVCA announced the diversity pledge in a letter to President Barack Obama as part of White House Demo Day, an event in which entrepreneurs come together in the nation's capital to showcase ideas.
"A thriving innovation economy depends on the contributions of women and men of diverse talents, ethnicities and backgrounds," said Bobby Franklin, CEO of NVCA. "At the first-ever White House Demo Day, over 40 venture capital firms have committed to support the aspirations of diverse innovators, an important step in the journey toward building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem."
The 45 firms taking part have committed to the following actions:
- Distribute and participate in a survey to measure the diversity of the U.S. startup ecosystem. The results will be made public in the fall of 2015.
- Adopt human relations policies to create work environments that foster respect and dignity for all. The firms will also immediately explore and develop a forthcoming set of NVCA model HR policies.
- Contribute to programs and initiatives that encourage women and underrepresented minorities to consider, pursue and thrive in venture capital and entrepreneurship careers.
- Commit to visible leadership by sharing best practices within their community and throughout their portfolios.
"NVCA and our Diversity Task Force are committed to both near- and long-term solutions to effect positive change that will support diverse entrepreneurs and investors who aspire to build ideas into companies," Franklin said. http://bit.ly/1Dq95c6
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