Investors don’t believe
that women of color in
tech can build IPO
businesses, in part
because there are no
examples. If they don’t see us succeeding, it is hard to believe we can.
Ramona Ortega
Founder of personal finance startup
My Money My Future
There were times that investor meetings turned into unwanted ‘dates.’
Avani Patel
Founder and CEO of TrendSeeder, a fashion-focused startup accelerator
I was basically told I was too female, too old, even too blond: 'You do not look like a CEO.'
Jules Pieri
Co-founder and CEO of consumer product retailer the Grommet
The Post-#MeToo Landscape
“Oh, honey, your numbers look great. Who did them
for you?” Yes, it really is that bad; our respondents
reported dismissive investors, groping engineers, and
“just other bros in the industry being gross.”
That's roughly the same level of harassment reported by all Women in a Washington Post/ABC News poll, if slightly better than the 60% of women who report some sort of unwanted sexual attention, conduct, or comments in the workplace, according to an EEOC study.
Almost none reported taking any formal action. Instead, most chose
to end their professional relationships with the harasser or to
confide in peers.
of respondents experienced harassment or discrimination in their capacity as founder.
of women seeking funding experienced bias during the fundraising process.
62%
53%
58%
50%
27%
Investors and
bankers....................
The worst harassers, according to our survey:
Vendors or
suppliers.................
Employees or
subordinates.........