Hello, Community!
It’s officially summer, and we’re definitely feeling the heat wave! We’re thrilled to introduce our new Community Manager, Abi, who will be bringing fresh energy and ideas to our team. Please join us in welcoming her to the DVC community!
We’re also bringing a new look to the newsletter. Each time we’ll be sharing:
Updates from the DVC network
Events, events, events!
Welcoming new members
What we’re reading/listening to
So, let’s get to it! We're thrilled to introduce our Founders' Engagement Toolkit, designed to help VCs create more inclusive founder engagement strategies. This toolkit offers actionable steps any fund can take and features case studies from our members, including Anthemis, BGF, BTomorrow Ventures, The Craftory, Frontline, Lakestar, Nesta, and Pale Blue Dot. Thanks to all who contributed!
We’re also excited to announce the launch of our US Diversity Data Alliance (DDA). We kicked off with an event at Bessemer Venture Partners' office in San Francisco, alongside our Alliance partners: 2Gether-International, All Raise, BLCK VC, Somos VC, StartOut, and Vets in Tech. The discussion highlighted the importance of data collection—because if we're not tracking it, we can't change it—and the impact of California's SB-54, which will require VCs to report on portfolio diversity.
We’re planning to launch Data Alliances in the UK, Europe, and Latam soon! If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, reach out to us@diversity.vc.
While the recent decision in the Fearless Fund case has many understandably concerned, we found some hope in a recent Washington Post-Ipsos poll showing that most Americans support workplace DEI initiatives.
To all our members in the US, happy 4th! And to those in the UK, happy voting!
Stay cool and keep pushing for progress
🔦 Member Spotlight: Laura Tran (The Craftory)
The Craftory, founded in 2018, is a global fund investing in responsible CPG brands Series A and beyond. With offices in London and San Francisco, they support innovative and disruptive consumer goods businesses that positively impact society and the planet.
Laura was our AMA guest this month, a series exclusively for Diversity VC members. Under Chatham House Rules, the conversation centered on the importance of diversity, inclusion, and ESG considerations in investment decision-making. Laura shared her best practices and tips on these critical topics.
Interested in becoming a member? Get in touch!
🌎 Where we were in June:
LP Perspectives on DEI (sponsored by AWS) | New York Tech Week
Breaking the Mold: How to Get More Early Stage Businesses Funded | London Tech Week
Fireside Chat on DEI best practices | BVCA ESG Summit
The DEI Tent (organised by DLiT) | The Next Web Amsterdam
Driving DEI in CVC | Global Corporate Venturing Symposium
👋 Say hi at one of these upcoming events:
iiF (intersectional incredibles Forum) | London | 16 July | Apply to join
i3 are hosting iiF (intersectional incredibles Forum) — the world’s first (un)conference dedicated to unpacking intersectionality as investment criteria for LGBTQ+ founders and migrant founders. There are just a few tickets left for funders, so register now!Global Entrepreneurship Congress+ | San Juan, PR | 15-18 July | Register Here
FoundersX Meetup x CitizenM | London | 24 July | Reserve your spot
Enjoy good vibes, networking, drinks, and nibbles! This event is designed for underrepresented founders in the startup and scale-up ecosystem, their investors, and supporters.
Out in Tech Leadership Institute | New York | 12-14 Sept | Use Code DiversityVC for 20% off
Out in Tech are hosting their largest event ever in NYC this Sept 12 - 14! The Out in Tech Leadership Institute is a professional learning conference providing training and career management advice for mid-level employees and above. Members of the Diversity VC community can use code DiversityVC for 20% off!VentureESG FRAME Conference | London | 19 Sept | Register Your Interest Here
FRAME is the first global conference dedicated to ESG in VC to inspire more collective engagement around ESG and responsible investing. Join over 250 VCs and LPs for dynamic conversations, sector-specific breakfasts, expert speeches, panels, debates, and an ESG game.Sifted Summit | London | 2-3 Oct | 15% off tickets w/ code DVC15
European tech has taken a beating — but startups are bouncing back. This year, Sifted Summit will explore how Europe’s leading founders, startup operators and investors are recalibrating.WVC:E Annual Summit | Paris | 7-8 Oct | Buy tickets here
The WVC:E annual summit — exclusively for women actively involved in venture capital — is back in Paris! WVC:E fosters the most open, honest and energetic discussions, workshops and roundtables with some of the best names in the industry. This year’s theme is resilience through the reset. Grab your ticket now and join 400+ female GPs, LPs, investors, angels and emerging managers. Don’t miss out!
🎉 Welcome to our new members!
A special welcome to our recent new members: Kapor Capital, LocalGlobe, Preface Ventures, and Scottish Enterprise
By becoming a member, funds gain access to exclusive community events, the Diversity VC Standard for evaluating their DEI policy maturity, a comprehensive DEI resource library, and the Future VC internship program, diversifying the talent pipeline into venture capital.
Interested in joining? Get in touch!
📚 What we’re reading + listening to:
TechCrunch featured the launch of the US Diversity Data Alliance to standardize the collection of diversity demographic data! 🥳
“The Road to Venture” - this new report out from VC Unleashed highlights the challenges of breaking into VC, such as needing VC experience in order to get VC experience 🤦♀️… something we’ve found in our research as well.
Startup Europe - The Sifted Podcast w/ Cherry Ventures’ Sophia Bendz - Sophia shares lessons learned from an incredible career as an operator, angel, and now VC, highlighting the importance of VCs coaching their portfolio companies to implement better DEI practices.
A new report from HSBC Innovation Banking finds that 11% of term sheets included a clause dedicated to DEI pledges, up from 8% in 2022 and 1% in 2021.
VC Platform Global Community’s latest report on how platform roles can impact fund performance. We find this particularly interesting given the added potential for those in platform roles to support portfolio companies with their DEI efforts. 🙌
Capital Allocators Podcast w/ Graham Weaver at Alpine Investors - Rather than “just moving around the same guys who have all been doing it for 20 years”, Alpine, a $16B people-focused PE firm, trains business school students to become CEOs and places them directly.
Despite all going on in the US, a Washington Post-Ipsos poll finds that a majority of Americans (69%) think workplace DEI initiatives are a “good thing”.
European Women in VC report 2024: "Beyond returns: Venture and Growth investing fueling sustainability and societal change"
TechCrunch: Fearless Fund’s founder has resigned, and it’s a sad reflection on the VC world for Black women