Hundreds of startup founders and CEOs, from companies including prominent Bay Area firms 23andMe, Airbnb, Dropbox, Stitch Fix and Lyft, have formed a new group pledging that diversity at VC firms will be an “important consideration” when deciding whether or not to take their money.
The launch of Founders for Change by more than 400 budding and established tech companies is a sign of just how top of mind diversity has become in an industry riven by the #MeToo movement and a series of allegations and admissions of sexual misconduct by workers, managers and venture capitalists.
Image: Adrian Cockcroft of BatteryVentures, right, coaches sisters, Jennifer John, 15, left, and Allison John, 13, center, as they work on the presentation for their app, Loc8Don8, in Menlo Park, Calif., on Friday, July 8, 2016. The pair will compete in the annual Technovation World Pitch Summit in San Francisco. (Photo by Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)
