Silicon Valley’s VC World Is Even Less Diverse Than the Non-Diverse Companies It Funds

There’s a striking lack of diversity in the tech world, and this is a well-documented fact. The biggest names in the business – Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. – have all put out diversity r...
Silicon Valley’s VC World Is Even Less Diverse Than the Non-Diverse Companies It Funds
Written by Josh Wolford
  • There’s a striking lack of diversity in the tech world, and this is a well-documented fact. The biggest names in the business – Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. – have all put out diversity reports over the past few years that show this, and all have made pledges to do better.

    Silicon Valley is pretty white, and pretty male – especially when it comes to leadership roles.

    And not that this should come as a huge surprise, but the same goes for those taking the money and those dishing it out.

    The Information has published a study into the racial and gender makeup of some of the top Venture Capital firms, and the results aren’t promising (if diversity is something you value).

    From The Information:

    Less than one percent of senior VCs involved in investment decision are Black—four of 551 people. And only 1.3% are Hispanic…

    Ninety two percent of the senior investment teams at top-tier venture capital firms are male and 78% are white. Nearly a quarter have all-white male managers. These results are way worse than the diversity breakdown at major tech companies, where 23% of leadership teams are female and 77% male.

    Here’s a detailed chart, courtesy TechCrunch:

    Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 9.32.13 AM

    Twitter – which just made a promise to have a workforce that is 35% women overall, 16% women in tech roles, 25% women in leadership roles, and 11% underrepresented minorities by next year – is 70% male overall, 90% male in tech roles, and 79% male in leadership roles.

    Facebook – which just built and published its own diversity training course so others can use it as a framework – is 55% white and 68% male. A year ago, when Facebook reported its first diversity data, those numbers were 57% and 69%, respectively. In terms of Facebook’s senior leadership, it’s 77% and 73%, respectively.

    Tech companies clearly have a ways to go, but it looks like those slinging out the money in the Valley have an even tougher road to true diversity.

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