{"id":24705,"date":"2015-02-19T07:26:43","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T06:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/?p=24705"},"modified":"2015-02-19T07:26:43","modified_gmt":"2015-02-19T06:26:43","slug":"invest-in-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/invest-in-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Invest in Women"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sarah Ruhr writes:\u00a0 \u201cThe best thing women in tech can do is to invest in other women,\u201d 500 Startups managing\u00a0partner Christine Tsai told me. That\u2019s exactly what the early-stage investment firm has been trying to do over the last five years, and it seems to be succeeding.<\/p>\n

Its commitment starts with the makeup of the organization itself, but extends into the portfolio companies that 500 backs. Half the\u00a0managing partners and staff at 500 Startups are women, and at least one-third of the investing team are women. More than a quarter of the companies in the 500 portfolio are led by female CEOs, according to the firm.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also been working to create programs that invest in female-led companies and include more women in the conversation. The firm introduced its 500 Women Angels syndicatei list last fall\u00a0and pledged to invest $1 million in 10 female-led companies in the portfolio.<\/p>\n

Tsai says she is well aware of the sexism and discrimination that often plagues Silicon Valley. She\u2019s witnessed\u00a0the occasional\u00a0remark about a female VC\u2019s breasts and heard the\u00a0stories of\u00a0pregnant female founders being questioned about how serious they are about their careers by potential investors.<\/p>\n

But rather than talk about the problem, Tsai says we need to put our money where our mouth is.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a problem but we need to focus on the positive by getting more women in VC and investment roles and invest in the women,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Other accelerators such as Y Combinator have pledged to include more women and diversity in its ranks. Nearly 20 percent of all YC-funded startups have a woman on the founding team. Four of the full-time partners are also women.<\/div>\n

500 Startups founding partner Dave McClure says he\u2019s already been working on recognizing women in tech for the last five years and will continue to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to working with women. We are investing in women because we want to make money and we feel they have been overlooked. Others have been touting it, but we haven\u2019t really been publicizing it,\u201d he told me. \u201cIs this self-promotional? Sure as hell is. But the numbers speak for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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