Different groups are started by different VCs

Founders are often quick to say they value diversity but slow to use writing techniques that show it. It’s a way to reduce the reluctance of a larger company to hire a well-known Silicon Valley pipeline, but if a startup wants a diverse team, that cost should be applied from the first hire.

Leah Solivan, founder of Taskrabbit and founder and CEO of Precedent.VCjoined Isabelle Johannessen on Build Mode to discuss how he thought about recruiting while leading Taskrabbit. As the company grew from Solivan’s credit cards to one of the world’s leading financial platforms, the leadership team deliberately sought out diverse talent in each division.

Diversity does not happen by accident. Solivan and his team have made it into every writing and recruiting process. “But if you do this from the beginning, then it becomes easier, because the culture that is built, the team that is built, the network that you have built as a company, is very different, and it feeds itself. It becomes an environment. It will be too late if you wait until you climb and at the end,” said Solivan.

Every startup has a network of talent and a founder at its center, and it makes sense that the network will reflect the group of founders. So different technology companies, in many ways, are started by the investors in these startups. As an early stage investor, Solivan has seen the flow of money from all sides of the table.

“If you follow the money through the system, it comes from a few friends, and they are the ones who decide who will give the money, the capitalists. “The money is there, but it is controlled by people with different ideas.”

However, the founder or the VCs who support them should not stand to deliberately hire from a diverse pool of talent. Solivan suggests setting a goal of seeing two CVs from female candidates for every male CV, and getting into more networks, and encouraging people from different backgrounds to become leaders.

“You’re asking someone to walk off the edge of a cliff — let’s build a net for them to jump into,” Solivan said.

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New information about Build Mode drop every Thursday. Written by Isabelle Johannessen. Created and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.