Fast Company

WHY I’M BETTING ON DIVERSITY

THE PHILANTHROPIST AND INVESTOR IS TACKLING SEXISM IN SILICON VALLEY.
With Pivotal Ventures, Gates is applying lessons learned from two decades of philanthropy to venture funding.

To change the world, it helps to get capital into the hands of people who have a different vision for it. A few years ago, I began quietly investing in “nontraditional” venture capital funds—“nontraditional,” of course, being industry parlance for a fund that isn’t completely overindexed on companies led by white men. With these investments I joined a growing community of funders who believe that worthwhile investment ideas are more evenly distributed among the population than the current flow of venture capital dollars would suggest.

My journey to Sand Hill Road began, of all places, on a beach in Tanzania. It was 1993,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Fast Company

Fast Company6 min read
1 podcasting
JEFF BEZOS IS A BUSY man. But in December, he found the time—two hours and 11 minutes, to be exact—to talk with Lex Fridman, a computer scientist and host of the Lex Fridman Podcast. Fridman’s podcast is the most popular in the technology category, a
Fast Company2 min read
Growing Vegetables, Cultivating Minds
Children in marginalized communities often lack access to healthy foods, especially fresh fruits, and vegetables. Poor nutrition, in turn, has significant negative impacts on a child’s health and ability to focus in school. Learning and academic achi
Fast Company6 min read
4 branding
TWO MONTHS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT overturned Roe v. Wade, Julie Schott launched emergency-contraception brand Julie. The timing was fortuitous. Though morning-after pills have been widely available since 1977, the renewed focus on reproductive right

Related Books & Audiobooks