Diversity and Inclusion Thought Leaders in the Field of Ecosystem Building

We have a problem in America. We’ve been sold a “dream” - a story that if you work hard enough you can achieve whatever you desire. While there are hundreds of inspiring stories of pioneering Americans who have achieved despite their circumstances, for every one of those there are thousands who didn’t because the barriers were too hard to break through.

Entrepreneurship is that dream. It’s the way to support yourself, give back to the community, and provide the world with your bright idea. The inequities faced by minorities in the U.S., however, are very real and pose barriers to those with the entrepreneurial spirit. Ewing Kauffman believed that entrepreneurship was a “fundamental right for anyone who had a big idea to be able to bring it to life.”

And yet.

Less than 10% of venture-backed companies have a female founder (Pitchbook).
Only 1% of venture-backed companies have an African American founder (CB Insights).
The wage gap between male, female and people of color is still rife with inequality.

The underrepresentation and disproportionate funding and pay is not just a problem for women and minorities. It’s a problem for our ecosystems and ultimately America. The system is broken and our ecosystems are struggling because of it. Entrepreneurship is declining because of that broken-ness.

“We aren't tapping the full potential of America’s innovation and ingenuity because venture capital has favored a limited few — most of them men; most of them white. - Jean Case

Despite these facts, the number of women-owned businesses has grown 58% from 2007 to 2018 and the number of firms owned by Black women has grown 164%! Problem solved, right? Wrong. These businesses are starting despite the lack of funding, and research by American Express shows a wide gap in average revenue for businesses owned by white women and businesses owned by women of color. “For women of color, average revenue dropped from $84,000 in 2007 to $66,400 in 2018, while for non-minority businesses, revenue rose from $181,000 to $212,300.”

What’s worse is that a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City found the reason for the spike in new businesses was “often was poor treatment and the perception of being undervalued in the workplace.”

These are just some of the many reasons why diversity and inclusion efforts are so important. We need to level the playing field to give access to mentors, capital, education, networks… you know, the things that help founders succeed.

Diversity and inclusion can be a struggle within a resistant organization or ecosystem. We recently wrote about “Diversity Fatigue,” a phenomenon that comes from push back and non-acceptance of the kind of intentionality you need to make real change. If Diversity and Inclusion efforts are something you are passionate about, or something you know your organization or ecosystem needs to work on, here are some voices in this space you should be following (or hiring).

Dell Gines

Dell Gines is a Senior Community Development Advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He has developed a national reputation around inclusive economic development, which focuses on using entrepreneurship and place based strategies to develop distressed rural and urban core economies. He has authored five guides and one eBook on the subject. In addition, he is also a noted speaker, speaking in over 18 states and 40 cities, keynoting both rural and urban conferences.

Dell and his team at Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, recently released an eye opening report on Black Women Business Startups. You can follow him on Medium, and also get the latest resources on inclusive ecosystems here and here.

Watch his ESHIP Summit talk on Inclusive Economies below and follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Felecia Hatcher

Felecia Hatcher is an entrepreneur turned ecosystem builder who is on a mission to rid communities of innovation deserts by working with community leaders and government officials to create inclusive and diverse tech/startup ecosystems. She is the Co-Founder of Code Fever, Black Tech Week and Space Called Tribe Cowork and Urban Innovation Lab.

Felecia writes regularly on her blog, No Introductions. Her LinkedIn article on the Deficit Framing of Black Entrepreneurship is a must read.

You can watch her TEDx Talk on Ridding Communities of Innovation Deserts below.

You can also follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Shelly Bell

Shelly Bell is a Serial Entrepreneur, Computer Scientist, and Founder of Black Girl Ventures. She is among the nation's most sought-after transformational speakers in the DC Metro area with features in Forbes, The Washington Business Journal, NewsOne, The Afro, People of Color in Tech and on Politico Live. Her organization, Black Girl Ventures (BGV) is a social enterprise that creates access to social and financial capital for Black/Brown women founders.

In addition to contributing to publications listed above, she also writes for her own blog.

You can follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Paulo Gregory Harris

Paulo is the Inventor of Cohado, a game and tool for transforming and shifting perspectives. He is also the founder of the Ignoma Foundation, an organization that establishes programs to address the symptoms of poverty. In addition to his work at Ignoma, Paulo also serves on our Intercultural Unity Committee writing blog posts and developing programs and tools for inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Read the latest collaborative piece on Diversity Fatigue by the Intercultural Unity Team here.

Watch his ESHIP Summit Firestarter Talk.

You can also follow him on LinkedIn.

Fay Horwitt

Fay is the President of Forward Cities and the Vice Chair of the board at Startup Champions Network. Fay realized early on in her career the many challenges facing underrepresented entrepreneurs. She has been working to fill the many gaps in a “system that was not designed and/or inclined to serve them.”

Fay publishes articles on LinkedIn Pulse. Here’s a recent one that is a great read: Moving Beyond Inclusion: An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builder’s Imperative

You can also follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Rodney Sampson

Rodney is an inclusive ecosystem builder with a mission to ensure that under-tapped communities have equitable access to the multi-generational wealth creation opportunities. He is also a serial entrepreneur and cofounder of Opportunity Hub where he serves as Executive Chairman & CEO, and a Non Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute.

Here’s his speech at Venture Beat Transform 2019.

You can follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Fallon Wilson

Dr. Wilson is the Director of Research at Black Tech Mecca, an organization that uses data to identify challenges impacting how Black tech practitioners integrate into the local tech ecosystem, crafting solutions to fill the gaps and spearhead change. She is also the CEO and Cofounder of Black in Tech Nashville.

You can read her research here and watch her TEDx Talk below.

You can also follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Tiffany Jana

Dr. Tiffany Jana is the Founder and CEO of TMI Consulting, a diversity and inclusion management consulting company. Dr. Jana has been featured in numerous publications and media including Fast Company, Inc.com, and Forbes for their work on diversity, equity, empowerment, and inclusion and is the author of several publications:

You can also follow her on Medium, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram and watch her TEDx Talk below.

These are just a few of many Diversity & Inclusion voices to seek out, follow, hire to speak at your next event, or support their initiatives and programs.