Lili, there are a number of flaws in the logic of your takeaways. First of all, $36k represents the average amount raised (compared to the $1.3 average for companies founded by White men that ultimately failed). It is not revenue. Dividing $44B in revenue by 1.5MM to determine “average revenue” is not an accurate representation of whether the companies founded by Black women are scalable.
Many within them are likely multi-million dollar companies — if not billion dollar companies (a subscription to Black Enterprise or Jet might educate you as to the success of entrepreneurs in the Black community outside of Silicon Valley — images too often hidden from the mainstream). Others may be small boutique companies that make mere thousands or never reach significant revenue due to lack of funding.
How much revenue was Instagram or Facebook bringing in in their early days? Snapchat? Other ad-based apps?? In an advertising model, clearly, growth is expected before significant revenue is generated. Even Saas companies often require significant investment to scale. If Black women are not giving the resources or opportunity to grow such businesses, your division exercise is irrelevant to the point.
Obviously, with Kathryn’s background, she is addressing the lack of funding toward scalable companies. Her point here is that Black women are entrepreneurial and contributing to the economy significantly. However, this contribution is hindered by a lack of access to capital and biases such as those you’ve exhibited here.
