Reflections of the past year and news on what’s to come
Mandela SH Dixon
As CEO of All Raise, I have had the privilege of partnering with a national community of passionate volunteers, an incredibly talented and committed staff, and mission-aligned partner organizations to advance the success of women and non-binary people in the VC-backed tech industry. It is gratifying to reflect on what we have accomplished together!
For the first time since 2019, we brought our community back together in-person for the All Raise VC Summit, and I am proud to say it was the most diverse and inclusive summit yet! Our amazing volunteers and staff operated the fourth year of VC Cohorts, the third year of VC Champions, and published the third VC Compensation Survey. We scaled the Boston-incubated “Black and Latinx Media Mastery Program” to reach founders in seven new cities, and opened our fifth and sixth All Raise Chapters in Washington, DC and Miami. Throughout the year, we also grew our partnerships, strengthened our team, and broadened our reach, as we shared our mission on some of the biggest stages and largest publications in the world. All Raise community members continued to make history at a record pace by launching new VC funds, scaling game-changing startups, and securing important leadership roles throughout the industry. It’s been one powerful year, and I am proud of our amazing team, volunteers, and partners for all they have done to create more pathways of success for women and non-binary leaders in tech.
I recently made the decision to transition from CEO to an advisor of All Raise, starting February 1st. For the past decade, I have spent the majority of my career in Silicon Valley supporting the success of founders. I have realized that being in the field working directly with entrepreneurs everyday is my passion, and I will be exploring new opportunities in alignment with this.
I am excited to announce that Paige Hendrix Buckner will serve as the Interim CEO of All Raise. Paige is a well-respected leader, talented operator, and beloved member of the All Raise community. She is an incredible fit for this role, and is one of my favorite collaborators. For the past five years, Paige and I have worked closely together to build world-class experiences for leaders across the world, who are interested in leveraging tech and entrepreneurship to advance their goals and improve society. I am thrilled that the All Raise community and larger tech ecosystem will benefit from Paige’s powerful vision and leadership. As an advisor, I will continue to collaborate with Paige and the Board of Directors on the growth and expansion of All Raise.
I am grateful to the All Raise community, staff, volunteers, partners, and Board of Directors. It has been an honor to work with you, learn from you, and build alongside you. I am inspired by the strength of this community and the leadership of this team. I look forward to supporting the All Raise mission in creating a tech ecosystem that truly represents and benefits us all.
Sharing excitement for what’s ahead, welcoming Paige as our interim leader, and gratitude for Mandela
Aileen Lee on behalf of the All Raise Board of Directors
We are grateful to have worked with Mandela SH Dixon for the past year as All Raise’s CEO. Under her leadership, All Raise shined a brighter spotlight on opportunities to create a more inclusive tech ecosystem. We brought together ~500 members of All Raise for our first in-person VC Summit since 2019, expanded our national footprint with new chapters in DC and Miami, added exceptional new team members and scaled existing programs like VC Cohorts and VC Champions.
Mandela has passed the torch to her longtime collaborator and fellow All Raiser Paige Hendrix Buckner, our Interim CEO. We’re excited to see Paige elevated into this role. We will miss working with Mandela day to day, but know we’ll continue to benefit from her insights as a close advisor and forever friend to All Raise.
Please join us in thanking Mandela for her leadership, and in welcoming Paige as our new interim leader. During this period of transition, the co-founders and board of directors will be collaborating closely with Paige and the All Raise team to support our chapters, programs, and operations. We have kicked off 2023 with renewed energy because we know the rocky economic climate means our work is more important than ever before.
All Raise was born out of a group of women who joined together to combine their power and influence to build a more equitable tech ecosystem by rewiring the industry from the inside. Our mission is to accelerate success for women and non-binary people in our industry–and it’s more important than ever.
Women, non-binary leaders, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people have historically been disproportionately impacted by downturns. All Raise is designed to change the future and make that a statistic of the past. We’re excited to build on our momentum of the past year, and proven knowledge that diverse teams deliver better results, to meet our goals of doubling the percentage of female checkwriters and increasing the amount of early-stage funding going to female and non-binary founders. To learn more about our programs and to join the movement, please visit Allraise.org.
Honored to Lead All Raise — Thank you, Mandela!
Paige Hendrix Buckner, Interim CEO
Our work serving and elevating women and non-binary investors, founders, and operators is more important than ever, and it’s an exceptional honor to lead All Raise. I want to express my deep appreciation and love for Mandela. Her leadership, mentorship, and friendship has been such an impactful part of my personal and professional journey. Mandela taught me the importance of operational excellence, strong communications, values-driven community building, and how to transform a vision into a global movement. I’m forever her biggest fan and supporter. Mandela leaves All Raise in a strong position, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue the hard work of diversifying the VC backed ecosystem.
Within my first three weeks at All Raise, I had the privilege of emceeing the VC Summit — our most diverse summit to date — and it was incredible!!! At our sold out Summit we had women and non-binary investors from all over the world learning and connecting in powerful ways that continue to resonate well beyond the event. It’s an honor to work with our tight-knit and passionate team, committed volunteers, and visionary Board of Directors. As we embark on 2023, we have so much to be excited about: new programs, new chapters, and new stories that showcase the transformative power of All Raisers. Personally, I can’t wait to visit each chapter in-person, attend the launch events for our VC Cohorts and VC Champions, see our Black and Latinx Media Mastery program participants shine, and continue to build our movement. Our mission and efforts to attract, retain, and elevate women and non-binary people in VC and tech are critical, and it’s an honor to be at the helm as we embark on an exciting year of growth together. Let’s keep the great work going!
