Entrepreneurship and Inclusivity in Tech
Experience and advice from three local start-ups
INITIATE teamed up Charlottesville Women in Tech this week to host a panel conversation about inclusivity, entrepreneurship, and tech. The result was a lively conversation about stereotypes, mentorship, negotiation, and failure. But the overwhelming theme of the evening’s discussion was connection, and the value of personal relationships, even in the most “professional” of situations.
We invited founders from three local businesses to lead the conversation.
Sarah Rumbaugh, co-founder of RelishMBA, shared with us her considerable knowledge as a graduate of UVA’s Darden School of Business and experiences as an active CEO of a growing business.
Chiedo, of Chiedo, Inc. (including Chiedo Labs), discussed how his entrepreneurship experience began before he graduated high school, and the ways he integrates the principles of inclusivity and mentorship in his own companies.
Katrina Shah, Head of Engineering at KiraKira offered her perspectives as a leader in a start-up dedicated to making STEM education and coding accessible (and fun!) for girls.
Move beyond roles to relationships.
We began our conversation with an exploration of the label, “entrepreneur,” and the extent to which each of the panelists identified with it, or found stereotypes surrounding it to be a challenge. Although there were definitely stories of micro-aggressions to be shared, all of the respondents emphasized the importance of moving beyond façades or personas, and making real, personal connections — even in the most professional of settings. For Chiedo, founder of a start-up that offers web and mobile development, it was about getting to a casual space in the conversation as quickly as possible, in order to get past walls and build a real and honest working relationship. Sarah, on the other hand, could speak from her experience in business school and working with MBAs, where the environment remains more formal. Issues around diversity are discussed more and more openly, she shared, but that can lead to feeling keenly and uncomfortably aware of when you, yourself, may be inadvertently playing into existing stereotypes — some which may be working against you. Instead of getting lost in the dizzying game of “how am I being perceived?” she discovered that self-awareness and confidence in her own abilities could help her find her center. Since she can’t inhabit the world as a man and get definitive evidence that being a woman is working against her, she chooses to focus on what she does well, and on showing up for each opportunity.
Understand what mentorship means to you, and be an active participant in defining that relationship.
We all agreed that mentorship is an essential ingredient to success, whether or not you come from an under-privileged group. But it’s possible to fall into a mentoring relationship that is pro-forma and misdirected. Katrina described how educational environments can foster a “hierarchical relationship,” which may lead the mentee to feel as though they are being told what to do rather than being positively challenged to come up with solutions together. Instead, she felt that this scenario is best when shifted to a more open, collaborative relationship between the two participants. Sarah illustrated how similar situations can carry over into the corporate world, and how mentorship becomes “another box to check” — where the mentor feels obligated to work with a junior colleague because it is a pre-requisite for advancing in their own career. Other members of the audience shared their own experiences with this, and it was clear that both mentor and mentee need to be active participants in defining their goals and their needs from the relationship.
Think beyond the hierarchy: seek support, advice, and experience from a number of sources.
Audience members joined the conversation with their questions and responses, and it was clear that inclusive environments are less hierarchical. “Lunch and Learn” events that allow employees to share their expertise outside their team can promote cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration. Sharing your ideas early and often leads to a better product or service, and opening up your process to feedback — even though it feels extremely vulnerable to do so — can offer insight in surprising ways.
A note of thanks
INITIATE is grateful to Charlottesville Women in Tech for hosting this lively panel conversation, and our generous panelists for sharing their wisdom with the group. We’ll be hosting more public events in the next six months, including a Self-Employment Workshop, so stay tuned and follow us on social media to learn more. And don’t forget to click the “Follow” button for more stories from INITIATE here on Medium.
This article was written as part of INITIATE, a project sponsored by CoshX Labs to find new ways to explore business and entrepreneurship. You can follow us on Twitter, and visit our website to learn more about our efforts.
