NUMA’s Commitment to Supporting Diversity and Inclusion
It is with a heavy heart, and open eyes and ears, that I write this article today. Diversity, in various capacities, is ingrained within NUMA New York’s DNA and mission — to support international founders from all walks of life, nationalities, ethnicities, cultures, and genders. However, this is not enough. Operating in a city (and country) that has witnessed such horrific tragedies and injustices directed at the Black community, this is a moment of deep reflection in an attempt to learn, understand, and become better, more empathetic, more proactive individuals and organizations. This is a moment for us all to stand together against police brutality, and larger structural inequalities, and to be an active and engaged ally to the Black community.
Accelerators, like NUMA, are ecosystems that serve as platforms for connection, we have a tremendous responsibility to speak out against injustice, act on behalf of what’s right, and embolden our community to do the same. At NUMA we strive to empower individuals and businesses with access to opportunities. The impact of our action or inaction is inevitable.
Now is a moment to reflect on the impact and commitments we can make to influence change. Before working in the entrepreneurship world, I came from a background in classical music, which, as an industry, has historically struggled with inclusion and diversity. I was impressed with the Manhattan School of music’s commitment to featuring compositions from black composers in all of their concerts, an initiative that urged me to reflect on where NUMA can have the most impact. It is in making intentional changes to our day to day activities that change really can begin.
We are committed to working to support black entrepreneurs, and to continue to foster diversity not only with our founders, but also in who we hire, in the mentors, we select to help our entrepreneurs, and the speakers we showcase for our corporate programming. Seeing as we are always growing our network of mentors, experts, and speakers, we’d love recommendations and introductions to diverse voices!
We also pledged to continue educating ourselves and our community, sharing vital resources, and using our global reach and tight-knit network of VCs, corporations, partners, and experts to create more opportunities and to strive for equality. We commit to using our platform as a channel for black voices and entrepreneurs. Black lives matter.
In the spirit of our commitment, we have compiled a shortlist of resources for black entrepreneurs. Please feel free to send us more, or add some in the comments section.
VC funds that support black entrepreneurs:
Building and Hiring Diverse Teams:
Entrepreneurship Programs and Accelerators:
Tech Education Programs:
