Announcing a sponsorship of Black & Brown Founders

The historic nature of this moment demonstrates the importance of widespread community support to overcome institutional harm. Nationwide, millions of people are taking to the streets to exercise their frustration with systemic injustice and the mistreatment of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. In this country — and in many others — an individual’s skin color can determine their personal safety in public spaces, the salary they can command, and the professional opportunities they can access.

At Microsoft, we have a shared, company-wide core priority around diversity & inclusion. Yet still, in this moment, we are being reminded that the privileges afforded to us are coupled with an even greater responsibility. Every one of us is challenged to help create a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can bring their full and authentic self, where all voices are heard, and where we do our best work as a result.

In addition to pursuing a more inclusive work environment internally, we consider the broader business landscape in which we operate. Unfortunately, when it comes to diversity and inclusion within the funded startup ecosystem, the situation is dire. According to Marketplace, founders of color have a harder time getting initial funding, and get less of it: “While the average seed funding for all startups is $1.1 million, the average black female founder, according to digitalundivided, raises $42,000 in total.” The innovation economy requires diverse perspectives; discounting ideas based on a founder’s race guarantees a slower pace of innovation.

To better support Black and Latinx founders in their pursuit of entrepreneurship and to provide them with the education and resources they need to build great startups, we’re proud to sponsor the work of Black & Brown Founders. Our commitment enables us to lend our privilege: to share our resources, business experience, and technology expertise with the next wave of game-changing founders. There is much more work that our fund and the broader VC ecosystem have to do. We’re fueled by the activism of the moment and will continue to identify ways that we can do better to support entrepreneurs of color.

To learn more about Black & Brown Founders, and their upcoming Bootstrapping Bootcamp and CHROMA conference, visit www.blackandbrownfounders.com.

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