it gives a kick in the ass to the entire ecosystem,” she says. “If you bring in someone they respect, it holds VCs accountable.”
The program, launched earlier this year, has been such a success in Miami that it’s moving to Kansas City next, Hatcher says.
There’s an important distinction to be made when it comes to doing this kind of ecosystem-building work, she notes. “The hard part of the conversation is, I don’t think every founder of color should be responsible for doing this work. Let entrepreneurs be entrepreneurs and community organizers be advocates. The work startup founders do helps advocates get resources and respect.”
Her advice to minority entrepreneurs: “Show up and show out. Be unapologetically who you are and show up to everything possible, because that’s where the resources are. Evangelize for your brand and what you’re building—your product doesn’t have to be perfect for you to start making those connections.”
Her advice to non-minority allies who want to help build a more inclusive tech ecosystem is to get in where you fit in. “That thing you won a gold medal in, do that,” she says. “If you’re a lawyer, every startup needs legal advice.”
Whatever path to inclusion the tech industry decides to take, it had better take it quickly. As Hatcher points out, there’s a big demographic change on the horizon that will see white people become the minority population in the United States.
“Everything you build has to be culturally relevant or you’re going to be out of business in a few years,” Hatcher warns tech companies. “Investing in people of color is not charity, it’s a smart business decision. Investing in products that meet the needs of people of color will give you a much bigger pool of customers than if you do the opposite. If we had invested in jitney drivers, maybe we’d have had Uber 15 years sooner.”
