Uh, hell yeah! Actually, it's no secret that there's a diversity problem in venture capital.
Women and underrepresented minority (URM) founders aren't getting funded, women and URM investors aren't getting hired by venture capital firms, and the lack of diversity is lowering returns for the venture capital asset class as a whole.
One thing is clear: the asset class that loves disrupting inefficient industries is in desperate need of disruption itself.
The overall percentage of VC dollars received by female founders over the past decade.
Source: Table Stakes (#Angels and Carta)
It's time for a fresh start. Sunlight is rebuilding the venture capital fundraising process with diversity, equity and inclusion put first.
On Sunlight, there are no gatekeepers and no barriers to entry for less-connected teams. As long as there is an investment criteria match, any startup can contact any VC (and vice versa).
Sunlight will give every founder and investor an equal chance of success, no matter their gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, ability identity or socio-economic status.
Median multiple on acquisitions & IPOs generated by diverse founders (white founders: 2.5x).
Source: Deconstructing the Pipeline Myth, Kauffman Fellows and MaC Venture Capital
At its core, Sunlight is a searchable database of venture capital firm and startup profiles. Once you've created your company's profile, you're ready to start pitching. But be warned, to join Sunlight you must follow a few simple diversity-based Rules and, of course, do the DIP.
Find investors: Search for investors based on their investment criteria, team diversity and more, read verified reviews from named (not anonymous) founders and manage your fundraise with custom software designed specifically for the VC fundraising process.
Connect: Introduce yourself to VCs with one-click, no need for long emails and endless back-and-forth to provide more info. Everything they want to know is on your profile, so you can get back to what's important... building your startup!
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Research startups: Whether you're assessing inbound pitches or searching for startups that match your investment criteria, Sunlight startup profiles contain everything you need to know to be able to assess fit and decide whether or not to initiate contact.
Supercharge dealflow: Combining detailed startup profiles with advanced dealflow management software enables you to accept more pitches, review them efficiently and provide timely responses. All without opening Gmail.
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We can only fix the diversity problem in VC if we do it together, and we need your help. Please show your support by joining our waitlist, following us on Twitter, filling out our Investor and Founder surveys, and spreading the word. And please feel free to email us with any suggestions, feedback or just to say hi. We would love to hear from you!