March 30, 2021

The Founders' List: Iman Abuzeid on Frameworks for Using Diversity to Win (Hiring Series)

28 minutes

In this episode, Kristen O'Brien and Iman Abuzeid explore diversity in the tech industry, discussing its benefits such as profitability, decision-making, and innovation. They delve into building diverse teams, funding for women and people of color, and the approaches notable investors take towards diverse investing. They also discuss implementing a data-driven approach to diversity, concluding with thoughts on diversity in tech and venture capital.

This is The Founders' List - audio versions of essays from technology’s most important leaders, selected by the founder community.

The data is clear – diverse teams win. Companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues due to innovation, and 9% higher EBIT margins. Iman Abuzeid MD (CEO & Cofounder of Incredible Health) has gone through the full diligence process of the best of the best Series A funds in Silicon Valley and shares her findings in this essay.

"We are coming to terms with what we have or have not done right in tech in relation to diversity. Data is one way Silicon Valley has won this far, and it’s the way we can keep winning. The data is clear – diverse teams win."

Read the essay here - https://www.nfx.com/post/frameworks-using-diversity-to-win/

(0:00) Introduction by Kristen O'Brien

(0:17) Diversity in Tech Industry with Iman Abuzeid

(2:02) Benefits of Diversity: Profitability, Decision-making and Innovation

(6:14) Diversity as a Competitive Advantage and Increasing Customer Expectations

(9:52) Framework for Building a Diverse Team

(14:07) Funding for Women and People of Color in Tech

(16:08) Insights on Approaches of Notable Investors to Diverse Investing

(25:05) Implementing a Data-driven Approach to Diversity

(27:31) Closing Thoughts on Diversity in Tech and Venture Capital

(27:53) Outro by Kristen O'Brien

...more