Meet William Crowder, Managing Partner at Aperture Venture Capital. I've known and respected William through many stages of our careers, and I was thrilled to have him on the series to tackle a big topic - the intersection of innovation and culture, two concepts that are very near and dear to my heart as I believe both are fundamental to achieve true business success.
The intersection of innovation and culture brings up two questions: "Who is driving innovation?" and "Who it is for?" As demographics shift in the U.S. and around the world, we are seeing more and more people of color, women, and other minorities becoming not only lead end users, but also producers of new innovations and products. This change is reflected in the type of companies that are being started, and who is getting the capital.
Today, an emphasis on diversity and inclusion is being demanded of corporate America. Companies are getting backlash for having little diversity on their team or board of directors, and more VCs are looking to fund the next wave of fintech companies that address issues like income inequality.
As William says, "What we saw on the streets in 2020 made its way into the corporate boardroom, and corporate America's response was, 'We need to do better.'"
What exactly does better look like? Tune into my conversation with William and read his full interview below to learn more.