How Black Women Can Compete in the Boys' Club of Tech
*By Madison Alworth*
Minorities are often underserved when it comes to the VC funding space, but one social enterprise group has ambitions to change that.
"Innovation happens everywhere, in every community, in every gender, in every race, every class," Kathryn Finnerty founder of digitalundivided, said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar.
But less than 1 percent of American venture capital-backed founders in 2016 were black, according to the Center for Global Policy Solutions.
Part of the problem is that people in minority communities just don't have access to the right investors.
"The average person doesn't know a VC and probably doesn't know how to actually connect, and that's one of the things we do at digitalundivided," Finnerty said.
The group is committed to changing the narrative by guiding talented black and Latina women founders through the start-up process in a 9-month incubator program. digitalundivded's work starts at the beginning and helps innovators navigate the complex planning and funding ecosystem.
Finnerty is optimistic she'll be able to effect change. According to her company's estimates, the number of start-ups founded by black women has more than doubled since 2016. And support seems to be following.
"There has been increased attention on this problem," Finnerty said. "There has been increased investment in the space, as well."
[Applications](https://www.digitalundivided.com/big-incubator-general-faq/) for the 2019 digitalundivided incubator program open on December 6.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/encouraging-and-enabling-female-entrepreneurs-of-color-to-succeed).
King Charles III will be taking a shorter ride to Westminster Abbey, trimming the procession route his mother took in 1953 as he aims for a more modest coronation that will include some modern touches.
Chef Danielle Sepsy, a finalist on the cooking competition show The Big Brunch and owner of The Hungry Gnome bakery in New York City, explains how her delivery customers are able to enjoy fresh-tasting cookies at home and how her big TV spot translated into more hiring.
Egg prices have skyrockets since last Easter, with prices more than doubling between February 2022 and February 2023. Now families are trying to balance their budgets with the Easter tradition of dyeing eggs.
Chef Danielle Sepsy, a finalist on the cooking competition show The Big Brunch and owner of The Hungry Gnome bakery in New York City, demonstrated how to manke her famous, ooey-gooey Bunny Track cookies.
On this episode of ChedHER: Soyini Chan Shue, CEO of City Safe Partners, explains her career journey from NYPD to CEO of a security company; Traci Wilk, Chief People Officer at The Learning Experience, explains the top skills and traits of a Chief People Officer - which is one of the fastest-growing job roles; Fonta Gilliam, CEO and Co-Founder of Wellthi, breaks down how she's creating a social app to help you reach your financial goals; Courtney Wiggins, Owner and Artisan at The Winsome Apothecary, is this week's Female Founder spotlight and breaks down how she's creating products that are good for the environment and your self care routine.
