What do Women Investors & Entrepreneurs want?
When Harsha Kumar joined Lightspeed Ventures after a career in product management, things were different. Unlike working in a fast-growing startup like Ola, where big leaps could be made in a matter of days, in venture capital the output of her work would take years to show up. In the absence of past performance to fall back on, Harsha realised that she would have to find a way to break into this male-dominated industry.
“As a VC, the people you interact with are mostly external to the fund and don’t work with you on a daily basis. They have never seen you perform; so, when you meet someone for the first time, you can sense that there is scepticism, you notice the bias.” she said. “I have been in meetings where the person would rather talk to a man who is my junior than look at me in the eye and talk to me. It takes some practice to move past it and make yourself heard.”
Kumar’s story is similar to multiple female investors that ET spoke to. Some said they found networking intimidating or awkward in the absence of supportive platforms while others said they struggled with getting their voices heard in the presence of men.
economictimes.indiatimes.com.com
0 comments:
Join the Conversation