Hej defties!
Have you ever heard of the term #manel?
Even if it doesn’t sound familiar, I’m pretty sure you are very familiar with the sight of an all-male panel, right? You have probably also attended a #manference already - a conference with only male speakers?
Yep, thought so…
Both of these terms were coined to highlight the exclusion of women as subject matter experts and the general under- and misrepresentation of women in social and work domains. I think it’s obvious, but let me just say this extra loud for the people in the back: Ignoring women is oppressive, unfair, absolutely not acceptable, outrageous, and totally NOT COOL! *scream*
Fortunately for the general good of society (and my own blood pressure), many people are already changing their thinking and behavior to reach 50/50. Awesome!
So nowadays, in the name of diversity, there are a ton of webinars for female empowerment, courses for female entrepreneurship, female finances or female health, special programs for female founders, online magazines and conferences for women with all-female panels. T-Shirts saying The future is female. But I have to be honest with you:
That’s not diversity. And it’s not feminism either.
SHOCK! *gasp* 😱
Well, let me clarify…
Now, if you look a little closer at all those programs, conferences, webinars, courses, etc. who do you see in those LinkedIn and Instagram posts or on the event page?
99% of the time, you see women forming a #wanel, an all-white panel.
Although I’ve learned about this term only last week, I’ve definitely seen hundreds of wanels before. I’ve even been part of more than one myself though I stopped doing that in 2020.
The question is: What do we get when white privileged (very often also able-bodied, cishet) women (like me) are discussing societal and work-related issues, offering solutions that they see fit?
White feminism.
There. I said it.
Second SHOCK! *gasp* 😱
Well, you shouldn’t be surprised actually, I promised in the headline that I’m going to make you uncomfortable. And now you can thank me 😉
The International Women’s Day 2021 campaign theme is #ChooseToChallenge and today, I choose to challenge our definition of diversity. For me, diversity especially means diversity of thought, actively seeking out different perspectives and life experiences. Like here 👇
The possibility to follow people on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn has made it incredibly easy to diversify your timeline and be a witness to other people’s experiences. So let me ask you these questions:
If you are white, how many BIPoC founders do you regularly talk to? Have you made an intro to an investor for them?
How many successful Muslim founders can you name? Have you offered to have a look at their pitch deck?
How does your product include single parents or older people, also in the images and videos?
Do you know founders with a disability or chronic illness? What have you done to accommodate their needs?
How inclusive is your language (written and spoken) of LGBTQIA+ people?
Who would be the total opposite of you and do you personally know such a person? What keeps you from reaching out?
As defties, I challenge you to be empathic and share the load, to get outside of your comfort zone and seek out people who don’t hold the same privileges as you, because:
If you’re uncomfortable, it means you’re learning. (loosely adapted from Peter Bregman)
And as entrepreneurs, we should always be learning and growing 🌱
Happy Monday!
Enjoy a nice back roll in the sun (click for video) ^^
Here are some accelerator programs I want to bring to your attention:
Village Global Accelerator
$150,000 in funding for 7% equity
Startups using software and IT to transform or create global industries
Located anywhere in the world
➡️ Early Application Deadline June 17th
https://www.villageglobal.vc/accelerator/
SpinLab Accelerator
6-month program, no equity, 6.000€ free funding for living costs
Startups in eHealth, energy and Smart City; also accept technology concepts that support such companies
➡️ Application Deadline April 20th
https://www.spinlab.co/apply-now
(You can mention my name Karla Schönicke as a referrer in your application since I’m part of their Ambassador program to scout promising startups)
Reaktor Berlin
6-month pre-seed program, full-time, no equity, 2000€ per month per co-founder
Need to live in Berlin or plan to move there, min. 2 founders, have not received a public grant before (EXIST or Berlin Startup Stipend)
➡️ Application Deadline April 18th
https://reaktor.berlin/how-to-apply/
The Berlin Founders Fund
12-month program, no equity, 2,000€ per month per co-founder
early-stage startups, need to be based in/move to Berlin
➡️ Next review of applications Summer 2021
https://www.siliconallee.com/bff/
Image Credits: Preview Image