Human VC's Elaine Stead on championing women in startups and her approach to investing
The PhD in biochemistry also speaks about what she learnt from the Blue Sky collapse and what keeps her motivated to stay in the sector.
Human VC founder Elaine Stead has forged a reputation for resilience, following the very public failure of Blue Sky. She's emerged championing for more women in the sector, a lot of learnings and a determination to help grow Australia's startup sector.
You’ve long been a champion of women in startups and innovation. Every time a study comes out on gender and diversity in the sector, it's hard to see what gains women have made though. How can we make meaningful change?
The obvious way to make meaningful change for women in startups and innovation is to ensure there are more women and underrepresented minorities in decision-making or influential roles in the industry, such as VC where the capital is allocated to startups and innovation.
But, that will take a generation if it is left to happen organically. The way it can be accelerated is for their investors – in Australia, the superannuation industry and the family offices – to allocate more capital to emerging or smaller fund managers, with an investment thesis that incorporates diversity. This is not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because the data proves time and time again, it generates better returns.
