Anti-Racism Guide for Founders

Name Sarah Hodges Partner at Pillar VC

This guide is intended as a resource to help support founders as you consider how to create an anti-racist culture in your companies, backed by open discussion and action. This guide is in no way comprehensive, rather, it reflects just a few of the resources our own team has found helpful. 

A few considerations

  • Speak up! Your team is likely hungry for your leadership on diversity, inclusion and belonging. As CEO, you’ll set the tone for your entire company; it’s important that you take the lead to open the door to conversation and be proactive about prioritizing initiatives that promote building a diverse and inclusive team and culture. 
  • Create tangible goals for your organization around diversity, inclusion and belonging. Making your goals transparent internally — and even externally, if you’re comfortable — is a great way to ensure that your team remains committed to ensuring that diversity and inclusion are part of the fabric of your company.  
  • Start at the top, ensuring that you’re building a diverse management team and board. You have the freedom and ability to be thoughtful about how you construct your advisory board and management team, and have the ability to influence the investors you choose and independent board members you add to your team. Make sure this group represents the ambitions you have for the composition of your company overall. 
  • When evaluating new team members, shift your mindset to think about culture add instead of culture fit.

Diversity & Inclusion Consulting

Guides & Articles

Recruiting

Lists of Black Leaders & Companies

Videos & Documentaries

Podcasts & Playlists

Books