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The Allyship: Women in Venture Capital

About the project

Women are severely underrepresented in venture capital (VC) firms in North America. A report from Female Funders and Highline Beta (2019) which looked at 55 funds in Canada illustrated that women comprise just 15.2 % of partners at Canadian VC firms, 11.8 % of managing partners, and just 10.3 % of venture partners. Data in the United States shows the situation is worse (Female Funders, 2019).

The study, funded by Mitacs (external link, opens in new window)  and conducted in partnership with Ethical Digital (external link, opens in new window) , is aimed at helping us understand current levels of women’s representation in the venture capital industry in North America, barriers to improving women’s representation in the industry, and ways we can improve women’s representation in the industry. The research will involve a literature review, in-depth interviews with participants from VC firms, as well as the creation of an action plan for partner organizations to drive changes in VC firms. The creation of the action plan will be based on recommendations from the literature reviews, industry interviews, and researchers respectively.

We are recruiting interview participants for The Allyship: Women in Venture Capital

  • We are seeking up to 30 board members and partners from venture capital firms in North America
  • We are seeking 20 self-identified women and non-binary people with experience working as analysts, associates and principals in the North American venture capital industry
  •  You will participate in a one-on-one semi-structured virtual interview with a researcher
  • This virtual interview will last approximately one hour
  • You will be asked about your experiences in the industry, and how organizations in the venture capital industry can improve the inclusion of women
  • If you are a board member or partner at a venture capital firm, you will be asked to share, with consent from relevant personnel, organizational policies on topics such as: diversity and inclusion; HR and recruitment; leadership & governance; data collection and measurement.
  • You will need access to high-speed internet and a functioning computer to participate in the virtual interview
  • You will not be able to participate if you are a current employee of the Diversity Institute or Ethical Digital

If you are interested in participating in this study, or would like more information, please contact:

Principal Investigator
Sanaa Ali-Mohammed, Research Assistant
Diversity Institute
sanaa.ali.mohammed@torontomu.ca

If you have questions regarding your rights as a participant in this study, please contact

  • Toronto Met Research Ethics Board
    Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation
    1 Dundas Street West, 11th Floor
    Toronto, Ontario
    M5G 1Z3
    rebchair@torontomu.ca

This research is supervised by

  • Dr. Wendy Cukier
    Professor, Entrepreneurship and Strategy
    Ted Rogers School of Management
    Director, Diversity Institute
    wcukier@torontomu.ca
Diversity Institute logo

This research study has been reviewed by the Toronto Met Research Ethics Board (REB protocol number 2021-564) and is co-funded by Mitacs and Ethical Digital.