Article contributed to illuminem as part of my Reclaiming Entrepreneurship series.
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“It’s just a very competitive and inhumane environment that we create for each other.”
This quote is from an anonymous source in a recent Sifted article on the toxic nature and culture of venture capitalism in Europe. It is not surprising that the source chose to remain anonymous and even less surprising that the source is a woman. In an already male-dominated industry, if you permit toxic behaviours, it is not to be wondered at that those experiencing the worst of those behaviours are minority groups.
This is not really news.
Having been in and around incubators, venture builders, startups, and Silicon Valley people since 2001 I’ve seen my fair share of asshole behaviour. And to a large extent, witnessing those attitudes always made me wary of getting too close. I don’t have “what it takes” to be exploitative in the cutthroat way most of the industry works.
However my outlook on this changed a few years ago when we began to see the rise of impact and climate venture capitalism.
This crop of financiers had a mission beyond just making money. There was purpose involved. Impact. Real on-the-ground impact that would change the trajectory of the climate and biodiversity crises we are facing. So when the opportunity arose to work for a venture builder focused exclusively on building climate startups I genuinely could not have been happier.
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