Startups often claim to value diversity but are slow to change hiring practices. It’s easier to hire from familiar Silicon Valley pipelines, but building a diverse team requires intention from the very first hire. Leah Solivan, founder of Taskrabbit, discussed this on the Build Mode podcast. As Taskrabbit scaled, her team intentionally sought diverse talent for every role.
Diversity doesn’t happen by accident. Solivan’s team built it into their entire recruiting process. Starting early creates a self-feeding, diverse ecosystem. It’s too late to begin after scaling. A founder’s talent network reflects their own community, so a more diverse tech industry also depends on who gets investment funding.
Solivan notes that investment money flows from limited partners to venture capitalists, who then choose founders. The money exists, but it’s controlled by people with biases. However, any founder or VC can hire diversely. Solivan suggests goals like reviewing two female candidate resumes for every male one, tapping wider networks, and promoting diverse leaders. It’s about building a safety net for people to take chances.