{"id":36792,"date":"2017-07-11T05:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-07-11T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tested-neuron.flywheelsites.com\/?p=36792"},"modified":"2017-07-11T00:23:21","modified_gmt":"2017-07-11T06:23:21","slug":"dear-vc-really-just-want-value","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unreasonablegroup.com\/articles\/dear-vc-really-just-want-value\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear VC, Thanks for Your Offer to “Protect” Me, But I Really Just Want You to Value Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"have felt strangely turned off by the recent conversation about sexual harassment in venture capital, and I finally understand why. For me, the commentary<\/a> over the last few weeks has been a painful reminder that I might be seen as the weaker species.<\/p>\n

I was the victim of blatant, tabloid-style sexual harassment when I was first starting out in my career. I was even subject to some more subtle sexual harassment last week. It\u2019s terrible for many reasons, but the most painful part of these experiences was the realization that these perpetrators saw me as inferior.
\n\"\"
\nSince becoming the Chief Investment Officer for the female-focused MergeLane<\/a> venture fund three years ago, I have had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of investors who invest in women because they think it is the smart rather than the \u201cright\u201d thing to do. I woke up this morning realizing that this recent sexual harassment conversation has made me feel the same way I\u2019ve felt when investors invest in women because they think it is the \u201ccharitable\u201d thing to do.<\/p>\n

There have been well-intentioned suggestions that this is a human rights issue<\/a> and wide-spread calls for more policies and procedures to protect women<\/a>. I appreciate this deeply. I want to feel safe when I am working with men in our industry. I want to be as brave as the women who have come forward when I am sexually harassed.<\/p>\n

Far more desperately, however, I want this change to occur because the venture capital industry truly values the contributions made by women. I want venture capitalists, LPs, and entrepreneurs to actually believe that gender diversity produces better returns. I want the effort to make venture capital a safe place for women to be driven by a genuine desire to invite more women to the table, rather than by a fear of litigation or public flogging.<\/p>\n

For those of you who have kindly asked what you can do about this issue, here are a few suggestions:<\/p>\n