Ellen Pao Returns to VC to Tackle Tech Diversity

Pao is joining the non-profit Kapor Center for Social Impact as a venture partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer to help startups institutionalize diversity.

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

January 11, 2017

2 Min Read
Light Reading logo in a gray background | Light Reading

Ellen Pao, the former Reddit CEO and venture capitalist who sued her investment firm for gender discrimination, is back in the venture capital game with a new role that focuses on increasing diversity in the overwhelmingly homogenous Silicon Valley.

Pao is joining the non-profit Kapor Center for Social Impact as chief diversity and inclusion officer, where she will help entrepreneurs outline best practices to build diverse workforces early in startups' development. Pao's goal is to help startups ingrain diversity in their companies from the beginning rather than through tacked-on initiatives down the line. She will also be a venture partner at Kapor Capital, the Center's VC arm, which requires a measurable commitment to diversity from any startup it invests in. The firm funds startups that solve problems for underserved people.

Women in Comms is gearing up for a bigger and better 2017! Visit WiC Online and get in touch to learn how you can join us.

Pao famously took her previous employer, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers , to court in 2012, alleging that she was discriminated against for being a female. She ultimately lost the case in 2015, but it had the effect of shining a brighter spotlight on the lack of diversity in the Valley, as well as the challenges women in the industry face there. (See A Vast Valley: Tech's Inexcusable Gender Gap and Tales From the Valley: Bias, Sexism & Worse.)

In the following video clip, Pao shares with CNBC why she thinks it's so hard to change the Silicon Valley boys' club. It's much more than the oft-cited pipeline problem.

About the Author

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like