Several new VCs have been in the news lately for their commitment to funding companies spearheaded by women and minorities, yet few are as daring (by conventional tech standards, at least) as Ada Ventures. The Evening Standard reports that the firm, which is named after Ada Lovelace, a pioneer in computer software innovation, focuses on extremely early-stage startups, those founded by "underserved groups including the ageing population, women and young people" and as well as startups based on more out-there concepts like sexual wellness and femtech. "Fundamentally, Ada Ventures is about true inclusion, and we will invest in anyone, no matter what they look like and where they come from," said Co-Founder Francesca Warner. Thus far, Ada has raised $27 million to reinvest in diverse and worthy companies. (See WiCipedia: Recruitment Gender Bias, VC Cash Stash & Making Better Decisions.)

In actual telecom news, Telefónica has taken a hard look at its 17-member board of directors' demographics and has restructured so that it's made up of 30% women. Two female directors replaced two male directors who were resigning, and several men were also promoted to higher positions on the board. While this would have been a good opportunity for the company to put out a statement on their commitment to diversity and equality, they only said, "Having a good corporate governance and a strong board of directors is key for the company," and thanked the two male board members who had resigned for their service. (See WiCipedia: Diverse Boards Are the Future & UK Gov't Deals With Online Abuse.)

Forbes released its list of the top 20 women in tech in 2019. Most of the names are synonymous with Silicon Valley's elite mega companies, such as Alphabet, Facebook and IBM, and two are even related (Susan Wojcicki of YouTube and Anne Wojcicki of 23andMe). However, there are also a few women from venture companies, which is an addition we were excited to see in the male-dominated space. We look forward to seeing the innovations these successful women and many others will make in 2020. (See WiCipedia: Power Suits & the Gig Economy Pay-Gap Surprise.)

— Eryn Leavens, Special Features & Copy Editor, Light Reading