Like so many others, the entire team at Extend Ventures were deeply disappointed with the recent review from the Commission for Racial and Ethnic Disparities. We wrote a letter to the commission outlining the issues with the section on enterprise and entrepreneurship and detailing why we felt we needed to have all references to data extracted from our recent Diversity Beyond Gender report removed. 

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As we mark the one year anniversary of Covid19’s dramatic trespass into our existence, many voices are calling for an accounting of the lessons learned. One of the most pivotal lessons we have learned was the disproportionate impact the deadly virus had on Black and ethnic minority communities. The reasons for this have been sketchily presented by the British government – poor housing, employment on the front line, co-morbidities – with no official acknowledgement that each of these reasons can be traced to the poverty and disenfranchisement arising from systemic racism.

2020 was a rollercoaster. After a year that taught us all many valuable lessons, Extend VC celebrates the start of 2021 by highlighting one of the most successful black women in the business and entertainment community: Charmaine Hayden.

We uncover her story and how her unwavering passion and hustler mentality enabled her to break into the VC industry from the world of media and entertainment.

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I remember the first time I heard Andy Ayim speak on stage over a year ago at a tech startup event in London - a natural home to one of the most well-connected people in the ecosystem. These were the good old days before the global pandemic wiped away every last bit of normality we knew. You could feel the buzz in the packed room. As I watched him speak passionately to an engaged audience of founders, there was an incredible familiarity to his voice, which I sensed before we had even met formally.

After a tumultuous week dominated by the US election that ended with a sore loser incumbent failing to go quietly, we’ll focus on one positive aspect of the provisional result. The historic.

Kamala Harris has become the first female Vice-President (-elect) of the United States of America. The first Black and first South Asian in that role. 

On Saturday 5th November 2020, Harris made a promise to the country.

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

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The common response when the lack of investment into black founders is highlighted is that there’s ‘a pipeline problem.’ So, in this edition of our newsletter, and in the spirit of Black History Month, we wanted to debunk this myth by highlighting the incredible achievements of five early-stage black founders in 2020. In spite of the unprecedented challenges we have all faced this year, we have heard some incredible stories of innovation and resilience.

For all the grief and dismay expressed around the world following the murder of George Floyd in May, for all the supportive words about racial justice from newly enlightened allies, there is still a long road ahead to achieving lasting change.

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Here at Extend Ventures, nowhere is the need for change more visible than in the access to investment for Black businesses in the UK.

In our inaugural newsletter last month, we asked for a little less conversation and a little more action. This month is all about exploring how to take tangible action to build back better as we emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic.

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Our message can be summed up in 3 C's: Capital, Contracts and Cooperation.

Members of Extend Ventures, along with many others in the community long deserving of the spotlight, have received non-stop requests for advice - opportunities that could not be passed up as we aim to diversify access to finance, drive awareness of the issues and improve outcomes for Black founders...

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So now what? We’ve had the conversation. Where is the action?