In 2020, Crunchbase introduced Diversity Spotlight to centralize and highlight data about companies with diverse leadership and the investors who fund them. In doing so, we created a central place for VCs and CEOs of underrepresented backgrounds to connect with one another – whether for fundraising opportunities, relationship-building, or mentorship. Our ultimate goal was to address systemic underfunding and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and gender, and to ultimately foster a more inclusive and equitable startup ecosystem.
Full list of available Diversity Spotlight tags here.
Since then, we’ve expanded Diversity Spotlight even further. Last year, we added LGBTQ+ tags to address the barriers faced by LGBTQ+ founders in raising capital. With our “LGBTQ+ Led” and “LGBTQ+ Founded” tags, we provided a tool for raising awareness and facilitating research and analysis on funding trends within the LGBTQ+ community. (Note that we use an opt-in and verification process to ensure privacy and safety.)
Today, we are thrilled to announce another expansion of Diversity Spotlight to include companies in Europe. This will enable between 596,970 and 1,021,021 additional companies on Crunchbase to add Diversity Spotlight tags to their profiles, and will help increase the visibility of diverse founders and investors across the continent.
Diversity is not just a buzzword; it is a crucial component of innovation and equity for communities everywhere. For startups and VC firms, diverse teams bring varied perspectives, leading to better problem-solving and more innovative solutions. By highlighting diverse leadership in both the U.S. and Europe, we aim to continue to address the funding gap and promote an inclusive entrepreneurial environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Are you a European company based in the UK, EU, or EEA that has diverse leadership? Fill out the tag request form if you’d like us to add a Diversity Spotlight tag to your company.
More about Diversity Spotlight contributors
To date, 71,793 U.S.-based profiles have been updated with Diversity Spotlight tags including, but not limited to:
- 66,486 Women Founded tags;
- 1,731 Black Founded tags;
- 1,547 Hispanic/Latine Founded tags; and
- 671 South Asian Founded tags.
Here are some of the diverse-founded and -led companies that have contributed so far to enable the expansion of our dataset to Europe:
Happl – LGBTQ+ Founded, LGBTQ+ Led
Happl is a personalized benefits and engagement platform for global teams.
Data Dumpling – South Asian Founded, South Asian Led, Women Led, Women Founded
Data Dumpling is an AI platform that automates customer acquisition for SaaS companies.
Unravel Health – Black Founded, Black Led, Women Founded, Women Led
Unravel Health offers daily hormone monitoring and personalized recommendations.
PD Buddy – Women Founded, Women Led
PD Buddy is an app inspired by science helping to slow down Parkinson’s disease progression and improve quality of life.
Where this data comes from
To be GDPR compliant, we have taken additional measures to ensure data privacy and security. This includes rigorous data verification processes and adherence to European privacy regulations.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our exclusive launch partner, i³ investing, who provided their expertise and reached out to their network to support this expansion. Additional expansion partners include Colorintech, Black Tech Fest, Female Founders, and Tech Nation.
“Data is still monarch. We need to be able to quantify the state of LGBTQ+ founders and investors in a meaningful way. Despite us all understanding the human and psychological case for investing in intersectionality, data will further strengthen that thesis. The ecosystem needs more collaborative initiatives to ensure all underfunded founders can thrive. i³ investing is excited to be Crunchbase’s Exclusive Launch Partner, in order to not only shed light on underrepresented queer founders, but bolster our philosophy that these individuals are also underestimated and ones to watch. They are ‘intersectional incredibles.’” – Christian Tooley, Founder of i³ investing
“Current data on Europe’s tech ecosystem is crucial for our efforts at Female Founders in driving meaningful change towards gender equity. By shining a light on the existing inequalities, we can strategically focus our efforts, accurately track our progress, give startups the recognition they deserve, and rally support from key stakeholders within the ecosystem. Empowering us to create a more inclusive and equitable future for European tech – one that’s truly better for us all.” – Valerie Hengl, Co-CEO of Female Founders
“Access to comprehensive data is fundamental to our mission at Colorintech to make a more equitable tech ecosystem. By highlighting the disparities faced by underrepresented founders and investors, we can support the tech ecosystem towards effective collaboration and initiatives. By leveraging greater data depth and quality, we can rally stakeholders across the ecosystem such as investors and policy makers to do more to foster a more diverse and inclusive industry.” – Ashleigh Ainsley, Co-Founder of Colorintech
Take action
If you’re a founder or investor looking to get discovered, make sure that your company is in Crunchbase and your Diversity Spotlight tags are up to date. You can also use Crunchbase to find and connect with investors and founders of diverse backgrounds.
If you would like support to add Diversity Spotlight tags to your Crunchbase profile, please send an email to spotlight@crunchbase.com.
