Random Notes: Gender/VCs, Parenting Teens, Eco-Invites
1) Businessweek recently posted an interesting piece by Jeff Bussgang (note: male perspective) on gender and leadership in the VC realm. In it, he offered up several ways to look at sexism in that field – which then launched some engaging discussion in the comments (and yes, I added my two cents). Bussgang closes with this wise observation:
I guess when you have a clubby, tightly-woven, self-perpetuating network, it’s hard for women to break in. It’s a stubborn phenomenon, but I hope we can figure out how to correct it. Otherwise, our industry is tragically losing out on 50% of the world’s best talent!
2) I often write about how important it is to learn the language of the consumer in order to better reach him or her. And, this language lesson seems still more important in our 24/7 too-busy-to-listen world. That’s why Vanessa Van Petten’s site, Radical Parenting, caught my eye. How great for parents of teens to find help understanding their kids, not through famous psychologists and researchers – but through the words and ideas of teens themselves!
3) Innovative businesses (often of the “green” or socially responsible leaning) are known to pop up pretty frequently in my region of Vermont, and I recently came across another. Inlu was co-founded by two women who noticed, among other things, that a lot of moms now striving to live more green lives had significant conflict about the number of darned birthday party gifts (with wrapping!) they had to buy on an annual basis. What they’ve developed is a fun online invitation, cause giving and group gift solution that speaks a “woman’s language” (to reiterate my theme) in getting the job done with less check writing, postage stamps and wrapping materials. Recycling bins everywhere thank them.
