“The dominant image of the successful tech entrepreneur – white, male, confident – excludes many people. That’s not only unjust, it also hinders innovation,” says Van Merriënboer.
For her research, Van Merriënboer interviewed dozens of entrepreneurs and spent a year and a half observing the Dutch start-up scene from the inside. The experiences of women and entrepreneurs of colour are often distressing. “They are regularly the only woman or person of colour at the table. They face inappropriate comments or simply aren't taken seriously,” she says. The stereotype of the white man as the tech genius runs deep. “One female entrepreneur told me: ‘I always have to work three times as hard to prove I know what I’m talking about. Investors don’t automatically see me as an expert.’''
Smart strategies to be taken seriously
Despite the challenges, these entrepreneurs are far from giving up. Van Merriënboer describes how they develop a range of strategies to be taken seriously. “Some choose to behave in a more ‘masculine’ way. Others rely on white or male co-founders to gain access to funding.” At the same time, some entrepreneurs strategically embrace their unique position: “They use their difference as a strength to stand out.”
Diversity as a driver of innovation
Van Merriënboer stresses that these are not isolated cases, but symptoms of a broader system that needs to change. “If you don’t have access to networks or capital, it’s incredibly difficult to realise your ideas. And that’s a shame, because we need diverse perspectives to tackle today’s major societal challenges – from climate change to social inequality.”
New role models and greater diversity among investors
According to Van Merriënboer, change is possible – but it requires effort from all players in the ecosystem: from investors to universities, and from government bodies to incubator programmes. “We need to create new role models, raise awareness, and ensure more diversity among investors. As long as only white men decide who gets funding, the playing field will remain unequal.”