In the cloistered good old boys’ club of Silicon Valley, male VCs invite other male VCs in on deals and fund male founders. The male founders go on to hire men who look like them. When big companies acquire start-ups, the male-heavy workforce is absorbed into a bigger male-heavy company. This means that the software, hardware, apps, social media, AI, and more are being created, funded, and run by men.

But improving the gender balance is not only about equality — it’s also about a better bottom line and a thriving global economy. Women represent half of the world’s population and half of its potential. Research shows that companies with more diversity, particularly with more women in leadership, offer higher returns on capital and greater innovation than firms without this leadership. Companies with more women at the executive and board levels perform better. Start-ups with at least one female founder see a better return on their investments. Companies that do the best with gender diversity on their executive teams are statistically more likely to have above-average profitability.

Women in tech: “Half of the population is female, so where are all the women in Silicon Valley?”