Why should the IPO be the ideal most entrepreneurs strive for? Meet the new model challenging the dominant Silicon Valley narrative.
ICYMI Whitney Wolfe Herd led Bumble to its IPO on NASDAQ late last week. The internet went pretty bananas for it (at least in my bubble). People (including me) are delighted to see a new record broken by a 31 year old female founder & CEO, and with a baby on her hip no less! Of course, many note that her achievement is still too rare. And for Black founders, rarer still. There were echoing calls across the interwebs: “We need more VCs focused on people-of-colour!” And “we need more accelerators for women only!” But rather than galvanized, I was…
In the face of global crises, let’s stop elevating personal sacrifice as our greatest source of solutions; it’s time to seek each other, imagine together, and act collectively if we want to accelerate change.
Do you keep an ever-growing mental list of all the things you should and shouldn’t do? Buy less! Recycle more! Don’t fly! Go vegan! Ditch the plastic straw! Take your money elsewhere! Drive electric! Don’t procreate! Bring your own bag! Speak-up! Be courageous! Be the change!
My own list has become terribly long — inexhaustible and exhausting. But for ‘good people’ [read: affluent, privileged, middle class, educated] who desire a more just and equitable future, our most prevalent strategy seems to be the strength and morality our own free wills. Guess we better get on with saving the world, one-vegan-burger-at-a-time.
Oona Eager
I am a community and collaboration designer living in Amsterdam. I like to write, too. Find out more about my work at http://oonaver.se
