Finance
I used to hear the word finance and a sense of dread overcame me. Immediately, I pictured numbers, financial statements, men in suits... I could practically hear the closing bell on Wall Street. All of these factors can be intimidating, especially as a young woman of color entering the industry. As part of the next generation soon-to-be running corporate America, I desire to play a role in ushering in a new era of inclusivity and diversity, particularly in finance and leadership positions. It’s discouraging that in 2021 women own only 41 CEO-level seats in all of the Fortune 500 companies. Out of those 41, only three are women of color; and on top of that there are only three Black Fortune 500 CEOs. As disheartening as these statistics are, my time with Groove has taught me another idea of what finance can be—an opportunity.
An opportunity for change. An opportunity for growth.
These changes need to start within the industry before they can be felt by it.
In an effort to improve these statistics, I was inspired to start a series of interviews centered around women who have succeeded in corporate America. With the goal of preparing ourselves to enter the workforce, I and my female coworkers at Groove—Kiley and Brianna—will be discussing subjects such as how we can inspire women to invest, challenges women face in venture capital and angel investing, and ways for women to advance in their career.
To help digest these lessons, the three of us will also be hosting small-group conversations with the female investors in Groove, in hopes of scaling lessons learned as we all face these challenges. Our core objective is to inspire women to take control of their wealth, which ultimately affords us the opportunity to invest.
Many women still perceive finance as I once did—extremely unappealing and an afterthought. However, we realize that if we educate more women on the ins-and-outs of investing, we can slowly dismantle the stigma surrounding it. Collectively, we are working towards that goal, and we invite you to join us on our journey.