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Inequity in Silicon Valley

It's not just the Oscars: #TechSoWhite, too

Gregory Lowe II
Special for USA TODAY

The "Oscars so white" controversy dominated the Academy Awards ceremony last week. But it’s not just an Oscars problem.

Gregory Lowe II, CEO of Lowekey and founder of Fitbox

As an African-American tech entrepreneur, I can tell you that racism doesn't just pervade Hollywood. There is a definite parallel between minorities’ struggling for recognition in entertainment and the struggles of my peers of color in the tech industry. I have experienced it firsthand.

I remember walking into that room. Following weeks of phone conversations, I had finally scored an in-person meeting with the investors that could make it all happen. They had been thoroughly briefed on my idea and their interest in meeting with me held promise.

I was prepared. My suit was perfectly tailored. I had my pitch down and, after years of experience building and launching 10 successful mobile apps, including my latest venture FITBOX, I was fluent in the language of money.

Standing in front of a small group of established businessmen, I took my seat and confidently began my presentation. But one thing dominated the investors' attention and influenced their perception of me: the color of my skin.

Comparisons made throughout the meeting referencing black athletes and entertainers indicated that I was being stereotyped into a specifically black model of success.

I am an African-American male in technology and, despite my success, there is implicit bias that, still today in 2016, I and my peers of similar complexion cannot escape. Perhaps it is due to the lack of iconic African American entrepreneurs, but there is a lack of trust among investors in the entrepreneurial spirit of minorities — even when their companies are clearly investment worthy.

That day I got the typical "Let's stay in touch and see how it goes." And then silence. This was the same response I got from investors for my app Songbooth — 8 million downloads later, there was still silence.

Barriers to entry

There is a barrier to entry for every tech entrepreneur trying to get funding in today’s market. But there are additional walls for African Americans and other minority groups to overcome that too often make it feel impossible to find success in the space. The numbers bear that out. Fewer than 1% of venture capital-backed Internet companies have African American founder, according to a 2010 report by CB Insights.

Equal opportunity is still our dream, but it is not our reality, and bias is perhaps our greatest obstacle along the way. My confidence in my ideas is often perceived as arrogance. Tailored suits and nice clothing draw comparisons to what society defines as typical "black" models of success — hip-hop moguls and professional athletes — rather than defining success on individual terms.

More often than not, stereotyping is silent, but this doesn’t make it any less real or any less palpable for underrepresented minorities in tech.

Success isn’t black or white, it’s an individual accomplishment that comes in many shades of grey — so why in an age where the free world has an African-American leader, do institutions still perpetuate different versions of success based on race? Why is "black" success associated with creativity and athleticism, but not with intellect, innovation and business savvy?

From my vantage point, perception is the key driving factor that separates the well funded from the under funded. While white male confidence is perceived as an essential ingredient for success, African Americans with a high confidence level are met with distrust, particularly when it comes to money.

I was eventually able to secure debt-funding and angel funding for Lowekey and FITBOX from Caucasian and African-American investors. I'm still looking to secure venture capital to support FITBOX's growth as a global lifestyle brand.

500 Startups

We are taking steps to move in the right direction. Today, there are multiple programs in place teaching minority youth how to code — giving youth a skill they can use to foster success in the industry. But what does it mean to have these skills if we don’t have investors confident enough in these individuals to fund their creative vision?

Big things are beginning to happen. 500 Startups, an investment firm and start-up accelerator, recently announced Monique Woodard as its first African-American venture partner as the firm looks to increase investment in black and Latino founders. This is huge and certainly a step in the right direction, but we need to make this the norm, not the exception, when it comes to venture firms.

Genius is not bound by race, gender, ethnicity or income bracket.  So I ask the world this: When will the industry start recognizing African-Americans as the innovators we are?

Gregory Lowe is CEO of Lowekey and founder of Fitbox. He has launched 10 mobile applications including Songbooth, a social music video-making app, since 2008. He has contributed this article as a guest column to USA TODAY.

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