Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2019
  4. arrow_forward_ios 08
  5. arrow_forward_ios Why diversity in venture capital matters for startups

Why diversity in venture capital matters for startups

26 August 2019
In the first of a two-part blog series exploring venture capital and what startups need to know about seeking investors, find out why a healthy startup ecosystem requires diversity in the people investing in them. And who better to champion that message than a panel of Sydney’s top female venture capitalists. 

../5N7A1253%20copy.JPG

Photo by Olivana Smith-Lathouris

As part of UTS’ Festival of Future You, UTS Startups partnered with Reinventure to bring together students, startup founders and startup industry professionals to explore the inner workings of venture capital and the importance of diversity within VC firms.

Lauren Capelin, Head of Venture Community at Reinventure, moderated a panel that included Georgie Turner, Principle at Tidal Ventures; Lucinda Hankin, Investment Associate at Grok Ventures; Hannah Yan Field, Investment Manager at Tempus Partners; and, Emily Close, Head of Venture Community and Business Development at Airtree Ventures. 

Diversity means more than gender 

From the obvious starting point of gender diversity within VC firms, discussion focused on why diversity is critical for the future of startups and in turn, the future of our society. 

Lucinda Hankin said investors should reflect the companies they invest in. 

“Women have a bigger share of the wallet in terms of consumer spending, we’re more active on social channels, it makes sense to back companies that are solving problems for women and the best people to do that are women,” said Hankin. 

However for Georgie Turner, diversity doesn’t only include gender diversity.

“As VCs, we’re funding the founders that are building the products for the future and those products need to be representative of the global population as a whole and that accounts for women, people of different backgrounds of all shapes and sizes,” she said. 

Hannah Yan Field agreed, adding that cognitive diversity is crucial and that the way people think, and choose to invest, is reflective of their socio-economic background, ethnicity, nationality and the way we live our lives.

“If you have everyone that looks the same, that thinks the same and come from the same backgrounds you’ll end up with investments in the same types of companies,” she said.  

How diverse is VC in Australia? 

Hannah Yan Field, who began her career in Boston as a violinist and then as a sales and growth manager in San Francisco, describes herself as ‘the anti-typical venture capitalist in America’. 

“I’ll be frank, if I tried to get into VC in the states, I wouldn’t even be looked at because I didn’t go to an Ivy League undergrad, I didn’t go to Harvard or Stanford business school and I didn’t work at a big bank,” she said. 

She decided to bring her skills to Australia where a younger VC landscape allowed her the opportunity to begin a new career path despite having never made an investment in her life. 

“Something that really surprised me was being given that opportunity and having the full confidence of the team.”

“In Australia, I feel like I can be part of something collectively ambitious and I’m really proud that I can contribute my career here,” she said. 

Despite Australia’s potential in the world of VC, women are still vastly underrepresented in leadership and executive positions and Emily Close of Airtree Ventures believes this is contributing to a lack of overall diversity within venture capital. 

“One of the challenges has been that often you look up to people above you for roles you want to move in to. And when you’re younger you look for female role models and if you don’t have anyone working in venture, you don’t necessarily know about that,” she said. 

Luncinda Hankin said that whilst hiring more females is important, there should be a greater focus on tackling the issue of diversity in higher positions.  

“We can hire more women at the junior level but that’s kind of easy. We need to solve the partner-level problem because they are the decision-makers,” she said. 

In part two of our Women in Venture blog series  (to be published on Tuesday 27 August 2019), our panellists will offer the inside scoop on venture capital and give startup founders their golden tips and red flags when looking for potential investors. 

If you’d like to learn more about opportunities in the startup ecosystem, sign up to our newsletter here.

 

 

Byline

Olivana Smith-Lathouris, UTS Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to Entrepreneurship at UTS blog

Related News

  • IWD
    Celebrating and inspiring women in entrepreneurship
  • Student to CEO of Australia’s largest startup community

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility