Background Information: An LGBTQ minority entrepreneur after failing to raise funds for his apparel business addresses implicit biases in the VC community.
Theme: Leadership, Bias, Inclusion
Theme (Explained): Biases often involve narratives around a person or a culture in an organization, but a larger reason – economic incentives that propagate the biases is never addressed.
Profile: Entrepreneur
Industry: Fashion
MBA Essay Strategy: Although not purposefully designed to keep the minority community out, the opportunities in Technology are favored by the venture capital community, leaving out high-potential fashion entrepreneurs – most from minority or LGBTQ+ communities from achieving funding milestones.
The redesign of the evaluation metrics and investment philosophy by educating the VC community about the opportunities in the affordable ‘fashion’ niche is the core of the narrative.
I didn’t want to turn preachy or bring an activist ‘tone’ to the narrative. The theme is implicit bias – not from any discrimination but from the lack of exposure to opportunities in niches within the fashion industry.
Another missed opportunity was not recognizing the ‘evolved’ taste in fashion among the minority consumers in the market.
While narratives on bias and inclusion need a strong ‘vision’ statement, starting the essay with a generic commentary about bias in a community could be counterproductive. Instead, I have personalized the applicant’s journey before introducing the larger problem in fund-raising at the middle of the narrative.
Opener: The opening line builds intrigue on the ‘problem’ the entrepreneur was solving.
Kellogg MBA Leadership Value, Difficult Decision and IMPACT on leadership Style Essay (Addressing IMPLICIT Biases IN VC Community) (439 Words)
I gave my victory lap, soaking in the love of the crowd. To acknowledge the appreciation, I raised my fist and felt a sprinkle of sweat falling on my legs.
It was embarrassing.
An estimated 2-3% of Americans experience axillary hyperhidrosis – the excessive sweating of the underarms. Unlike an athletic event where the audience is removed from the athlete by at least 100 meters, at the office, college, and in a social event, the sweats leave a visible stain. The underarm pads were clunky and didn’t offer a permanent solution. As an Entrepreneurship major, I developed the prototype ..
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