We have long believed in the ethical urgency behind the fight for equity and we stand by the business value of deliberately creating diverse teams to build better products. The more diverse your ideas are, the better the end results.

So since our inception, we’ve quietly been integrating inclusion and diversity into our long-term strategy, focusing on both internal and external goals to ensure our efforts are authentic, sustainable and impactful. 

Then came one of the biggest social justice revolutions in modern history. Like many companies the world over, The Hopper has been deeply affected by events as they have unfolded since the weekend George Floyd was killed. So, what are we doing to create more equity across our organisation and beyond?

First off, we are raising our own self-awareness on what it is to be both anti-racist and better allies to the black community. As well as collating resources and making them available to the entire organisation, we are launching a new series of external speaker events. Guests will be invited to share their stories, challenge our assumptions and inherent biases, and help us understand how we can make a difference.

The first speaker in our lineup will be British-Nigerian historian and broadcaster David Olusoga. The BAFTA winning TV presenter and Professor of Public History at University of Manchester will reflect on the causes of racism, why it is systemic in society and institutions, and the behaviours that continue to propagate it. 

Secondly, we have launched our Belonging, Inclusion and Diversity (BID) committee. This committee is our employee resource group for all things related to BID within our organization. Meeting weekly, the committee is mapping out a long-term strategy that will:

• Identify key pillars that will inform our future initiatives
• Measure, monitor and report on our progress across each of these pillars
• Foster a culture where every one of our employees is able to bring their whole authentic selves to work

This is just the start.

While in the past the fight for equality has focused on gaining civil rights, the call is for us to tackle our inherent biases, refuse to remain silent, have the courage to have difficult conversations and take actions that deliver equity.

We’ll be sharing our own progress and approaches on here, Instagram and LinkedIn, so please follow us and stay tuned.

------

We’re The Hopper - a new tech incubator helping startups at the seed and pre-seed stage, across ideation, incubation, and acceleration. We’re especially keen to close the funding gap for female-founded and female-led startups, but equally open to hearing from anyone with a great idea.

Visit www.thehopper.tech to find out more.