The future of entrepreneurship looks more diverse in gender, race, socio-economic background than ever. At CES2023, we learned about the value of investing in minority entrepreneurs and got a preview into the future values, needs and demographic of the workforce with Jenny Abramson, Founder and Managing Partner of Rethink Impact, the United State’s largest VC fund in the U.S. supporting female CEOs using tech to develop companies tackling the world’s ever shifting challenges. Abramson was joined by Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, the CEO of Wellthy, a market-leading solution that helps families manage caregiving.
Both women are invested in aiding the growth of companies in healthcare, education, environmental sustainability and workplace mobility, ideas and concepts that will directly improve the lives of others. As highly educated working mothers, who were both caregivers to their own mothers, these professionals understand the value of investing in entrepreneurs with visions that will help to curve the labor shortage. Jurist-Rosner, who was her mother’s long-term caretaker, explained that “we can get more people into roles if we provide social infrastructure like childcare and elder care so the workforce doesn’t have to leave jobs.”
Companies like Wellthy invest in opportunities to help retain talent and productivity, thus improving revenue generation and overall capital. Many C-level employees and leadership understand the value of employee retention and its direct result on company results.
Abramson also noted that “companies led by diverse entrepreneurs perform better,” but that COVID-19 limited investments in diverse entrepreneurs. There were less financial risks being taken in investing, with less opportunities for minority entrepreneurs to gain exposure and break boundaries through meeting people face-to-face- at events just like CES.
The future of capital investments are trending toward environmental sustainability, student debt, mental health and the future of how we work, both women hinted. “If you want to make change, don’t wait for someone else to make it happen,” said Ambrason.
