The venture capital firms that back Silicon Valley’s major startups are still mostly white and mostly male. But today, Benchmark took a step toward gender diversity with the hire of Sarah Tavel as a general partner.
Benchmark has hired Sarah Tavel, its first woman partner
She’s the first woman to be a VC at the early-stage investment firm.
Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch
Elizabeth Crane is a writer, editor, proofreader, fact-checker, word nerd, and nitpicker.
That means the now six-person partnership went from 0 percent women to 16 percent women in one fell swoop.
Tavel is no token female. Her resume spans Bessemer Venture Partners, Pinterest and Greylock Partners, and, according to Benchmark’s Bill Gurley, she “has shown a remarkable ability to spot new companies and markets.”
In Benchmark’s post, Gurley wrote:
It is clear that Sarah will get in front of breakout companies early, challenge our thinking on new markets, help us make sharper decisions, and be an incredible partner for the entrepreneurs we back.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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