When they invited me to do the opening remarks for 1000+ people at the Startup University stage (Web Summit 2018 Lisbon), I had no doubt I should talk about:  diversity from a data standing point.

Backed by facts, I am confident that diversity drives profits and growth and would like more companies to see it as an investment, rather than a liability.

Successful startup ecosystems over the next two decades will  be those that close the Inclusion Gap and tap into full  diversity of their populations and talents. Those that don’t,  will fall behind - even if they are today’s top performers. The presentation (and transcript below) explain why.

1. The future is diverse. Here’s why: Successful startup ecosystems over the next two decades will be those that close the Inclusion Gap and tap into full diversity of their populations and talents. Those that don’t, will fall behind - even if they are today’s top performers.


2. The most prolific startup 
 markets in the US are flush with 
 foreign-born founders Global Connectedness: percentage of immigrant entrepreneurs among US metro areas 1. San Jose 2. Miami 3. Los Angeles 4. San Francisco 5. New York From Inc Entrepreneurship Index, by Arnobio Morelix, Startup Genome Director of Research


3. 20% of world’s tech founders are immigrants, while these represent only 4% of world’s population From Inc Entrepreneurship Index, by Arnobio Morelix, Startup Genome Director of Research Is your ecosystem open to immigrants?


4. Racial and ethnic diversity can lead to 35% more financial returns above the national average Adapted from the report Diversity Matters by McKinsey, released in February 2015. Is your ecosystem inclusive enough?


5. Gender diversity can lead to 15% more financial returns above the national average Adapted from the report Diversity Matters by McKinsey, released in February 2015. Is your ecosystem welcoming women?


6. Women make up only 16% of executives in US, 12% in United Kingdom/UK, and 6% in Brazil • 78% of UK companies have senior-leadership teams that fail to reflect the country’s demographic composition, compared with 91%for Brazil and 97% for the US. Adapted from the report Diversity Matters by McKinsey, released in February 2015. Women remain underrepresented at the top of corporations globally. The gap for racial and ethnic diversity is even deeper. Top markets are tightening immigration policies.


7. The new frontier of startups is going to be the places that tap into the full potential of diversity. Will your ecosystem make it?