There is increasing evidence that serial innovators prefer breadth over depth and much of what remains undiscovered lies between specialised niches. David Epstein writes in his book Range, we need both specialists and generalists in this world. With the rise of specialised funds (particularly on each of our four themes), we thought it worthwhile sharing some of the reasons we have chosen to generalise.
We believe in having a healthy planet, with thriving minds enjoying a vibrant culture where everyone is welcome. We also know that each of these goals is inter-connected.
Since beginning our venture journey, it has become clear that there are ample opportunities to fill the portfolio from climate tech opportunities alone, however we have chosen to stay broad and in fact have found that the connections between our themes amplify their impact. We thought we’d share some of these insights.
The links between the themes
- Global warming has fueled inequality issues. Women are disproportionately adversely affected by climate change. Thus, solving climate change also reduces inequality at a global level.
- There is increasing evidence that inequality is delaying better climate policy. Equality, and specifically women in leadership, is directly correlated to better climate policy. Investing in women is cited repeatedly as the best way to address climate change.
Correlation of climate action and gender inequality
- Extreme weather events caused by climate change have been associated with increased anxiety and domestic violence. Thereby an unhealthy planet contributes to less healthy minds.
- We need thriving healthy minds to address climate, create a vibrant culture and address inequality.
- A lack of visibility of minority groups in arts/ music/ entertainment has fueled inequality and limited opportunities for women, LGBTQI and people of colour. There are 2.24 men to every woman in films.
- Art and creativity is increasingly being recognised as an evidence based avenue to promote mental health. Extensive research in neuroscience and psychology have found it has a range of benefits including decreasing stress and anxiety and improving learning capacity. Alberts believe that music has the ability to change lives and you can learn more about what we’re doing in this space directly here.
- Inequality fuels worse wellbeing for marginalised groups, we see this particularly acutely in women’s health. For example, women were only required to be included in drug trials from 1993, and in fact were deliberately excluded from 1977-1986 by FDA policies.
As we continue to invest in each of our impact themes, we believe that this intersectionality will fuel greater impact to solving the root issues facing society today. We need both generalists and specialists, but for now – we’re happy to keep being generalists and play in the space between.
