Celebrating International Women’s Day by Supporting LGBTQIA+ Women
March 8th is international women’s day. Celebrated across the globe, we take today to commemorate past activists, uplift women making strides towards liberation, and advocate for the further advancement of women’s rights across the globe. On this international women’s day, Chasing Rainbows wishes to highlight the work of our team member Kadi Findling.
Kadi Findling, Venture Partner
Originally a founder, Kadi joined the Chasing Rainbows Venture Capital team in late 2022. Since then her impact has been immeasurable. When asked to reflect on her experiences as a founder and how her gender has impacted these experiences this is what she said: “Speaking from when I was a founder, actively working on myCoffeePass - being a woman... a lesbian in tech in general - it's difficult. Not to play the victim card by any means, but being a female founder is difficult overall whether you're a part of the LGBTQ+ community or not.“
She continues to describe her experiences by sharing anecdotal accounts of what would happen at these venture capital and founder networking events. “ I would go to founder & investor networking events only to get 1. hit on &/or 2. asked if I am one of my male founder friend's secretary, personal assistant, or partner. Exhausting to say the very least. For both being a Founder & being an investor in Venture Capital - I have to make sure I am on point & more interesting than my male counterparts to be truly listened to & taken seriously. Being on the investor side makes things easier, in some ways for me, because I am seen as having money or connections to the ones with the money vs being a founder where you are the one actively looking for access to capital. Overall, yes... yes I am treated differently because I am a female. I would say this is the reality of women in the workforce in general.”
Findling’s experiences demonstrate many larger problems within the economy and the workforce. In spaces that have been historically hostile to marginalized groups, members of these communities must work twice as hard in order to receive a fraction of the same recognition as cisgender heterosexual white men. However, Chasing Rainbows Founding Partner Ben Stokes claims that this discrepancy in recognition for marginalized communities is not all bad news. He says that in this fight to receive morsels of recognition members of marginalized groups end up going twice as far.
While the current state of affairs may paint a bleak picture, Findling believes there is still a lot to be hopeful about. When asked what advice she would give to prospective young LGBTQIA+ women venture capitalists, Findling’s words are infused with both hope and joy:
“My advice to those interested in entering the Venture Capital field is this... It is us (underrepresented individuals) who change the game of Venture Capital into being more inclusive for all. Our identification as a part of the LGBTQ+ community is our SUPERPOWER. We aren't underrepresented... we are underestimated. Some of my best motivations for what I do is DIRECTLY related to my being underestimated. Always has been a HUGE driving factor in all that I have accomplished & will continue to accomplish. Might I recommend reframing our differences into our STRENGTHS. Always acknowledge the hardship,[and] then reframe what others think is our downfall into what makes us MORE valuable. Be your authentic self. You will never be liked by everyone & that is okay. Stay the course [and] surround yourself with positive/uplifting humans for your journey!”
It is with these words that we, Chasing Rainbows, move forward into the rest of women’s history month. So many of us in the LGBTQIA+ community do not just hold one marginalized identity, but we are also women, people of color, or disabled. With each intersectional identity comes new barriers and challenges but also new superpowers. Today and everyday we celebrate that those in our community are LGBTQIA+ AND so much more.