“ There needs to be work on not only relationship building , but relationship procurement that ’ s specific to entrepreneurship and technology .”
Despite these challenges , Sands is optimistic that diversity within the industry is improving . “ There are definitely more black and brown leaders taking the leap of faith and venturing into fintech .
“ When I started , I was the only one in the room . Now , we ’ re not quite filling rooms yet , but there are certainly more of us . I ’ m excited to see this and hope that my team and I can be a catalyst to their future success .
“ More black leaders and fintechs in the room builds not just diversity of race , but diversity of thoughts and ideas . This is what leads to innovation .”
“ As a minority founder , I faced additional hurdles in winning the hearts of investors . We encountered scepticism and bias , which we had to overcome to secure the necessary funding ”
DEVON DREW CEO OF DFD PARTNERS fintechmagazine . com 127