Colorful Capital’s William Burckart attended a Pride Month White House meeting to reinforce the need for better data on LGBTQIA+ representation and more accredited investors from this community. In a recent feature, Burckart highlights the systemic risk posed by the lack of LGBTQIA+ representation in the investment sector and advocates for a dedicated SEC subcommittee to address these issues. The report "Outsized Impact," provides actionable recommendations for mitigating these risks.

In commentary published in Pensions & Investments, Colorful Capital's William Burckart and Lloyd He discuss the growing demand for LGBTQIA+ investment options and the market's failure to adequately respond. The article reveals how systemic inequities and exclusionary practices hinder LGBTQIA+ economic participation and lead to financial and social risks, underscoring the critical role of the financial community in fostering LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Read our May 2024 white paper on how investment can address the systemic risk of LGBTQIA+ inequity. Building upon our inaugural 2022 white paper that illustrated the challenges that face LGBTQIA+ founders in accessing venture capital, “Outsized Impact” is intended to inspire investors to leverage their policies, programs, and practices to drive collective action and begin addressing LGBTQIA+ inequity at a fundamental level.

Planning for retirement for LGBTQIA+ older adults is a different process than for other communities, particularly since these older adults are more likely to be single, live alone, and have no children or family they can rely on for caregiving as they age. Read more about the financial dynamics of LGBTQIA+ aging here.

In the U.S. our banks, investment firms, lenders, and credit bureaus are not yet collecting or even making it possible for people to opt into sharing data on their gender beyond the binary or their LGBTQ+ identity. Read more about the implications here.

Our interview with finance industry powerhouse Lola C. West will inspire, amuse, and confound you. One of Lola’s first quotes in the piece is: I'm black first, a woman second, and gay third. Early in my career, they didn't know what to do with me.” Read the full interview here.

In this piece, we showcase research undertaken by our colleagues at Morgan Stanley who found that nearly half of investors wanted increased opportunity to invest in support of LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion.

To those who question the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community this Pride, the Morgan Stanley report should serve as a strong indication of what’s to come: We are not going anywhere, and if the investment industry is smart, they will only increase their investments in our community. Investors are demanding it. Ignoring this demand will only have you miss out on an important market segment and hurt your bottom line.

In this NASDAQ piece, we address the upsurge in threats to progress and safety for LGBTQ+ communities today. We encourage our readers with this imperative: “This month, consider how your power, position, investments, or standing might allow you to influence and bolster those who are standing up to the assaults and striving to protect and expand the rights, safety, and progress of the LGBTQ+ community. This is not a moment for bystanders, it’s a time to stand with and for what we believe and who we are.”

While LGBTQ+ people represent over 7% of the U.S. population, only 0.6% of Fortune 500 corporate board members identify as LGBTQ+. This stands in stark contrast to an empirical fact: diversity of thought and perspective on leadership teams translates to better performance while lack of diversity has proven to increase risk.

For our March NASDAQ column, we sat down with Rachel Robasciotti of Adasina Social Capital to learn from her experience intaking a racial justice capital strategy to the fore and her own experience as a Black woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

For our February NASDAQ column, we sat down with Otho Kerr of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to learn more about his experience, insights and work at the intersection of capital markets, communities of color and LGBTQ+ identity.

January brought new data on the status of LGBTQI+ adults in the United States. We took the opportunity to reflect on the systems and influences that result in ill effects for LGBTQI+ people and communities and the opportunities to counter those forces through capital allocation practices.

While it could be tempting to see the new Respect for Marriage Law as a time for celebration and a feeling of relief, marriage is only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to protection and access for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

In November, Transgender Awareness Month, we saw a burst of attention paid to the social, economic, and political barriers to the success of transgender people. Investors and market-makers would be wise to take note. Transgender founders and their ventures are building successful businesses and growing traction in markets far and wide.

In our inaugural NASDAQ post, Colorful Capital co-founders Megan Kashner and William Burckart set out a baseline on barriers for LGBTQ+ individuals when it comes to securing and retaining financial status, building wealth, and maintaining basic economic security.

Colorful Capital Co-Founders William Burckart and Megan Kashner on paving the way with capital for underestimated LGBTQ+ founders

The Movement Advancement Project has detailed discrimination protections and allowances state by state and the data is striking.

Television interview with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

A baseline study on the LGBTQ+ Experience in Venture Funding

A report from Kauffman Fellows and MaC Venture Capital