FLM: Your passion appears to lie in building businesses that matter, explain how your experiences growing up had an impact on your desire to give back.
DVW: My family is deeply generous, even when we have had very little. As a child, I remember my single mom, who made no money, bringing suitcases of donated clothes, shoes, eyeglasses, and candies to distribute to the cramped, tin-roofed cabins of our Costa Rican neighbors. At the same time, I remember being bothered by our own poverty, as a child with subsidized lunch cards and occasionally on food stamps.
My sister and I cultivated a spirit of giving despite not having, through our volunteer work and early jobs, and I think we’ve both been constantly shown how to love our community and our neighbors and to give generously of the gifts we’ve been given. In my adult life that presents as my commitment of my time and energy to solving big problems that can have scaled impact. I just hope I am teaching my children the same great lessons I was shown.
FLM: There appears to be a ton of technology funds looking to invest in startups, which industries would you like to see more funds available for founders?
DVW: It is interesting that the perception is that there is so much capital available to startups in our city. But the reality is if you are just starting your business, it must meet so many criteria to be venture backable in this city. And unfortunately, some of that criteria is really hard to achieve as a founder of color or a socially or economically disadvantaged founder.