The future of work is not about making bold statements about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is about taking action. Successful leaders universally recognize the importance of diversity to their company culture, results, and competitive advantage, yet 1 in 4 black and hispanic workers experience discrimination work, hiring discrimination for black workers has not improved in 25 years, and major tech companies consistently report single digit percentages of underrepresented minorities in their employee ranks. Historically, Chief Diversity Officer turnover has been remarkably high because diversity efforts lack budget, transparency, and accountability.
We believe 2020 has permanently changed that cycle, and Mathison is leading the way. We are thrilled to announce our participation in Mathison’s Seed round led by Bain Capital Ventures. Over the last several years, our HR Advisors have consistently reported diversity has a key priority for them, and the racial reckoning of 2020 led to the much-needed establishment of permanent budget line items for diversity initiatives. This created an urgent need to find a scalable solution for addressing HR leader needs for building a diverse candidate pipeline, evaluating and hiring without bias, and ensuring success post-hire. Our ecosystem collectively reviewed dozens of diversity technology solutions, and Mathison’s team, technology, and platform stood out.
“[Mathison is] building both a diverse candidate pipeline and the capabilities/processes to successfully hire. For companies reckoning with diversity, this feels mission critical,” Duane Bray of IDEO noted. The platform provides top-of-funnel diversity sourcing, a system to reduce bias in the hiring process, and tools to mobilize the entire team around diversity hiring efforts. The company also partners with diversity-focused professional organizations to serve under-represented groups and offer access to self-identified diverse job seekers.
Mathison’s explosive growth is a result of their incredible product vision, as well as their commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels. As Diane Gherson, former CHRO of IBM, aptly stated, “The DEI conversation is here to stay, and it is not going to be easy because all of the easy stuff has already been done.” While the road ahead will not be straightforward, we believe that Mathison will play a role in changing the relationship between employers and diverse employees in a way that unleashes diversity as a strength, instead of a challenge to overcome.