62 | MENTORS MAGAZINE | EDITION 1
- By Dr. Ximena Hartsock, co-founder and
President of Phone2Action
The tech industry undeniably is tough envi-
ronment for women. Today, women are un-
derrepresented in both technical and leader-
ship roles at Silicon Valley’s best-known
companies. Women founders brought in just
2.2 percent of venture capital dollars in
2018, while mixed male-
female leadership teams
brought in 12 percent.
Women of color have it
even harder. Since 2009,
black women have
brought in just 0.0006% of
VC funding, and Latinx
women just 0.32% accord-
ing to ProjectDiane2018.
As a co-founder of
Phone2Action and a His-
panic woman with an accent, I know what
it’s like to face these odds. I wish my identity
weren’t a disadvantage, but it is, so I swal-
low my pride and focus on our mission. If
that means having my white male co-
founder do VC pitches without me, I’ll do
what it takes.
No set of tips that will guarantee success,
respect or whatever you’re after. In retro-
spect though, I believe that certain choices
can made a difference for me, and they
might help you too.
Work for strong women
My first boss managed a Department of Edu-
cation grant for the W ashington D.C. public
schools. She was unapolo-
getic, firm and honest. I
didn’t think of her as a
mentor, but I now realize
that observing her leader-
ship shaped my career.
My boss noticed who re-
sponded well to challeng-
es and gave those people
opportunities. I saw first-
hand how hard work led to
advancement.
While that sounds naïve, most work environ-
ments teach the opposite message — that
politics trump merit. I grew up in Chile
where family connections determined your
prospects and zip code is destiny. I watched
how the politics played out, so I left for the
land of opportunity, the United States. Even