Mistreatment of women isn't limited to sexual harassment. Tech can and must do better.

Before I joined the world of venture, I was in active discussions with several start-ups, exploring full-time and consulting VP Product roles. I loved this time interviewing -- meeting new startups, learning about new businesses and products, and having very enjoyable conversations with startup founders/CEOs. During this time, I was acutely aware that none of these startups (with the exception of one led by a female founder) had a single female on their executive teams. I chalked it up to "Well, I guess this is what tech looks like now".

I was fairly far along in discussions with one company (a Series C backed start-up) for a consulting role as interim VP Product, including having had 3 meetings with the CEO and great conversations with his (all male) executive team. An email in my inbox read: "Thanks again for coming in today. The feedback from the team was terrific. Would love to make this happen together. Interested in seeing if we can make the consulting arrangement work". When I did meet with him the next day to discuss the possibility of moving forward, our meeting started off very pleasant. When the discussion of compensation was raised, I was very honest in telling him my current consultant rate (at a much earlier stage startup) and what I was expecting to make instead -- a rate that was still half of what my male peers in similar VP consulting roles command. He questioned how I arrived at that number, and at that moment, I had an uneasy feeling that the conversation was heading south. This CEO then asked what other companies I was considering joining, and somewhere in that conversation, I correctly called out that it seemed his enthusiasm for bringing me in had changed. He then said that he only wanted people at the company who were "mission-driven". (As a side note, former colleagues will point out without hesitation that I have always fully been in service to the "mission" and our customers at the purpose-driven companies that I've had the privilege of being part of.) I spent the last 10 minutes of the conversation quite flustered, trying to convince him that I cared deeply about "mission", and with the conversation ending abruptly after that. I left our discussion very shaken. Not surprisingly, it was the last time we spoke in person.

I truly believe that this incident arose as a result of advocating for myself with respect to compensation, and I also truly believe that this CEO will deny that compensation played any part. Fast forward a year and a half later, and that startup's team page has 10 executive team members and 12 board members/investors/advisors listed. And do you know how many of those 22 listed are women? Zero. Not a single female! In fairness, I do know that a female VP Product was hired a year ago, although your guess is as good as mine as to why she may no longer be listed on the team page.

If you are a founder/CEO and you do not have an executive team or Board that mirrors what society looks like, you need to do some serious soul searching. Making excuses that your company is hard core tech (or finance or science) and doesn't attract women, or that the pipeline of women/minorities is too small, or that you won't compromise on quality to fill roles are no longer acceptable. You must do better by telling your management team, your company and your Board that you are committed to fixing this issue -- and then actually do something about it.

A CEO whom I respect deeply, Jack Conte, Founder & CEO of Patreon, did exactly that. Jack recently shared with me a story that 2 years ago, his executive team was filled with only white men, and his team demanded change. He projected what his startup's future would look like if he did not make an immediate change (it did not look pretty), and committed himself to doing better from that moment on. Fast forward to today, 70% of the Patreon executive team is from an underrepresented group in tech. When I recently visited with Jack at Patreon's office, two of the three people to greet me were African American women. Jack is actively looking to fill an open VP Product position with a woman, and he has told his Board he is deeply committed to this even if it takes 6-months longer to fill this critical role.

Now imagine if my personal story from earlier had turned out differently. What if that start-up founder had said, "I'm committed to paying you what you are worth. I would love to have you on the team. When can you start"? Or even better, what if he said "I'm going to pay you 20% more than what you are asking because I know you will do an amazing job." Would it have increased my probability of wanting to join? Likely. Would it have increased my respect for that CEO? Almost certainly. Would I have worked twice as hard at that startup had I joined? You bet!

If you are a start-up founder/CEO and you want to do better, here's a few immediate steps you can take:

• Commit to having half of your executive team be from an underrepresented group over the next 2 years. If Jack can do it, you certainly can too.
• To get there, tell your entire team and your Board members that you are committed to this, even if it takes you longer to fill these executive roles, and make them hold you accountable.
• Tell your executive recruiters that at least half of the candidates in the pipeline be from an underrepresented group in tech. Better yet, demand that the first 10 candidates you talk to be from an underrepresented group. I would be greatly surprised if you didn't find someone amazing through this process.
• Make sure that there is at least one woman (or several) on the interview team. Research has shown that women are more likely to get offered roles and accept these offers if they are interviewed by other women. And no, it is not ok if the sole woman interviewing is from the HR department.
• Be supportive in your compensation negotiations (or promotion discussions) with women. You know from the research that women almost never ask for what they're worth. Don't negotiate them down. Give them what they ask. Or do better, and give them what they're worth (which will often mean more than what they've asked and in-line with what you would pay a male counterpart in that role).
• Ensure that your culture is one that is supportive and respectful for all your employees, male and female alike.

I'm sharing my story because I believe it is so important for women to share their stories -- and to have the courage to stand up for themselves just as Susan Fowler, Niniane Wang, Susan Ho, and Leiti Hsu have done in sharing their stories and starting a movement. However, the unfair treatment that women are subjected to in the workplace are often not related to sexual harassment. They are every day stories that would not get press mention -- stories such as needing to defend yourself in compensation negotiations, having your male colleagues speak over you in business meetings, being passed over for that well-deserved promotion -- the list goes on. It's critical for women to self-advocate and demand equal respect and equal treatment to their male counterparts, and for our male allies to advocate for the same.

In writing this, I'm also crossing my fingers that many of the founders/CEOs reading this will do some soul searching and commit to doing better when it comes to diversity & inclusion, fairness and respect in the workplace.

Note: This is my first Linked In post, and I welcome your comments and feedback!