Max: Thanks for having me, Spiffy. Right now, not everyone has the opportunity to work on the problems they care most about. Starting your own company is one of the best ways to make real change in the world, but it requires a lot of resources and support from a lot of people, and in today's world, those people and resources are not easy to find. We are trying to change that.
Pauline: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! I work for the UNHCR, which is tasked with protecting 100 million people forced to flee their homes because of war and violence. My work is to communicate about refugees and to make people care and take action. I create campaigns for our offices worldwide and I also mobilize tens of thousands of young people to advocate for refugees through a network called the Young Champions for Refugees.
Rendel: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! The television show Shark Tank popularized venture capital (VC). VC is the business of buying pieces (shares) of companies. When a VC investor buys a piece of a company, the entrepreneur can grow the business while the investor shares in future profits and value. The problem is that the decision-makers and firms that manage the capital do not accurately reflect the demographic makeup of the United States. There are very few women and very few people of color who are in a position to make these types of investments in companies. At VC Include, we work with aspiring fund managers (people who do what the sharks on Shark Tank do), to help them gain access to this industry.
