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As a partner and head of talent, Matt coaches our founders on hiring the best talent and building healthy and high-performing cultures. He leads several of our future of work investments. Matt previously built and led the People functions at DigitalOcean and Return Path (#1 Best Place to Work in NYC and #2 in the US, respectively).

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Online flower retailer The Bouqs Company delivers flowers and plants fresh from eco-friendly, sustainable farms to doorsteps nationwide.

The Bouqs Company

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Juan Pablo Montúfar

John Tabis

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John is Partner and Head of Launchpad, the M13 Venture Studio helping founders build companies that define the future of business. Prior to M13, John founded and scaled The Bouqs Company and worked in strategy for The Walt Disney Company and Bain & Co.   John continues to serve Bouqs as Chairman of the Board and also teaches entrepreneurship at UCLA Anderson.

Partner

John is Partner and Head of Launchpad, the M13 Venture Studio helping founders build companies that define the future of business.

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John Tabis | M13

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Wesley is an Investment Analyst. Prior he spent 2 years in investment banking at Oppenheimer focused on technology.

Wesley Lau

Investor

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Wesley Lau | M13

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As a director on the Propulsion team, Melissa spends her time supporting M13 portfolio companies in their growth. Melissa was previously a senior associate and head of platform for early stage fintech fund Clocktower Ventures, and go-to-market lead for the Deloitte Ventures incubator.

Melissa Montan

Operator

As a director on the Propulsion team, Melissa spends her time supporting M13 portfolio companies in their growth. Melissa was previously a senior associate and head of platform...

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Melissa Montan | M13

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Sarah was previously the VP of marketing and investor relations at Arlon Group and has served in IR roles at StepStone Group and Citi Private Equity. She is a public company board member, co-founded the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, and has served on numerous non-profit boards.

Sarah Tomolonius

Sarah was previously the VP of marketing and investor relations at Arlon Group and has served in IR roles at StepStone Group and Citi Private Equity. She is a public company...

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Sarah Tomolonius | M13

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Brent Murri is a Partner at M13 where he leads early-stage investments in consumer technology companies. Brent joined M13 from Battery Ventures where he focused on growth-stage enterprise software investments. Prior to Battery, he worked in strategy & business development for Samsung NEXT, where he developed and executed strategies around Samsung’s consumer software and services initiatives.

Brent Murri

As a principal at M13, Brent leads investments across the firm's consumer investment themes. Prior to joining M13, Brent was an investment Associate at Battery Ventures...

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Brent Murri | M13

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As a product specialist, Rob helps startups strategically build, deploy, fundraise, and go to market. Prior to M13, Rob has been a serial founder as the CEO of BlackSmith Studios and Pecabu, as well as acting in an interim-CMO/CPO capacity at a number of later-stage Bay Area VC-backed companies, including Cala Health, Apnicure, Neodyne & others. He is a recipient of UK Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012.

Rob Smith

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Rob Smith | M13

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A partner and head of legal, Win has served in senior leadership roles at numerous consumer technology companies, including as General Counsel of MasterClass and early-stage startup Vessel (acquired by Verizon), as well as senior legal and business affairs roles at Hulu. A former electrical engineer, he started his legal career as a corporate attorney at Latham & Watkins

Win Chevapravatdumrong

Win leads all legal and risk matters relating to our investment activity and fund operations and provides operational and strategic support to our portfolio companies.

Win Chevapravatdumrong SEO

Win Chevapravatdumrong | M13

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Mariah brings deep expertise in executive search from True Search & Daversa Partners, where she’s helped build executive and founding teams for early-stage venture-backed companies. She's passionate about building diverse, high-impact teams for mission-driven companies changing our everyday lives. 

Mariah Lang

Mariah brings deep expertise in executive search.

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Mariah Lang | M13

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As Director of Product, Mary brings her experience as a former co-founder to help portfolio companies strategically design, develop, and optimize the user journey. Mary takes pride in building meaningful relationships with founders and sharing her passion for product design, innovation, and creativity. She’s always excited to collaborate with startups and help them achieve their goals.

Mary Lara

As Director of Product, Mary brings her experience as a former co-founder to help portfolio companies strategically design, develop, and optimize the user journey.

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Mary Lara | M13

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As portfolio operations analyst, Amelia supports M13 portfolio companies in their growth and expansion. Prior to M13, Amelia was corporate partnerships and marketing manager at Stampede Ventures, where she built and led marketing launches for new companies developed from joint ventures. Amelia also worked for CAA, HBO, and NBCUniversal. 

Amelia Zack

As portfolio operations analyst, Amelia supports M13 portfolio companies in their growth and expansion.

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Amelia Zack | M13

__In a marketplace where products and technology are becoming more and more commoditized, Talent is often the key differentiator.__ It’s fantastic to see how more and more companies are realizing that, and I’m incredibly passionate about helping entrepreneurs use Talent to their advantage in order to build sustainable companies that execute well and win.

<br>__I think many leaders discount culture,__ saying that it’s something that either “just happens” or is secondary to other areas of the business.  The best companies bring the same level of thought and intention to developing their people as they do toward developing their products. Maybe more so if they are really smart.

<br>__The truth is that building a healthy culture is one of the best and most impactful ways to drive sustained high performance__ in a business, and it in fact helps accelerate the speed of growth, especially in early stage companies. Creating a culture of trust, empowerment, and psychological safety is essential to ensuring a resilient foundation for a high-growth organization. Strong cultures help ensure that everyone knows what they need to do to succeed. They help teams move more quickly and with more agility, and seed the conditions for innovation and success.

<br>__I’ve seen first-hand the way companies with amazing product-market fit can crater because of toxic cultures,__ and I’ve also seen how a powerful and unified culture can help business last through downturns that would have killed less resilient organizations.

<br>__I’ve been lucky enough to work for some of the most innovative and progressive organizations around.__ Working under a visionary CEO and board at Return Path helped me understand how vital strong culture is to creating successful organizations.  At Digital Ocean, I got to partner with world class operators and lead an astonishingly talented People Team as we helped scale a rocketship that grew almost 700% in size over four years, all while achieving both significant revenue growth and industry-leading organizational engagement.

<br>__There’s no secret to balancing high growth and high engagement!__ One of the biggest drivers of engagement is feeling like you’re part of a successful mission. And when your business is growing quickly, that inherently comes with greater opportunities for your employees to grow as well. Smart teams lean into those opportunities by giving their people meaningful developmental experiences, as well as by using a growth mindset and a culture of continuous improvement as a competitive advantage when attracting and retaining talent.

<br>__When teams get regular, open, and candid feedback__ at the rapid pace of growth, it can be totally transformative. At Digital Ocean, we were fortunate enough to have our agile HR processes recognized by [Harvard Business Review](https://hbr.org/2018/03/hr-goes-agile).  We had applied best Agile practices and methods from Engineering and transformed them to the People space, recognizing that growth is continuous, ongoing, and iterative. By using methods of real-time feedback and performance development, we were able to unlock new levels of potential and performance in our teams.

<br>__The number one trait I look for__ when helping to select leaders for our Launchpad or portfolio companies is intellectual curiosity and humility. Even the most successful founders know there’s always an opportunity to learn, and there’s always an opportunity to get better and raise the bar for themselves. It’s precisely that belief what helps the best founders break barriers and do things that others thought impossible.

<br>__If you’re not adapting a growth mindset__ and always looking to learn and improve, you’re very likely to become outpaced by the competition quickly.

<br>__One of the key differences about M13__ is how deeply and authentically we invest our time with founders, and honestly for me that’s the most fun part of this job. Whether it’s helping a founder think differently about the way they’re approaching an executive search, understanding how to operationalize their culture at scale, or building best practices around retention, talent development or compensation, it’s been amazing to see how impactful we can be.

Matt Hoffman

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As VP of talent acquisition, Loren leads the team that helps our founders build their dream teams. She was previously the director of R&D talent acquisition at Toast (IPO’d 2021), head of talent acquisition at DigitalOcean (IPO’d 2021), head of talent at Yesware, and R&D recruiting lead at VMware.

Loren Boyce

As VP of Talent Acquisition, Loren leads the team that helps our founders build their dream teams. She was previously Director of R&D Talent Acquisition at Toast (IPO’d 2021)...

M13SharePeople-LorenBoyce

Loren Boyce | M13

As a partner and head of talent, Matt coaches our founders on hiring the best talent and building healthy and high-performing cultures. He leads several of our future of work...

M13SharePeople-MattHoffman

Matt Hoffman | M13

Mimi Pham

Diverse workforces benefit from broader perspectives, wider talent pools, better product development, and [increased financial outperformance](https://m13.co/article/diversity-inclusion-hiring-checklist-startups). But unconscious bias can prevent companies from creating inclusive teams and cultures, becoming a blocker as early as the hiring process. <br><br>
In our experience, startups making early hires often fall into one or more common bias traps, from evaluating candidates based on vague “culture fit” criteria to relying on inherently biased AI screening tools to make decisions. Taking the time to thoughtfully understand these problems and implement a structured hiring process can help teams avoid missteps—and create a positive flywheel effect that yields the benefits of a more diverse organization faster and more effectively.<br><br>
“Once a team decides to fully commit to a structured interview process, so many good things start to happen: interview teams are aligned and more confident, they assess talent better, candidates have a superior experience, and the icing on the cake is that it significantly reduces bias,” says M13 VP of Talent Acquisition Loren Boyce. “More often than not, interview teams are surprised to see that even though they are spending more time at the beginning of a search to create structured interview plans and aligning their teams, they end up hiring faster.”<br><br>
Below, we highlight a few of the most common places bias can creep into the recruiting process—and advise on how to avoid them. <br><br>
<PullQuote author="Shavar Jeffries, KIPP Foundation CEO at M13 Future Perfect 2023" text="At the end of the day, our old assumptions don't yield the talent businesses really need. If you actually want to have the best talent and stay competitive, then you have to begin to question your assumptions." />
<MenuAnchor id="overlyrigidqualifications" text="Rigid qualifications"/>
## Overly rigid qualifications  
__The scenario:__ Discouraging candidates who don’t meet 100% of listed qualifications. <br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ Women and other candidates from historically marginalized communities are less likely than men to apply for roles unless they meet all the qualifications. This limits the range of inbound applications and inhibits meaningfully screening for candidate abilities. <br><br>
__How to do better:__ Include language in your job description that acknowledges this reality and encourages people from underrepresented groups to apply. At M13, we look to hire as much for future potential as for past experience, and we include this blurb at the end of our job descriptions: <br><br>
<ul><i>Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized folks tend to only apply to positions when they check every box. So if you have what it takes but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch. We'd love to chat and see if you could be a great match for this position!</i></ul><br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="referraloverreliance" text="Referral overreliance"/>
## Referral overreliance  
__The scenario:__ Relying only on referrals to source and hire candidates.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ It’s easy to just ask friends and colleagues for referrals, especially when you don’t have a full recruiting team in place. But this likely means missing out on huge networks of talent. We tend to know people who are similar to us, thereby inherently limiting the potential diversity of our top-of-funnel candidates. This leads to self-perpetuating teams of similar people hiring similar people. <br><br>
__How to do better:__ Actively source candidates who aren’t in your immediate networks. Post opportunities on social channels and share across multiple job boards. Even before hiring, focusing on building a diverse network and connecting with a broad community will help you cultivate a more diverse talent community to tap into when the time comes.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="lackofstructure" text="Lack of structure"/>
## Lack of structure 
__The scenario:__ Not having a structured interview and evaluation process.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ Without structured procedures in place, interviews and evaluations lack consistency, leading different candidates to be evaluated based on different criteria. <br><br>
__How to do better:__ Agree on a structured interview process from the start with specific people assigned to specific tasks. Our [DEIB checklist for startups](https://m13.co/article/diversity-inclusion-hiring-checklist-startups) can help you start taking the right steps toward setting up a recruiting process that is more organized, equitable, and effective. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="narrowfieldofsearch" text="Narrow search"/>
## Narrow field of search
__The scenario:__ Relying only on a few keywords for diverse recruiting, such as searching exclusively for HBCU graduates.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ By limiting the scope of your search, you are competing with other hiring companies and relying on an inherently limited pool of talent. For example, HBCUs represent only [3%](https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/hbcu-and-msi-statistics/#hbcu) of all four-year nonprofit institutions, and they are geographically limited to the South and East, which is limiting for hiring teams not based in those regions.<br><br>
__How to do better:__ Expand boolean keyword searches to include other organizations or memberships dedicated to supporting members of underrepresented groups. Even better, form partnerships with organizations and pipeline programs that support talent from underrepresented groups to have access to their networks. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="theivorytower" text="The ivory tower"/>
## The ivory tower
__The scenario:__ Making “top-tier” university pedigree a requirement.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ This unnecessarily creates barriers to entry and a false scarcity problem: everyone has a different definition of what “top-tier” might mean, but [fewer than 0.5%](https://www.npr.org/2021/02/20/969639380/fact-check-biden-s-comments-on-loan-forgiveness-and-elite-colleges) of U.S. undergraduates attend an Ivy League school. That means you’re leaving a lot of talent behind. <br><br>
__How to do better:__ Spend time with your team to get clarity on the “why” behind a role, then focus on defining the specific skills needed to be successful in this role. Remind interviewers to be open minded about what experiences and other qualifications may add up to these skills, rather than looking for general markers of prestige. [Tools like interviewing.io ](https://interviewing.io/)can be a useful resource for creating a more effective interview processes. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="culturefitvscultureadd" text="'Culture fit'"/>
## Culture fit vs. culture add 
__The scenario:__ Assessing candidates based on “culture fit.” <br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ “Culture fit” is a vague standard often used to disqualify candidates that are unlike existing individuals already at the company—meaning that solving for “culture fit” will introduce bias against people who are different.<br><br>
__How to do better:__ Clearly articulate qualifications that are relevant to the way work gets done at your company and assess them in a systematic way. Reframe “culture fit” as “culture add” to highlight the importance of diversity throughout the hiring process. Just as it is important for candidates to have a growth mindset, it’s important for organizations to believe they have the ability to coach and mentor someone who may not be a 100% fit today.  Look for ways in which new candidates can expand and improve your existing culture, while still remaining true to core values.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="tokeninterviewer" text="Token interviewer"/>
## Token interviewer
__The scenario:__ Having someone who would not typically be on an interview panel join because they are from an underrepresented group.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ The employee who is joining is spending a disproportionate time on interviews in comparison to their peers, potentially inhibiting their ability to do their own work. They are also unlikely to be the best person to authentically represent the role and firm.<br><br>
__How to do better:__ Be mindful of who is asked to join interviews. Ensure that the true diversity of the firm is reflected throughout the interview process, and be honest about where there are opportunities for growth vs. artificially inflating perception by asking certain employees to bear an unfair burden. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="finalstagerepresentation" text="Final stages"/>
## Final stage representation 
__The scenario:__ Not having enough people from underrepresented groups moving through the funnel, especially at the finalist stage.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ Research has shown that when there is only one individual from an underrepresented group in a finalist pool of four, their odds of being hired are [statistically zero](https://hbr.org/2016/04/if-theres-only-one-woman-in-your-candidate-pool-theres-statistically-no-chance-shell-be-hired) because their differences from the majority of the group were made more salient.<br><br>
__How to do better:__ Before moving forward with finalist interviews, ensure there are at least two individuals from underrepresented groups who are a part of your slate of candidates.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="uncheckedai" text="Unchecked AI"/>
## Unchecked AI 
__The scenario:__ Using HR AI screening tools without oversight.<br><br>
__Why it’s a problem:__ AI tools are only as good as the data and algorithms they are trained on, and those often have bias built in (such as penalizing resumes with words like “women’s,” as in “women’s career development group” or “women’s lacrosse captain”).  <br><br>
__How to do better:__ Never exclusively use AI tools to categorically pass through or reject candidates. Have a human backstop that is able to check biases that may appear in the process. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="getintouch" text="Get in touch"/>
### Get in touch:
If you're passionate about championing DEIB principles and have innovative ideas to share, we'd love to hear from you! Join our talent community and be a part of the conversation that's shaping the future of startups and diversity. For more information, reach out to <a href = "mailto:talent@m13.co" target="_blank">talent@m13.co</a>.<br><br>
<hr style="border-top: 2px dotted #bbb;">
<MenuAnchor id="readmore" text="Read more"/>
<h6>Read more:</h6>
<ul>
  <li><a href="https://m13.co/article/diversity-inclusion-hiring-checklist-startups" target="_blank">A Diversity & Inclusion Hiring Checklist for Startups</a></li></ul>
  <ul><li><a href="https://m13.co/article/hiring-talent-development-m13-future-perfect-2023" target="_blank">The Talent of Tomorrow–Shaping the Workforce of the Future</a></li></ul>
 <ul><li><a href="https://m13.co/guide/a-5-step-guide-to-startup-recruiting-and-hiring" target="_blank">A 5-Step Guide to Startup Recruiting and Hiring</a></li></ul>
</ul>

Hiring bias can prevent you from creating strong, inclusive, and effective teams. Here are some common places bias can creep into the hiring process—and how to combat it.

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9 Common Hiring Bias Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Hiring bias can prevent companies from creating strong, inclusive, diverse, and effective teams. Here are some common places bias impacts hiring—and how to combat it.

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In recent years, conversations around how to integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) principles into the workplace have grown exponentially. The consensus? It’s hard work, and there’s no silver bullet—but it’s vital for creating healthy, productive, and engaged workforces. <br><br>
Today’s startup ecosystem is far from representative of today’s consumer populations: VC-backed startup teams are disproportionately men (89.3%), white (71.6%), based in Silicon Valley (35.3%), and Ivy League educated (13.7%), according to data from [Diversity VC](https://venturebeat.com/games/diversity-vc-reports-1-87-of-venture-capital-allocated-to-women-and-minority-owned-startups/). While there’s work to be done [on the investor side](https://m13.co/article/los-angeles-vc-underrepresented-founder-support), founding teams can also help create a more representative tech ecosystem by institutionalizing DEIB early on—and unlike larger companies that struggle to tackle institutionalized diversity challenges, startups can set the right course early and grow their efforts as they scale. <br><br>
At M13, we believe it is critical for startups to embrace DEIB as early as possible. [More diversity at companies](https://m13.co/article/how-why-and-when-to-cultivate-a-diverse-workforce) leads to broader perspectives, increased innovation, expanded market share, improved product development, and access to a wider pool of talent. The business case is clear: increased gender and ethnic diversity are correlated with increased likelihood of financial outperformance, per [McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters), and today, [100%](https://www.hrdive.com/news/2022-fortune-companies-dei/627651/) of Fortune 100 companies have publicly committed to DEIB initiatives.<br><br>
Below, we lay out the strategic steps startups can take to build DEIB principles into their hiring and culture. While we don’t expect every company to start doing everything immediately, we believe the culmination of these efforts will create a positive flywheel effect within your organization—and prioritizing DEIB today will yield the benefits of a more diverse organization faster and more effectively.<br><br>
<PullQuote author="Mary Robinette Kowal, author" text="It's not about adding diversity for the sake of diversity, it's about subtracting homogeneity for the sake of realism." />
<MenuAnchor id="beforehiringbuildingafoundation" text="Before hiring"/>
## Before hiring: Building a foundation 
Facilitating diverse and inclusive hiring begins long before your team actually needs to hire. In short: you can’t neglect thinking about diversity and inclusion and then expect a broad range of candidates to magically appear when you publish a job posting; you need to put in the effort ahead of time. Early focus on building a diverse network and connecting with a broad community will help you cultivate a more diverse talent community to tap into when the time comes. <br><br>
When it is time to hire, you want candidates to feel a sense of psychological safety when entering your workplace and meeting the team. This needs to be in place before you ever post a job description, or you’re setting candidates—and yourself—up for a sub-par experience.<br><br>
To hire in alignment with DEIB principles, your team needs to know what those principles are. This means that your founding team needs to get together to clarify what DEIB means to your company and how each person can be clear on and accountable for upholding these values.<br><br>
A productive conversation begins with acknowledging that bias exists and has a clear impact on the hiring process (such as judging candidates based on assumptions drawn from their name or alma mater). Awareness of these biases is not enough; the important part is knowing how to combat them. Consider unconscious bias training (at M13, we hold this annually), which can help your team better understand:
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What is unconscious bias, and what are its impacts?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Where does it come into play at work, across recruiting, team culture, and career development?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What are some strategies for managing bias?" />
Dedicating time and resources to team education will pay dividends in building a strong company culture. 
<PullQuote author="Channing Martin, IPG Global Chief Diversity & Social Impact Officer at M13 Future Perfect 2023" text="What does it look like to center people at the margins? If you decide to redesign your talent or hiring systems to center single moms, you’re going to hire differently. If you start redesigning your promotion system to include people who don’t have a business degree, you’re going to promote differently. Once you start to redefine the systems that you were taught, you can think differently, hire differently, develop differently." />
<MenuAnchor id="duringhiringstructuringanequitableprocess" text="During hiring"/>
## During hiring: Structuring an equitable process 
Implementing a structured interview process helps eliminate bias, foster fairness, and ensure alignment among interviewers. Properly training interviewers and defining interview steps and rubrics for evaluating candidates leads to more objective assessments. <br><br>
The good news is that setting up this process once, especially when you’re just starting out, enables you to scale and grow in a sustainable and intentional way—saving small teams time and enabling you to hire better and faster over the long run. <br><br>
<b>Here’s a checklist for setting up a structured–and more effective—hiring system:</b><br><br>
<ChecklistItem text="Align with your team on the specific traits and abilities needed for a job description" />
<ChecklistItem text="Run the job description through a gender decoder to ensure gender neutral language" />
<ChecklistItem text="Widely share and post the job description, including actively posting to job boards that can surface the role to candidates outside your immediate network" />
<ChecklistItem text="Use the job description to develop a scorecard that is standard across all interviewers" />
<ChecklistItem text="Choose interviewers who will be part of the potential new hire’s day-to-day experience and can authentically highlight the diversity of your firm" />
<ChecklistItem text="Choose an advocate from the management team to be responsible for ensuring everyone is doing the right thing for candidates, from application review to the final debrief" />
<ChecklistItem text="Prepare and circulate a pre-brief highlighting the job description, candidate scorecard, and questions each interviewer is expected to ask" />
<ChecklistItem text="Take the time to train your interviewers to be objective and consistent" />
<ChecklistItem text="Complete a pre-interview eligibility screen with the candidate before their first interview to ensure that timing, salary, and eligibility to work in the country align" />
<ChecklistItem text="Ask each interviewer to take detailed notes and submit their feedback within 24 hours of the interview without discussing it with any other interviewers beforehand" />
<ChecklistItemLast text="Ensure that candidates from underrepresented groups are included at each stage of the hiring funnel before moving on to the next stage" /><br><br>
Throughout hiring, we also recommend researching which tools—like [interviewing.io](https://m13.co/article/investing-in-interviewingio-modernizing-recruiting-for-engineers) and [BrightHire](https://brighthire.com/)—can make your interview processes more inclusive and bias-free.<br><br>
Above all, don’t rush the process. In our experience, hiring teams are eager to fill roles and leap into onboarding, but the single most important thing a startup can do to ensure they’re getting the best person for the job is giving the process time. <br><br>
At the end of the day, taking a little bit longer to hire the right person will be better for your organization than hiring the wrong person quickly.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="afterhiringongoingeffortstocreateaninclusiveworkenvironment" text="After hiring"/>
## After hiring: Ongoing efforts to create an inclusive work environment 
DEIB efforts neither start nor stop at hiring: they need to be actively built into all aspects of company life. <br><br>
At M13, we believe that in order to effectively embrace DEIB, leaders have to fully live the values that they agree to in all aspects of their work. That’s why we proactively offer our portfolio companies training and workshops around leadership development, compensation leveling, feedback sessions, and more. <br><br>
Data and accountability are also crucial. In the words of M13 Partner and Head of Talent Matt Hoffman, “What gets measured gets managed. Setting concrete metrics and goals around DEIB elevates the priority of the conversation and ensures accountability. It’s never too early to put these goals in place.”<br><br>
Setting concrete metrics and goals around DEIB helps hold your team accountable, even when the work becomes hard. These goals don’t have to be hugely aspirational, just measurable—such as ensuring that a minimum number of candidates from underrepresented groups are included at each stage of the hiring funnel before moving on to the next. <br><br>
In thinking through the metrics you want to set, ask:
<DotBullet highlight="" text="Are there DEIB metrics that are already tracked today?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="What goals or metrics would drive action on your team?" />
<DotBullet highlight="" text="How are these goals reflected in individuals’ goals and performance evaluations?" />
Actively championing DEIB from the inception of your company is mission critical. By building DEIB into the foundation of a company, you are setting up a positive flywheel where diversity begets diversity—resulting in stronger company culture and results. <br><br>
<hr style="border-top: 2px dotted #bbb;"><MenuAnchor id="getintouch" text="Get in touch"/>
<h6>Get in touch:</h6>
If you're passionate about championing DEIB principles and have innovative ideas to share, we'd love to hear from you! Join our talent community and be a part of the conversation that's shaping the future of startups and diversity. For more information, reach out to <a href = "mailto:talent@m13.co" target="_blank">talent@m13.co</a>.
<hr style="border-top: 2px dotted #bbb;">
<MenuAnchor id="readmore" text="Read more"/>
<h6>Read more:</h6>
<ul>
  <li><a href="https://m13.co/article/los-angeles-vc-underrepresented-founder-support" target="_blank">PledgeLA and M13 Partner Anna Barber Announce ‘50 in 5’ Call to Support Underrepresented Founders</a></li></ul>
  <ul><li><a href="https://m13.co/article/hiring-talent-development-m13-future-perfect-2023" target="_blank">The Talent of Tomorrow–Shaping the Workforce of the Future</a></li></ul>
 <ul><li><a href="https://m13.co/guide/building-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-into-your-startup" target="_blank">The Founder's Guide: Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Into Your Startup</a></li></ul>
</ul>

Startups can and should integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles from their very first hire. Here’s how.

DEIB Hiring Checklist Header

A Diversity & Inclusion Hiring Checklist for Startups

Startups can and should integrate DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) principles from their very first hire. Here’s how.

A Diversity & Inclusion Hiring Checklist for Startups | M13

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A partner at M13, Anna was the managing director of Techstars LA and also a partner in The Fund LA. A certified executive coach, Anna has worked as a corporate lawyer, McKinsey consultant, product exec, and entrepreneur. She serves on the Advisory Board of PledgeLA and is a member of AllRaise.

Anna Barber

A partner at M13, Anna was the managing director of Techstars LA and also a partner in The Fund LA. A certified executive coach, Anna has worked as a corporate lawyer...

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Anna Barber | M13

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Morgan spent five years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. She worked on a presidential campaign, at Bloomberg Philanthropies and consulted for start-ups in the political media space.

Morgan Blumberg

Morgan spent five years in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. She worked on a presidential campaign, at Bloomberg Philanthropies and consulted for start-ups in the political...

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Morgan Blumberg | M13

How we see jobs evolving in the era of AI—and the questions companies need to be asking to prepare for this sea change.

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AI and the Future of Work

The M13 investing team dives into what you need to know about the impact of AI on how we work.

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

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M13 Team

<MenuAnchor id="keytakeaways" text="Key takeaways"/>
## Key takeaways
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<div class="col-sm-9"><td><p style="padding-top:15px">If you decide to redesign your talent or hiring systems to center single moms, you’re going to hire differently. If you start redesigning your promotion system to include people who don’t have a business degree, you’re going to promote differently. <b>Once you start to redefine the systems that you were taught, you can think differently, hire differently, develop differently</b>.</p>
<p style="color:gray;"><i>— Channing Martin, IPG Global Chief Diversity & Social Impact Officer</i></p></td></div>
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<div class="col-sm-9"><td><p style="padding-top:15px">At the end of the day, <b>our old assumptions don't yield the talent businesses really need.</b> If you actually want to have the best talent and stay competitive, then you have to begin to question your assumptions.</p>
<p style="color:gray;"><i>— Shavar Jeffries, KIPP Foundation CEO</i></p></td></div>
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<div class="col-sm-9"><td><p style="padding-top:15px"><b>What you hired for in the past is not what you need to hire for in the future</b>. We're seeing rapid evolution in what great talent looks like and how you find it. It’s not just about credentials, but about the person and their skills.</p>
<p style="color:gray;"><i>— Matt Hoffman, M13 Partner & Head of Talent</i></p></td></div>
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<MenuAnchor id="thetalentoftomorrow" text="The talent of tomorrow"/>
## The talent of tomorrow 
Future Perfect is M13’s thought leadership series, where we convene investors and founders to reflect on the lessons and innovations that inform how we will build the future. In May, we gathered in New York City to hear from the vanguards of technology, innovation, and investing.<br><br>
“The way things have always been” isn’t the way they’ll be tomorrow. The economy of the future will require a workforce of the future, and we have the opportunity and responsibility to shape that today. <br><br>
Shavar Jeffries (KIPP Foundation CEO) and Channing Martin (IPG Global Chief Diversity & Social Impact Officer) sat down with M13 Partner Matt Hoffman to discuss how we can move away from outdated talent practices and make the workforce of tomorrow better reflect the consumers of tomorrow. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="developingtalentstartswithK12education" text="Developing talent..."/>
## Developing talent starts with K-12 education 
“When we think about the workforce of the future, we have to make sure that every American child has access to it,” says Shavar Jeffries, head of the KIPP, America's largest network of charter schools. “We’re leaving too much talent on the margins of our country, because some kids simply don't have the opportunities that others have.”<br><br>
Rectifying that begins with how we fund public education. Right now, public schools are generally funded by local property taxes—which are affected by inequity, redlining, and other. <br><br>
“If you fund your public schools accordingly, you’re just going to reproduce the inequity in property valuations in your public education system,” Shavar explains. “This country will not be able to serve the demand of tomorrow’s workforce if we leave literally millions of young people on the backside of opportunity because we're not making the investments in K-12 public education that we ought to.” <br><br>
In addition to reexamining how we fund opportunities for students, shaping the talent pipeline of tomorrow will require thinking about how we build leaders much earlier on than we do right now. Intentionally focusing on building inclusive leadership early on will pay dividends when students enter the workforce later on. <br><br>
“We have to think differently about building inclusive leadership really early on. “We often skip that stuff until you show up in the workplace,” says Channing Martin, Global Chief Diversity & Social Impact Officer at IPG. “It’s just not a conversation we're having in primary education right now—but that is the point when you can really affect the future and create a new framework for what effective leadership looks like.” <br><br>
The way Channing sees it, the first day on the job is also too late to start learning how to interact with people who are different from you. “No matter what industry you’re in, you want to hire folks that can have culturally relevant conversations. And I don't think that those skills should be taught on the job; they really should be taught ahead of time,” beginning with elementary education. <br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="centeringthemargins" text="Centering the margins"/>
## Centering the margins 
As Head of Talent at M13, Matt Hofman helps build out not only M13’s talent and culture, but the talent strategies across our portfolio companies. “What you hired for in the past is not what you need to hire for in the future,” he says. “We're seeing rapid evolution in what great talent looks like and how you find it. It’s not just about credentials, but about the person and their skills.” <br><br>
Shavar agrees: “Oftentimes, our assumptions really aren't interrogated [to hire] in a way that's really connected to the competencies you need for a job.” The desirability of a candidate is based on outdated metrics—did they go to an Ivy league school? Do they know anybody in this industry? Have they demonstrated that they have a handle on the unspoken social rules unrelated to the actual work? <br><br>
One way to stop punishing employees for not being part of a homogenous culture is to center people at the margins, rather than building people systems that cater to the people who have historically dominated the workforce. <br><br>
“What does it look like to center people at the margins?” Channing asks. “If you decide to redesign your talent or hiring systems to center single moms, you’re going to hire differently. If you start redesigning your promotion system to include people who don’t have a business degree, you’re going to promote differently. Once you start to redefine the systems that you were taught, you can think differently, hire differently, develop differently.”<br><br>
Building systems that work for people at the margins—rather than those who have historically been at the center—benefits the entire organization. Employee benefits policies that cater to single parents will also be more beneficial for partnered parents. Development systems that aren’t built to promote executives’ personal favorites will allow talent to show through more effectively across the company. Hiring systems that aren’t artificially pegged to educational pedigree will allow teams to hire for what actually matters. <br><br>
“I bust the myth all the time that diverse talent doesn’t exist,” says Channing. “That’s just not true. And we have the skills, the tools, the resources, and the access to meet people where they are and find talent that doesn't necessarily look the way that we're used to.”<br><br>
Inclusive practices have also been shown time and time again to boost bottom lines. “To me, it’s not just a moral conversation,” Shavar adds. “At the end of the day, our old assumptions don't yield the talent these businesses really need. If you actually want to have the best talent and stay competitive, then you have to begin to question your assumptions.”<br><br>
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<h6>More from Future Perfect</h6>
<ul>
  <li><a href="https://m13.co/article/future-of-investing-m13-future-perfect-2023" target="_blank">The Future of Investing Is Brighter Than You May Think</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://m13.co/article/generative-ai-tools-work-m13-future-perfect-2023" target="_blank">AI Is Coming for Our Work. That’s a Good Thing.</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://m13.co/article/tech-hype-cycles-m13-future-perfect-2023" target="_blank">How to Survive a Hype Cycle</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://m13.co/article/human-centered-healthcare-tech-m13-future-perfect-2023" target="_blank">Taking the Vital Signs of Healthcare Innovation</a></li>
</ul>
<h6>Thank you to our speakers</h6>
_**Shavar Jeffries** has been an advocate for social justice and educational equity for more than two decades. He joined the KIPP Foundation as CEO in January 2023, a culmination of his many years as a champion for KIPP schools. Shavar was founding board chair of KIPP Newark in 2001; joined the KIPP Foundation Board in 2019; and is a proud KIPP parent, as his two children graduated from KIPP Spark Academy and KIPP Team Academy in Newark. As a first-generation college graduate, he understands implicitly the life-changing power of a high-quality education._<br><br>
_Prior to joining the Foundation, Shavar was President of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and its affiliate organization, Education Reform Now, where he led the organization in passing over 100 policies at the federal and state level that expanded educational opportunities for low-income students of color. Throughout his career, Shavar has practiced law, worked as an assistant attorney general in New Jersey, and served as the elected president of the Newark school board._<br><br>
_Shavar graduated from Duke University and Columbia Law School, where he concentrated on civil rights law and policy. He has been recognized broadly for his work—by the NAACP, the National Bar Association, and the Congressional Black Caucus, among others._<br><br>
_**Channing Martin** is IPG’s Global Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer. In this role, she is responsible for advancing IPG’s diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives and continuing to strengthen IPG’s progress toward being one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive companies._<br><br>
_Reporting to the CEO, Martin leads IPG’s strategy on all diversity-related matters, including the continued diversification of IPG’s senior ranks and talent pipeline and partnerships with IPG’s full network of agency brands, CEOs, and DE&I leadership community. Martin supports the advancement of social impact strategies and practices alongside the leadership of IPG’s integrated ESG team._<br><br>
_Prior to joining IPG, Martin was Chief Diversity and Social Responsibility Officer of CSG, working across the company to promote and build effective strategies for DE&I. She was also responsible for ESG initiatives. Martin previously held the positions of Diversity and Inclusion Manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Diversity Lead and Strategic Planner for the US Department of State, and the Diversity Recruitment and Assessment Manager for the US Office of Personnel Management._<br><br>
_Martin holds a BA in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and an MS in Public Policy and management from Heinz College at Carnegie-Mellon University._<br><br>
<center><h6>Thank you to our sponsors</h6></center>
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We have a responsibility today to shape the workforce of the future by moving away from outdated talent practices, starting with K-12 education.

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The Talent of Tomorrow–Shaping the Workforce of the Future 

KIPP Foundation’s Shavar Jeffries (CEO), IPG’s Channing Martin (Global Chief Diversity & Social Impact Officer) and M13’s Matt Hoffman discuss shaping the workforce of the future. 

The Talent of Tomorrow–Shaping the Workforce of the Future | M13

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Virginia Lloyd

*__Matt Hoffman__ and __[Virginia Lloyd](https://www.sprngforward.com/about)__ have dealt with layoffs before, from both sides of the equation. Matt has spent almost two decades leading talent functions in both Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups. He is currently a Partner and Head of Talent at M13, where he works closely with portfolio companies on talent acquisition and retention strategies. Virginia is a recruiting consultant and former Head of People at multiple startups, and now spends a significant portion of her time coaching recently laid-off employees and helping them find new opportunities.*<br><br>
Losing a job is stressful and traumatic under the best of circumstances. Right now, it feels even more so. <br><br>
There’s been a major run of layoffs in recent months, and for the first time in almost a generation, jobs in the tech sector are not plentiful. In an economic environment where many companies are freezing or slowing down hiring, layoffs can be fraught with fear, tension, and uncertainty for people who now unexpectedly find themselves looking for new roles. Research has shown that losing a job is one of the most stressful life experiences a person can go through, and when you are facing one of the toughest job markets in years, finding your way back to a job you love can be even more daunting.<br><br>
While overall hiring is still up relative to the beginning of 2020, it does not feel that way at all for those impacted by layoffs. Many workers are finding themselves laid off for the first time in their careers, and we have spoken to multiple people who have not updated their resumes—let alone gone on a job interview—in over a decade.<br><br>
But this does not have to be a terrifying moment, and if you’ve been laid off, you’re far from alone. While there’s no single magic bullet that will relieve the stress of coping with a job loss, we can offer some important tips to help you navigate what comes next.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="regroupprepare" text="Regroup & prepare"/>
## Regroup & prepare
##### Most importantly: don’t panic
Being unexpectedly laid off from a job often feels jarring and distressing. Your entire routine, economic support, and even self-worth can be significantly tied to your job. That’s normal and understandable—but don’t let that define you.<br><br>
Almost everyone has been through a job loss, and if there’s one thing we can promise from our numerous experiences, it is that things will get better and you will find something else. More often than not, you’ll be better off than where you were most recently. So take a deep breath (research shows it helps), and know that while this experience may be painful, it won’t last forever.<br><br>
##### Let go of shame
Only a short while ago, candidates felt they had to hide or explain away “gaps in their resumes.” That time is over.<br><br>
Today, recruiters understand people leave jobs for all sorts of reasons, and that often it’s as much about the employer as the employee. It’s not your fault if the company over-hired! Don’t feel like you have to make excuses. Calmly explain what happened and why you’ll be even more careful to find the right fit for you the next time around.<br><br>
It’s becoming normalized for people to proudly own their job searches on LinkedIn, either through the #opentowork hashtag or via a post letting their networks know that they’ve been laid off. We think both approaches are a fantastic idea. We are thrilled to see more empathy and fewer negative assumptions about only low performers being let go from high-performing companies, because that’s just not true.<br><br>
##### Leverage your network—people want to help
You don’t have to be a social butterfly to network. We all have people in our lives that care about us, both personally and professionally. Don’t be afraid to reach out to personal connections and share your experiences with them. You may be surprised to learn who your friends and family are connected to, and who may be able to help with your search or refer you to someone that can.<br><br>
One of the best things about removing shame and stigma from being let go is that it has become perfectly socially acceptable to talk about looking for new opportunities. Feel free to ask for help, while being respectful of people’s time and space.<br><br>
Also consider leveraging your social network outside of LinkedIn. Platforms like Twitter, Discord, TikTok, and Reddit can offer great ways to tap into communities that are willing to share your search within their networks.<br><br>
If there's a company you are excited about, and you have a connection that works there, it’s a great idea to send that person a (well-researched) message about why you are so excited about the company and ask if they’d consider putting in a warm recommendation for you. Recruiters prioritize and highly value referrals from their colleagues much more than purely inbound applications.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="jobsearching" text="Job searching: App..."/>
## Job searching: Applications & interviews
##### Pace yourself
Set up regular times to focus on your search, but don’t burn yourself out by applying aimlessly to every job you come across. Looking for a job is a full time job in and of itself, and “panic applying” can waste a lot of valuable time—not to mention it can make you feel discouraged and more anxious about your search when you don’t hear back.<br><br>
Set aside time to research industries and companies you’re interested in. Look at Glassdoor reviews, reach out to your network for recommendations on companies that fit what you’re looking for, and check to see what openings are available on their careers sites. Once you’ve narrowed down your search, do some digging to see if you know anyone that works within the organizations you’re most interested in, and reach out.<br><br>
##### Think like a recruiter
Recruiters have limited time to look through many applications. Here are some ways to set yours apart.<br><br>
**Write a strong hook—the lines a recruiter will read first that will make them want to learn more about you.** Including a summary at the top of your resume that provides a quick overview of your qualifications is a great place to share the things you do really well. This will also be the first thing a recruiter sees when they open your profile, so make it count!<br><br>
**Don’t be afraid to sell yourself.** It might sound obvious, but this can be challenging to do. Ask a few trusted people what they believe your biggest strengths are. Sometimes we overlook our own value, making it hard to highlight what we do well on our own resumes.<br><br>
**Tailor your resume to each specific job.** One way to do this is to write a summary that speaks specifically to the strengths you bring to the particular role you are applying for. It’s easy to read a job description and mentally check off all the things we know we can do, but if those experiences aren’t explicitly highlighted on your resume, it can be easy for a recruiter to overlook them.<br><br>
Including language from the job description in your resume is another simple yet effective way to draw attention to how suited you are to the requirements of the job (as long as what you write is true). Many companies will use a form of AI to filter for relevant keywords in a resume even before a human sees it. Make sure your resume speaks to not just why you are great—and you are!—but why you are the right person for this specific company, and most importantly, why you can help them solve their problems.<br><br>
##### Interview with your best foot forward
Hiring teams are most interested in understanding your prior impact and how much involvement you have had on the projects you worked on. Be sure to explain what _you_ did specifically. It’s great to be inclusive of the rest of the team and their contributions (“we” is better than “I”), but in an interview, be sure to make it clear what _your_ specific impact was within the context of that team. The hiring manager is interested in potentially hiring you, not the entire team you worked with.<br><br>
While it’s important not to water down your impact, it’s even more important to be honest. Do not take credit for other people’s work. You may be surprised by how many recruiters and hiring managers will do backdoor references with close contacts that have worked with you previously to verify the work you claim to have done. Also, be consistent in your answers and try to offer different examples if you happen to be asked similar questions by two different interviewers. This will help demonstrate depth and versatility in your experience, as well as prevent any potential red flags if the details of one story differ between interviewers.<br><br>
Another thing to remember while interviewing is that “culture fit” can be very ambiguous, but typically ties back to several behavioral traits that shine through while you’re interviewing. The best candidates tend to exhibit signs that they’re curious learners, empathetic, inclusive, self aware, and good communicators. While preparing for your interview, try to think of specific career examples that speak to these traits, and try to keep these in mind as you’re responding to tangible questions throughout the interview process.<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="aftertheinterview" text="After the interview"/>
## After the interview
##### Communicating after an interview
It never hurts to send a personalized thank you note to each interviewer, especially if there were any points in the conversation that really stood out to you. This helps make your meeting memorable, particularly when interviewers are meeting with multiple candidates and have other work priorities to contend with. A thank you note is also a great opportunity to follow up on a discussion or add more context to something you discussed.<br><br>
If your main point of contact is a recruiter, don’t be afraid to check in with them if you haven’t heard back within a few days. Sometimes people simply get busy and teams are slow to provide feedback, and it can be helpful to make your continued interest known (without being pushy). If you follow up and don’t hear back within a couple more days, try again, or try reaching out to the hiring manager directly. If you don’t get a response after two attempts, it might be worth focusing your attention on other opportunities.<br><br>
Remember, you’re interviewing the team as much as they’re interviewing you, and if there’s not mutual interest and respect for each other’s time, it may be an indication that it’s not a great long-term fit for you. The interview stage is a chance for you to decide if the company is worth your investment, and it’s okay to withdraw from the process if you don’t feel like your time is valued.<br><br>
##### Navigating an offer
Once you receive an offer, you have a lot more power than you may realize. Companies will rarely rescind an offer to someone, so don’t be afraid to discuss the details confidently.<br><br>
Even with the recent pay transparency rulings requiring many companies to disclose a pay range upfront, it can be difficult to know what part of the range is fair based on your experience. A great way to approach the topic is to ask for clarification on the compensation philosophy.<br><br>
Some questions that you can ask include:
<DotBullet text="How does the company determine &ldquo;market value&rdquo;?" />
<DotBullet text="How do they determine your level of impact?" />
<DotBullet text="What compensation dataset are they using? (e.g., Radford, Pave, Payscale)" />
<DotBullet text="What percentile of the market are they aligning themselves to?" />
<DotBullet text="How are they comparing themselves within the market? For example if they are a $1B valuation company, are they aligning to other $1B companies or a different pool altogether?" />
By asking some of these pointed questions, you’ll get a much better understanding of whether or not the company making you an offer has really put thought into the offer they gave you. If they can’t clearly explain their compensation philosophy, you likely have room to negotiate your salary higher.<br><br>
There are also other levers you can pull besides base salary. Sign on bonuses, annual bonus percentages, and some other benefits might be up for grabs. For startups or pre-IPO companies, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask about how equity is valued and understand best-case and likely-case scenarios. (The worst case is always zero, so no matter how excited the company is about the potential for equity upside, keep that in mind.)<br><br>
<MenuAnchor id="hanginthere" text="Hang in there"/>
## Hang in there
Being laid off can be an intense emotional experience, but it doesn’t negate your skill and past experience or permanently block your access to future opportunities. Ultimately, a layoff will be a small moment in your decades-long career. Keeping a long-term perspective—and remembering that many, many other people have been laid off and gone on to new and better roles—can help you stay grounded and take a measured approach to finding your next opportunity.<br><br>
<center><h6>Searching for your next opportunity?</h6></center>
<center><p style="padding-bottom:15px">We're constantly sharing new roles across our broad community of hiring portfolio companies. Introduce yourself—we'd love to add you to our network.</p></center>
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Thousands of workers have been affected by the most recent wave of layoffs, with more to come. If you’re one of them, here’s what you can do next.

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If You’ve Been Laid Off, Here Are Your Next Steps

Thousands of workers have been affected by the recent wave of layoffs, with more to come. If you’re one of them, here are your next steps.

What to do after being laid off | M13

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Today, Built In announced that M13 was honored in its 2023 Best Places To Work Awards, ranking on lists for both Los Angeles and New York City.<br><br>
At M13, we believe that we’re brighter together—and that our people are at the center of our success.<br><br>
“Many VC firms don’t focus on culture in the way we do at M13, and so it’s fairly unique for a VC to be recognized for that,” says Matt Hoffman, M13 Partner and Head of Talent. “We credit much of our success in this area to the operating experience our partners bring to the team, where we’ve learned the value of a strong developmental mindset in driving performance.” <br><br>
M13 Partner and Head of Brand Christine Choi adds: “From the start, Carter and Courtney conceived of M13 as a different kind of venture. We designed a firm that prioritized helping our founders with our expertise and an understanding of what they’re going through. This human-centric approach to business is similarly expressed with our own team.”<br><br>
In turn, our strong culture propels our strategic vision. “Nobody wakes up at M13 not wanting to achieve great things,” says Carter Reum, M13 Co-founder and Partner. “We want to create a new innovative model that is talked about for decades to come.”<br><br>
We asked the team to weigh in on what makes M13 a great place to work, from their favorite parts of M13 culture to how they feel supported in life beyond the office. Read on to see what they had to say.<br><br>
## What makes M13 special?
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/christine-choi" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/45KefwlrENbFna37H3xEz9/1c8929aaea0498af0a3bc51943844cdd/m13_team_profilesChristine.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“M13’s LA headquarters and NY office are designed for gatherings, connection, and inspiration as much as they are for heads-down work. The play and joy in our staff retreats nourish bonds that make remote collaboration so much better. And every day we learn from our colleagues, whether they graduated from college two or 20 years ago. <b>That learning mindset keeps us evolving and experimenting in times of change and uncertainty.</b> It’s always about the people, and we are very proud to nurture a culture that attracts the best.”
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/carter-reum" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/xSYUPy6R3wv0x7KfUqsfu/facf23e2060343a6c4c310d93fe189fc/m13_team_profilesCarter.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“M13 has a culture of appreciating all the contributions of all our various team members on a daily and weekly basis. <b>Everyone works hard and has high bars of excellence, yet the firm’s culture is one that causes people to pause and express gratitude to others along the way.</b>”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Carter, Co-founder & Partner</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/michael-martin" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/6vVm5IHsXEmxJH9cUPUN4S/9699b3d99e2c26784cd7993e3bb2a15d/m13_team_profilesMichael.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“M13’s commitment to excellence through inclusive decision-making is an approach that is foundational to our culture. Our partners work hand-in-glove with their teams to ensure that the projects we pursue are valuable to the firm, while also being aligned with what each side sees as core challenges to be solved.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Michael, Community</p>          
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## How is M13 different from other places you’ve worked? 
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/melissa-van-kluyve" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/1pyjXbKDM8DnCsrZbST83F/c442e25858a2c82433beb5d13d50b906/m13_team_profilesMelissa.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“People at M13 are allowed—and in fact encouraged!—to experiment. We are always looking for better ways to work, collaborate, and provide value to our startup founders. It’s a great place to try throwing different things at the wall to see what sticks.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Melissa, Propulsion</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/sarah-tomolonius" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/2rwm8gbdCt2gb4kvLQ8vs0/0e3e14a7b91dfd894e8cad31df1dfe57/m13_team_profilesSarah-T.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“<b>Firms often tout their 'smart, collegial culture,' but M13 truly is a place where teamwork is the most important cultural quality</b>. Without any hesitation, M13 facilitates a culture in which a rising tide lifts all boats."
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Sarah, Investor Relations</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/andrew-grone" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/2GH9iKJfpveKbmADYSZXBN/ced8e463faa24b8d9de4a6e0a9a18299/m13_team_profilesAndrew.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“The humans! Not just the quality of our team, but the diverse backgrounds and experiences that each contribute to making M13 what it is.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Andrew, Launchpad</p>          
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## How does M13 support your life beyond the office? 
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/generra-rodriguez" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/3HOv9KdBe4CcA1EzlOybGw/b7cc9c663d0b80d1289cbd9a40c14567/m13_team_profilesGenerra.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“M13 has supported me beyond the office during the most difficult time in my life. <b>M13 has given me the space to spend time with my family when I needed to and return to work at a pace that was conducive to my healing journey.</b> The firm remains very human in their approach to ensuring all team members feel respected, supported, and truly cared for in and out of the office.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Generra, Brand</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/lizzie-francis" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/3UIFEH0qAq5NqVgd6Eczzf/3bc7da87bdaa1a61f8ae01f3dbcdc976/m13_team_profilesLizzie.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“<b>During the pandemic, M13 came together to ensure each of us, and our families, were supported in every way.</b> With great intention and planning, the firm’s Mission Control team created a cadence of virtual events, check-ins, and programming, centered around our core value of Community, to ensure we were connected, collaborative, and #brightertogether. Partners, children, pets—all were welcome. This human approach to life during an unprecedented moment in time embodies the generosity of spirit and caring that is a hallmark of our firm, and it continues to this day.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Lizzie, Partner & Head of Operations</p>          
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## What makes you feel engaged at M13? 
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/mark-grace" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/4NxiUvqP6u4qU0vNGutaA6/f3776497d077e63aa6514022e08ebda6/m13_team_profilesMark.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“<b>It's easy to feel engaged when you're working in an environment where intellectual curiosity is valued.</b> The group collectively puts a lot of time and effort into understanding future trends.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Mark, Investing</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/michael-perez"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/5AcnH8zy5ZszSPSViExzS9/6c5de7c54a7fec441e2753eeaddb471b/m13_team_profilesMike.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“M13’s culture of gratitude motivates me to do my best work. Whether one-on-one, in Slack, or in all-hands team meetings, gratitudes are common, and they energize everyone to give their best while enjoying the ride.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Michael, Data</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/loren-boyce"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/3HwGoshPddvQ8oNWgXFZ15/2c3d87d05e0f21c4c2819a07547d4a5d/m13_team_profilesLoren.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“Everyone here brings energy and enthusiasm to their work, and it’s exciting to see everyone leverage their experience and knowledge to support each other and our founders and their teams. <b>Our common love for founders and the journeys they are on keeps me engaged and inspired.</b>”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Loren, Talent</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/adam-domian"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/3Zx5LVMMbcV45F3eyGn7j1/b4619020805ceabe04d6395d9e3ebec6/m13_team_profilesAdam.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“Venture as an industry is fast moving, and M13 as a firm is very responsive to the changes occuring to the markets, to the consumer, and to technology. I find our work at M13 to be very engaging because we get to help drive these changes through our investment decisions, as well as our hands-on work with our portfolio companies.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Adam, Entrepreneur-in-Residence</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/samantha-hughes"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/2zK7Tib7MS8CkfjRuzELWd/a41fdc4fa86c4d2fbdd8a87b747e7fef/m13_team_profilesSamantha.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“I’m given the room and the support to tackle really challenging problems. <b>I’ve grown twice as much in my five months at M13 than I did in 2 years at my previous position</b>, because I am trusted and encouraged to learn by doing.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Samantha, Community</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/carly-lucas"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/01lmVakdWnqXJBqiteqmvE/3b903ae402587efa9d7660ef9d8d8232/m13_team_profilesCarly.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“M13’s first annual Brighter Together Week in 2022 was a true embodiment of our commitment to fostering community both internally and externally. This week of events brought together our community members from all different backgrounds and provided the unique opportunity for direct connections between the M13 team, founders, and investors. The success of this week would not have been possible without the support of the entire M13 team’s collaborative efforts in the months leading up to the event.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Carly, Brand</p>          
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## What is the best part of working at M13?
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/sarah-levine"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/BpR3JMMUU7erJSvPB64fI/75f8c9a5abde59f379f6ac3676aca6ce/m13_team_profilesSarah-L.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“<b>All voices are heard. I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind</b> or contribute my opinions, and as a result, I’ve been able to have a greater impact through my work here and develop more as a professional than I would be able to anywhere else.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Sarah, Talent</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/karim-bhalwani"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/3dDIUFnJQwquYPbUul1Yb1/713f1bc466525b7f235e049d1ed3d423/m13_team_profilesKarim.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“The best part of working at M13 is that we place equally high value on our thoughtful process and on achieving outsized outcomes. This is exemplified by the journeys of our co-founders Carter & Courtney, who seeded multiple unicorns—including Lyft, Ring, and Thrive Market—and put us in a position every day to fuel the next generation of companies, like Rho, Shef, Rothy's, Daily Harvest, Lifeforce, Lightning Labs, and Arena Club. It all starts with our obsession with solving problems, commitment to our craft, and, most importantly, having fun throughout the journey. I'm so lucky to get to work at a company where we are equally inspired by the joy of winning and by enjoying the process along our special journey."
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Karim, Investing</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/julie-terreson"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/5f23tMuvfWcAmz6ohFbq6Y/fa5afa72a0e52bff3dc4fc2664e3ec1c/m13_team_profilesJulie.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“The people, the collaborative culture, and the collective effort to continually improve. M13 is a community of incredible people who make coming to work every day a true privilege. <b>I am lucky to work alongside people who trust me, uplift me, challenge me, and inspire me.</b>”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Julie, Talent</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/arbo-shah"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/7Caa7TsEXVqCmMilzB69TZ/cc35711f15c778627b3643a2c670b9ff/m13_team_profilesArbo.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“The sense of community here is remarkable, and getting to collaborate and work with everyone here is such a rewarding feeling.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Arbo, Talent</p>          
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        <div class="col-sm-2"><a href="https://m13.co/profile/abigail-snodgrass"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/6PuhQWYIhpEggGXoNpWOfa/902691ca19e7aa50c48ba68e4aaff57a/m13_team_profilesAbigail.png"></a></div>
        <div class="col-sm-10"><td><p style="padding-bottom:10px">“<b>Everyone here is such a great human being with a genuine heart. This is not by accident!</b> The strength and power of 'one team, one dream' is not only felt but actively discussed and pursued. I am consistently thankful for not just my immediate team but the entire team working and supporting each other to do our best work.”
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<p class="italic gray mb-2">— Abigail, Brand </p>          
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<center><h3>Join the team</h3></center>
<center><p style="padding-bottom:10px">Interested in being part of M13 culture?We're hiring, for both our team and our portfolio!</p></center>
<center><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://m13.co/careers" target="_blank"><img src="//images.ctfassets.net/vcjxvx0h1a5n/7HVQ4m3OlMw4s46hSn5jxi/f4b5c3a4d46b3e58869157df1d03d419/blog_buttons_career_opportunities.png" alt="join our community" style="width:25%" "padding:20px"></a></p></center><br><br>
Founded in 2016 with offices in Los Angeles (HQ) and New York and a staff of 40, M13 is a consumer technology venture capital firm. We invest in the seed to series A stages of enabling technology startups that power the future of work, health, commerce, and money. <br><br>
M13 is staffed with 2.5 operators for every investor so our founders get access to deep operational expertise, tech tools, and an ecosystem that helps them build faster and better. Where we see whitespace in an industry, our Launchpad develops founding teams, products, and practices to incubate and launch an idea from inception. <br><br>
We believe that advancement is a team mission. Messier 13 (or M13) is one of the brightest star clusters in the Northern sky. It’s full of remarkable individual stars, and when those stars come together, they create something that’s truly greater than the sum of its parts. All of us at M13 contribute to our collective success by being brighter together. Our proven Propulsion platform for success will create more winning companies and demonstrate that when investors and founding teams are aligned on a venture together, we can redefine what’s possible.<br><br>
Built In determines the winners of Best Places to Work based on an algorithm, using company data about compensation and benefits. To reflect the benefits candidates are searching for more frequently on Built In, the program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings. 


From a culture of gratitude to expansive opportunities for growth, here’s what our team has to say about what makes M13 a great place to work.

M13 team gathers in outdoor coworking space at LA office.

2023 builtin bestplacestowork blog header

Built In Names M13 a ‘Great Place to Work’ — Our Team Tells You Why