Why we cannot go back to the old normal, We need equality now

By Theodora Lau and Bradley Leimer

If there was ever a desire and a need for normalcy, it would seem to be now.

But that’s actually not what we need. Not this time.

We need — more than ever before — a new normal.

We need new sources of hope, we need bigger dreams, we need bolder action.

We need to create a better normal. Equality can’t wait.

Our sense of time, treated as a critical resource and surely lacking before, seems even stranger now. The sun rises and the sun sets, and so much happens in between we can barely name the day of the week. Days turn into weeks overnight. We see others, but only from a distance. Our normal life replaced by the light of screens and digital connection. Whether thirty-some odd days or more than three months, we are sequestered, rightly focused on flattening curves.

But there are other curves we need to flatten as well. You see, it’s past time, to take time — to think, to focus, to connect — in order to create a better world for more of us. This isn’t time to ponder the common good, it’s time to foster, nurture, and crash more ceilings on our way toward a greater good. One where gender and diversity drive a new normal.

COVID-19 has shown the world that we are more globally connected than ever. How will the world evolve as we emerge from this pandemic? There is still so much to change.

In 2019, history was made: 21 women-led companies emerged as unicorns — those earning valuations of $1 billion or more — the highest-ever in a one-year period. Unfortunately, that is just a drop in the bucket compared to what the rest of the ecosystem has raised, according to Crunchbase. In 2019, more than 92% of venture capital raised by European tech companies went to all-male founding teams. It’s even worse in the U.S.

How can we create a more even playing field? What will the current pandemic mean to this funding dynamic? When we focus on funding more diverse teams, we all win. When we treat the needs of everyone on a more even playing field, the world wins.

How can we change this narrative?

“It’s clear we can’t continue with the profit at all costs model, profit over our planet and people. Nor continue to allow decisions that impact us globally be made by just a handful.” — The Bigger Pie Blog

We need to start thinking — and acting — with a longer time horizon in mind. We need to be changing the opportunities, we need to create more pathways, we need to open up networks. We must start with STEM education for girls at an early age, to open up more opportunities and provide more role models. We need to instill entrepreneurship into every community, drive inclusive business practices into our business models. We need to expect more inclusion, even as the current crisis closes borders and clouds mindsets.

One thing we know for sure, we can’t go back to the old normal.

There is too much at stake in too little hands.

It is time for a bigger pie – one with more equal slices.

Tune in for a new episode of One Vision via iTunes and Spotify with Bridget Greenwood, Founder of The Bigger Pie, as she chats with Theo and Bradley of Unconventional Ventures about the need to change the status quo as. As always, you can listen to this and every episode of One Vision podcast on your favorite player. Thank you for listening, and thank you for helping bend the arc toward the common good.

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