Two points I'd underscore: it's important to take risks to reach the inclusivity goals the organization sets, and a few individuals can make a huge difference in that commitment.
I was the leader at Gaza Sky Geeks when we decided to bring our women's participation rates to 50%. Part of what we did was require 50% women's participation at our main outreach event (a Startup Weekend at the time). That's the top of the funnel - whatever our women's engagement rate is at that stage, it'll either stay the same or drop after that (if there's bias at each selection stage against women, as founders enter incubation, then acceleration, then follow-on investment)
Some of our staff and partners disagreed with this strategy: only 30% of applicants to the outreach event were female, and their applications were indeed often worse than men's applications. Quite honestly, the main reason we stuck to the goal was because I put my foot down and said Gaza Sky Geeks would only run the event if we all committed to 50% women's participation.
What happened next? Women outperformed men at the event, winning most of the prizes. That was all organic - and if anything, we had expected the judges to be biased towards men.
The following year, we again had the same debate with our partners and our team, and again I stood my ground for this.
That's explained in this video: https://youtu.be/vJnRy8jcac8 ("How Gaza's startup community became one of the most female-inclusive in the world")
This is fascinating. If you had fewer women to choose from, and their applications were often worse, you were arguably "lowering the bar" in the name of diversity. And yet you ended up with better results in the end. Do you think that's because the skills needed for a good application weren't the same as the skills needed for performing well at the event? Or was it a team-based competition, and you ended up with mixed teams that therefore performed better? Obviously you've thought a lot about it, so I'm interested in whether you've come to a conclusion.
"I bet regulatory red tape in Gaza isn't hard" >> You realize that the borders are entirely closed and that hardware can only be brought in with the Israeli army's approval, right? I know a startup founder in Gaza who had to wait 8 months for an Arduino. Nowadays Gaza Sky Geeks brings small equipment to Gaza for founders, but solar panels are a whole other story.
Here's the FAQ from the campaign page:
Why aren't you fundraising for solar panels?
We care deeply about the environment and wish we could use solar panels! We hope solar energy is in Gaza Sky Geeks’ future. In the short term, a generator and fuel are the best option for us because:
Import restrictions make solar an unreliable option: Items brought in and out of Gaza are subject to restrictions. As a result, panels and maintenance parts may not always be available. Also, solar panels only recently became available in Gaza, which means that maintenance/expertise in solar technology is still nascent.
The building we rent cannot accommodate solar: We rent our space and do not have rights to the roof of our building. Even if we did, our building’s roof is covered in water heaters and does not have enough space for the number of solar panels we would need to power a space of our size. Power consistency and ability to meet peak demand is critical when we are running a professional space and charging other companies rent. Due to import restrictions and lack of roof space, we cannot yet guarantee uptime with solar the way we can with a generator.
Solar would cost much more: Through an agreement we have with the United Nations, we receive fuel at a 65% discount to market prices, making it significantly cheaper than solar. In addition, solar is a high up-front investment ($20-30k at a minimum).
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NOTE: I'm the co-founder of Gaza Sky Geeks and lived there for 2 years.
The only ways for foreigners to get into Gaza is when they work for an international humanitarian organization or when they are journalists. I run Gaza Sky Geeks and live in Gaza. I have seen Jewish Americans come frequently, both as humanitarian workers and as journalists.
Imon, what about remote work from gaza? how's the situation ? Because assuming there's the right talent and enough stability to work, this seems like something that could attract many employers, both from financial/talent perspectives and from the doing good perspective. And it could be very scalable, maybe even having real impact on the region.
Hi all - I'm the director of Gaza Sky Geeks. Great to see this conversation taking place. Thanks to all of you who have supported our work! A new piece was just written about us by NPR, and if you Googled "Gaza" yesterday, this was one of the top search results: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/12/14/370139...
Our crowdfunding campaign has been extended until January 8. If you haven't already supported and told your friends about it, please do! It's at http://www.gazastarts.com.
I'll also be in the Bay Area from Dec 22 - Jan 6, and while I'll be primarily focused on friends & family, I'd be happy to set up a coffee side chat if entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley want to hear what it's like to launch startups in Gaza.
For those of you in Israel, I pass through Jerusalem frequently and Tel Aviv occasionally, and can also meet up there.
When I arrived to Gaza over a year ago, I had no idea what I'd find. What's made me so dedicated to Gaza Sky Geeks is the untapped potential I see. As we nurture startups in Gaza, one of our goals is to develop expertise in launching startups in frontier markets more broadly. Do reach out to us at info@gazaskygeeks.com if you'd like to engage with our work.
Two points I'd underscore: it's important to take risks to reach the inclusivity goals the organization sets, and a few individuals can make a huge difference in that commitment.
I was the leader at Gaza Sky Geeks when we decided to bring our women's participation rates to 50%. Part of what we did was require 50% women's participation at our main outreach event (a Startup Weekend at the time). That's the top of the funnel - whatever our women's engagement rate is at that stage, it'll either stay the same or drop after that (if there's bias at each selection stage against women, as founders enter incubation, then acceleration, then follow-on investment)
Some of our staff and partners disagreed with this strategy: only 30% of applicants to the outreach event were female, and their applications were indeed often worse than men's applications. Quite honestly, the main reason we stuck to the goal was because I put my foot down and said Gaza Sky Geeks would only run the event if we all committed to 50% women's participation.
What happened next? Women outperformed men at the event, winning most of the prizes. That was all organic - and if anything, we had expected the judges to be biased towards men.
The following year, we again had the same debate with our partners and our team, and again I stood my ground for this.
That's explained in this video: https://youtu.be/vJnRy8jcac8 ("How Gaza's startup community became one of the most female-inclusive in the world")