An e-commerce founder on micro-aggressions, tokenism—leading her company through this complicated moment Nicole Gibbons knew she was in rare company when her direct-to-consumer paint startup Clare raised $2 million from the likes of First Round Capital in 2017. Black female entrepreneurs receive less than 1% of VC funding raised by startups. In an industry that champions quick pivots and failing fast, Gibbons — who launched her New York City-based company in 2016 after working as an interior decorator and global head of PR for Victoria’s Secret — feels intense pressure to make no mistakes and faces microaggressions so often […]
