Julius Nyanda, HouseKeys

The venture capital industry can no longer ignore the ethical and moral issues that arise alongside its investment activities, from power imbalances, lack of inclusion, or conflicts of interest. There is an ethical and moral imperative for a proactive and affirmative approach from the investor community.

As innovation investors, we recognize:

• Our industry of innovation capital has the power to drive both private value creation and sustainable, positive societal transformation;
• Our purpose is to direct capital and expertise to create shared value by accelerating the pace of innovation through company formation and growth;
• Our investment decisions affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside of GrowthX, the companies in which we invest, our capital partners, the industries in which we work, and beyond, both today and in the future; and
• Our behavior must set an example of integrity and mutual respect, eliciting trust and esteem from the multiple stakeholders we serve.

We will remain accountable to our peers and to society for our actions and for upholding these standards.

We will protect the human rights and dignity of all people impacted by GrowthX and our investee companies, and oppose discrimination both within our investee companies and in the process of selecting investments.

We will promote a culture of inclusion, seek out diversity of all types, and foster a sense of belonging among all the organizations and communities in which we work. To further continuing awareness and action, we will participate to the extent of our abilities in open discussion and reporting across our industry as well as encourage others to do the same.

We will develop ourselves, and coach, mentor, and apprentice the next generation of founders and investors.

We will work with our stakeholders to support sustainable inclusive prosperity and to minimize the negative consequences of our actions to the environment and society.