Thank you for this post, Female Founders Fund (https://blog.femalefoundersfund.com/).
To this point, If I could go back in time and advise myself as I raised capital in my 30s and 40s, I would say this: Candidly, unless an investor is a proven ally -- aka has a track record of investing real dollars in more than one other entrepreneur who shares my gender identity and /or race and ethnicity--there is very little data to support my investment of time in that pitch meeting.
An ally investing once in women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA entrepreneurs may be the beginning of a commitment--or an aberration. But an investor who has invested 2x has the potential to be a real, emerging ally. And 3x or more is a trend, go for the long lunch!
