NEW VANTAGE POINTS
Five years ago, Fast Company published a profile of entrepreneur Tristan Walker, a Foursquare veteran who was building a shaving and skincare business called Walker & Company. Written by contributor J.J. McCorvey, it was a candid portrayal of an African American founder trying to make his way in Silicon Valley, a place with a grim record on racial inclusion, despite the fact that so many of the iconic companies founded there consider themselves to be models of meritocracy. McCorvey revealed the complexities of navigating Sand Hill Road while black: Did the venture capitalists throwing “entrepreneur-in-residence” offers at Walker really value his potential as a founder, or were they looking for a quick way to diversify their ranks? For Walker, was it reckless of him, after earning a Stanford MBA, to…