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Carta Table Stakes Initiative

Carta’s Table Stakes initiative aims to highlight and shift the equity gap among underrepresented groups at venture-backed companies.

 

Carta Table Stakes Initiative

In 2018, Carta released its first study analyzing the gender equity gap—the difference in the value of equity compensation granted to men and women at venture-backed companies. After its success, Carta wanted to grow this single blog post into a broader initiative that we named Table Stakes which aims to highlight and shift the equity gap among underrepresented groups at venture-backed companies.

I led a cross-functional team to create a brand for the study, dive into new data and produce a more holistic report, build a new website, distribute the study, and produce a 400-person event with 15 speakers.

 
Billboard on 101 in downtown San Francisco November-December 2019

Billboard on 101 in downtown San Francisco November-December 2019

 

Our goal is to empower more women to get a seat at the [cap] table.

Carta manages the equity of thousands of startups, which means they have access to an exclusive data set—the breakdown of ownership of privately-held, venture-backed companies. Investment collective #ANGELS challenged Carta to use this data to reveal differences in equity compensation between men and women. The results were staggering. Women employees own just 49 cents in equity for every dollar men own.

We set out to build a campaign around this data with the goals to:

  • Increase brand awareness and affinity, particularly among women founders and investors

  • Build partnerships with key companies and venture capital firms

  • And (most importantly) to do the right thing with our position in the market and empower more women to own equity

 
 

A new brand

We wanted the study’s second annual release to be the start of a major brand initiative for Carta, but wanted to have the freedom to speak and design more boldly than the bounds of the Carta brand allow. We worked with a designer to create a sub-brand for Table Stakes to make is memorable, eye catching, and data-focused. The brand was inspired by protest art, data visualization, and inclusivity.

 
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Writing and sharing the study

The 2019 Table Stakes study was among Carta’s greatest data undertakings. I worked in tandem with the data science team to dive deeper into Carta data than we had previously. Over several months we uncovered new insights and asked new questions. Along with Carta’s VP of Marketing, Emily Kramer, I authored the final study which includes 15 statistics from anonymized Carta data that gives a never-before-seen look into the state of equity compensation for women.

Web

One of our goals was for the study to be perceived as objective data, not just corporate promotion. One way we achieved this was to build out a separate website exclusive to Table Stakes and separate from Carta. The website included the study, our partners, event information, external resources for women in the venture-backed ecosystem, and a form for individuals to contribute their own data to the study.

Partnerships

We know that the people at Carta aren’t the only ones thinking about how we can advance women’s place in leadership roles in startups and venture. We partnered with likeminded founders, investors, and nonprofits to validate, contribute to, and share the Table Stakes study. Carta continues to work with several of these partners hosting events, producing content, and sharing communities.

Keynote Event

For the inaugural year of Table Stakes, we wanted to bring members of the venture-backed community together. On November 4 at Fort Mason in San Francisco Carta hosted the first Table Stakes keynote and panel discussions with over 400 founders, investors, and employees attending. The event featured 15 speakers including opening remarks from Carta’s CEO, a keynote from VP of Marketing Emily Kramer, and 2 panel discussions with investors and founders.

We didn’t want this to be just another networking event. With live screen printing, women-owned food trucks, and a casual atmosphere we made it more fun and organic for women to connect. Event design reflected the new Table Stakes brand and included posters inspired by women’s protest movements. Attendees took home t-shirts, tote bags, posters, and pins sporting the bold slogans.

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A lasting impression

The goal of Table Stakes was to create a lasting brand impression and build relationships with women founders and VCs. With a broad reach in the venture-backed community and lasting partnerships we did just that.

  • 3.8M Twitter impressions

  • 30K page views

  • 400+ event attendees from 200+ organizations

  • Dozens of follow-up partnerships and events including Wharton Female Founders and Funders Alliance, Jane VC, and Kauffman Fellows

  • Several sales deals initiated and closed, citing Table Stakes as a major factor in the decision

  • Increase in recruiting interest from women candidates

Thank you for helping close the gender equity gap

All of Carta marketing and many others were critical to Table Stakes’ success. Some of the key players include:

  • Campaign lead: Grace Erickson

  • Carta VP of Marketing: Emily Kramer

  • Data science: Erin Boehmer & Ray Raff

  • Design & animation: Jessica Strellioff, Cristiana Ortiz, Sam Osh

  • Web development: Alan Heric

  • Writers: Mischa Vaughn, Jenna Lee, Liz Huang

  • Press: Lauren O’Mahoney