For the past<\/span> five years, Lauren Maillian was tasked with asking hard questions. Questions like: How much venture funding goes to Black women and Latina founders?<\/p>\n

As CEO of the nonprofit Digitalundivided, she oversaw the organization\u2019s biennial reports known as ProjectDianne, which tracked the progress of underrepresented women founders in the startup ecosystem.<\/p>\n

She led teams that examined biases in decision-making, studied economic inequality and the manifold ways in which sociology interacts with venture capital. Having such data has been monumental, as it provided hard facts to show the discrimination that such founders face.<\/p>\n

In her role, she struck partnerships with JPMorgan, AMEX, AWS and Nasdaq while quadrupling the nonprofit\u2019s revenue, finding ways to make more money to conduct more research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were able to leverage the power of data and drive change and advocacy in a unique way,\u201d she told TechCrunch+, adding that she believes Black women and Latina founders are the future of innovation and technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been the Black woman founder; I\u2019ve been underestimated. I\u2019ve been second-guessed. I\u2019ve been to all those places. I know what it\u2019s like to be doubted, and I know what it\u2019s like to feel as though you really need a third-party data point to point to that\u2019s not just yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Digitalundivided, Maillian was a founder and one of the first Black women to start an early-stage venture firm. As an angel investor today, she has backed Partake Foods, the online community Diem and the rug company Ruggable. For nearly two decades, her career has been intertwined with culture and innovation.<\/p>\n

She says she was into investing before it was a \u201cbuzzword.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always loved to study and invest in brands,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve looked up and amassed a $5 billion market cap with my personal investment portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n

This January, Maillian stepped down from her role at Digitalundivided and decided to invest in herself. She says she has never taken a break in her long career, not even as she dealt with being a single mother. But even in the midst of this breather, Maillian is mapping out what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

I caught up with Maillian recently to talk about power in the industry, the changing landscape for Black women and Latinas, and what her next act will be.<\/p>\n

(This interview has been edited lightly for length and clarity.)<\/em><\/p>\n