Cooley Joins Effort to Promote Diversity in Venture Capital

London – January 5, 2018 – Cooley is supporting Diversity VC to bring the nonprofit initiative to the US in a continued effort to strengthen diversity in the venture capital community. 

The US chapter of Diversity VC, a nonprofit organization headquartered in London, will promote greater diversity in venture capital through several initiatives, including helping underrepresented groups build a VC network, getting minority interns into VC firms and publishing data about diverse representation. 

“We are thrilled to champion Diversity VC,” said Ryan Naftulin, Cooley partner and global vice-chair of the firm’s business department. “Cooley strongly supports Diversity VC’s mission in the UK, and now the States, of promoting diversity in the venture capital and emerging company community. We look forward to partnering together on this important initiative.” Naftulin has been a Cooley partner in Palo Alto and Washington, DC; he is now based in London. 

Cooley’s sponsorship of Diversity VC will help the organization with mission-critical initiatives, such as lectures, dinners and entrepreneurship events.

Diversity VC was created by venture capitalists Check Warner, Farooq Abbasi, Anna Huyghues Despointes, Lillian Li and Travis Winstanley. Through their work with entrepreneurs, investors and universities, Diversity VC seeks to create a more inclusive industry free from bias. 

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