Building an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem

Dr Yaz Osho, senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at University of Westminster explores intersectionality and the importance of taking the whole selves of racially minoritised entrepreneurs into consideration.

‘Bringing one’s whole self’ to work is a common phrase in equality, diversity, and inclusion and equity debates around fostering authenticity and the acceptance of people’s multiple identities. Why is it that schemes to support racially minoritised (or BAME) entrepreneurs fail to take into account entrepreneurs’ multifaceted whole selves on an intersectional basis?

An academic and social enterprise owner, Dr Yaz Osho believes that it is crucial that the UK strives to build an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem which positions those with lived experience at the heart of interventions and funds to help overcome the barriers and challenges experienced by entrepreneurs deeply impacted by the intersections of multiple identities. It is by making intelligible the experiences of racially minoritised entrepreneurs, and how intersectionality impacts upon outcomes and opportunity that appropriate interventions can be designed and effectively rolled out.

Read the full article in our latest issue of London Business Matters, p.52.