The Magic Behind the Word Equity, with Servane Mouazan and Erika Brodnock

Hello… I am Servane Mouazan and this is Be and Think in the House of Trust, a podcast to support those of you who love to invest in social and environmental change and want to tell one another and the planet: “You matter”.

In the first two series, you may have heard people who are passionate about making a meaningful inclusive impact and together we’ve explored themes that help people work together, make sense of cultural differences, grow trust and collaboration, and we looked to understand what makes investors make or break things.

In this new series, I have asked some of my guests to share a word that matters to them, makes them wonder and ponder, and gives them focus and new perspectives.

I’ll look at the word in this social finance context.

But I’ll also look at what its root means and offer you a question to take away.

Today we’re looking at the word EQUITY.

Settle down in the house, grab a notebook and a pen, and here we go.

Today’s word Equity was shared by Erika Brodnock, founder at Extend Ventures VC and co-founder and CEO at KinHub. Her goal is to create fairer, more equitable workplaces for everyone.

We are all familiar with Equity as to the degree of ownership or ownership interest in a venture.

We know also of equity as the value of an asset after all other liabilities and debts have been paid off.

Let’s look at Equity in the context of social finance.

When it means moving away from the belief that one should get resources based on need or merit.

Ideally, equity-focused social finance will prioritize dismantling systemic barriers that are stopping marginalized or underestimated groups from achieving equitable outcomes.

Not everyone starts from the same place

Investments are targeted strategically to ensure they reach those most affected by social and economic inequities

What does the word “equity” actually mean?

Quick look; equity is that which is equally right or just to all concerned,

It shares a root in aequalis "uniform, identical, equal,"

From aequus, which is of unknown origin "level, even, flat; as tall as, on a level with; equitable, impartial; proportionate

We also find a quiet, tranquil state of mind; moderation, and evenness of temper.

And this is what I find curious: friendly, kind, just, fair, calm, tranquil,".

Think of Equity as a means to bring up a calm, tranquil state, not a chaotic state, or not a subdued or numb state.

A means to have people live according to who they are and who they deserve to be on their terms, making sure that the conditions lend themselves to this.

In practice, it means investing in underserved, underestimated communities:

Ensuring people have access to capital (removing the obstacles to access)

Brainstorming with communities, making space for the voices to be heard,

But importantly, creating the conditions and ensuring that people have genuine decision-making power.

Bringing the resources that address people’s specific needs and build wealth.

Architecting equity means no one will be left behind.

It doesn’t mean your slice of the pie will suddenly be taken away.

And so I am curious about this root of the word equity that points to calm and tranquil.

There is such a calm power, true tranquil grace and courage in making a step towards each other.

Erika shared her vision of the future where equity has materialised. We are in 2033, here’s what she says:

So we stopped offering mentoring programs and skills development programs and started to ensure that entrepreneurs had the capital, the connections, and the contracts that they needed to get their early-stage businesses off the ground, and those businesses grew. And they exited for a billion-dollar valuation. And then there was an ecosystem that had been created, which meant that those who had exited, reinvested back into the new entrepreneurs and, then we created the flywheel that ensured that actually, the access problem, the pipeline problem that doesn't even exist at the moment, just just completely frittered away. There were new divers on entrepreneurs coming through all the time, because they saw role models that they were able to look up to, they realized that entrepreneurship was for them. They felt as though they belonged in that sector. And they were then funded, they went themselves into corporations who also accepted the sale at the end of the day, and bought from them. So supply chains became more diverse over the years. And you know, now that we're in 2020… 2033, we see that businesses are buying from entrepreneurs who come from all walks of life, not just the historic ones.

So if you were to paint a picture where equity has materialised and it includes these ideas, a world that is friendly, kind, just, fair, equitable, impartial; proportionate; calm, tranquil,".

What is showing up for you?

What can you or your close network do now that will shift the needle towards this vision? I hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-trip towards equity and I look forward to our next journey around a word that matters for people who love to invest in social change.

This episode of Be and Think in the House of Trust is available on all your podcast platforms.

Listen, share, comment and drop me a line about the specific topic or guest you would love to drop in the House of Trust!

Bye for now!