How do you navigate the tech industry as a black woman? This founder has answers

What lessons can black female founders, in particular, learn from the successes of an industry veteran?

Angela Benton, three-time founder and current CEO of data brokerage firm Streamlytics, shared her thoughts on navigating the tech industry as a black woman during a recent Inc webinar. spoke with Honeypot Founder and CEO Beatrice Dixon and answered questions from the audience. Here are some takeaways from their conversation.

Get out of the "black trade box"

Being included only in a special category is a common problem faced by minority founders and women. Benton says she can't stand it. "I don't allow people to box me, and when people box me, I correct them," Benton said.

For example, Benton pointed to a recent experience she had at Streamlytics, where she was working to close a deal she had been working on for almost a year. "We're close to closing the deal with them, but after all this time and effort, they want to classify us in their kind of black founders field," Benton said. In response, Benton said she started with an expression of a desire to work together, but became candid about her concerns: "I want to have this conversation with you, [I am] super horny, but I don't. "I don't want to be a part of it, because when I'm a part of it, you undo all the groundbreaking technology we've developed."

Find partners who see your potential

Recalling her experience leading the accelerator for minority NewME founders, Benton said a key goal was to work around those who didn't understand the companies she was promoting.

"As a community, we're brilliant," Benton said. But when it comes to "respect," she said, "we don't necessarily get the same" as more privileged groups, noting how little venture capital funding goes into black founders. /p>

Benton strove to find partners who specifically hoped to address long-standing discrimination. She quoted investor Mitch Kapor, whom Benton described as "an absolute legend." She recalls, "Mitch was an ally before the word ally was used; we had this idea, he opened -- this legend opened -- his entire Rolodex of investors in the Silicon Valley, and that's how we started. That's why people came to demo days.

"When you talk about building ecosystems, it's the founders, it's the backers, and it's the allies," Benton said.

Overcome your fears

Asked to give advice to the founders, Benton pointed to his battle with cancer at age 34 as a lesson in not caring about what other people might think. She decided to focus more on the things that really matter. "The choices I make have to be more intentional for myself, for my family, for my community," she said.

With that in mind, she said, "I was less scared." His advice: "Say the things you want to say. If you feel like things aren't set up in your favor, then say those things."

Furthermore, Benton said, his commercial success has allowed him to speak even more outspokenly about racial and gender inequality without becoming a target.