Unconscious Bias is Killing Opportunity

Imagine for a moment that you are on your way to a tech conference in San Francisco to hear from CEOs who are disrupting the travel industry. You are hoping to connect with a few investors while you’re there. You grab an Uber from your house to the airport, make your way through TSA, and settle into your seat as the flight attendants start the safety announcements.

By now, you likely have a mental picture of the people in this story. What do the CEOs look like? How about the flight attendants?

From birth, our brains are wired to create shortcuts. This is how we quickly deal with the loads of information we take in every day. We fill in the blanks with our past experiences — the things that feel familiar to us. In a matter of seconds, our brain decides whether someone is smart, trustworthy, dateable, etc.

The subtle assumptions we make about people can have a huge impact on their ability to move through the world. Unconscious bias often determines who gets picked for an interview, who gets approved for a loan to fund their startup, and even who gets a response to an email. We miss out on valuable connections every day, simply because our brains are wired to filter for comfort and familiarity.

Plain Sight is deeply committed to eliminating opportunities to exercise bias, conscious or unconscious, when making professional connections. As a diverse team of founders, we have all experienced first hand the harmful impact of unconscious bias. We see it happen in our home city of Detroit every day.

For a child who grows up in Detroit, they will make 9.5% less than the average median income as an adult. A child who grows up in Seattle will make on average 12% more than the average median income. (The Equality of Opportunity Project) This means that the path of capable and talented people is, in part, shaped by their first zip code.

Social mobility is highly dependent on where a child grows up. Opportunity Atlas, 2019

We are on a mission to open up a seat at the table of opportunity for anyone who wants it. You won’t find any profile pictures or names on Plain Sight for this very reason. You’ll find profiles of people in your city with a snapshot of their skills, interests, and who they’re looking to connect with.

Our hope is to curate great connections between go-getters based on the things that matter most.

-Alex, COO