DEI for the Startup Community 4: Pendo Head of DEI Jessica Jolley

Pendo is what startups aspire to be. Launched in October of 2013 with 4 founders, it has now raised over $200M, has over 500 employees, and is valued at over $1B. In many ways, Pendo is the poster child for startup success. But with that growth comes challenges. Today, Jessica Jolley, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Pendo, talks initiatives she’s excited about and gives tips for startups to set the groundwork for a DEI-friendly culture.

JOIN THE DEI FOR STARTUPS WEBINAR, presented by The Diversity Movement, with Donald Thompson, Shelley Willingham, and Lister Delgado.  And please donate any amount to the Thurgood Marshall College Scholarship Fund.

 

Transcript

Shelley Willingham:  Welcome to Winning with Diversity, a podcast to help you be the diversity champion in your business. This is episode four of our series of DEI for the startup community, where we’re talking about how founders and investors can think about DEI when they’re just starting out, why it’s so important and actionable steps leaders can take right away to align DEI initiatives to overall business goals. I’m your host, Shelley Willingham, vice president of business strategy at The Diversity Movement and with me today is Jess Jolley, head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Pendo. Thanks so much for coming on the show, Jess.

Jess Jolley:  Thanks, Shelly. I’m really excited to talk with you today.

Shelley Willingham:  So for those of you that don’t know Pendo is what startups aspire to be. It was launched in October of 2013, with four founders.

It’s now raised over $200 million has over 500 employees and is valued at over $1 billion. It was in 2019. So Pendo is definitely the poster child for startup success in the Southeast. So Jess, as the head of diversity, equity and inclusion at a company that is hiring hundreds of employees this year, you have a lot on your plate.

Jess Jolley:  Yes. Yes. We are a lot on my plate, a lot of initiatives going on right now.

Shelley Willingham:  So let me ask you this. When was the need recognized for a head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Pendo?

Full Episode Transcript

Winning with Diversity is brought to you by The Diversity Movement, hosted by VP of Business Strategy Shelley Willingham, and is a production of Earfluence.

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