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CLOSING DIVERSITY GAPS IN INNOVATION 731

and parts of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, identify the strongest programs that empower women
are significantly more likely to become inventors (11). and entrepreneurs of color and replicate them across
The exposure effects hold true for gender too—areas the country and across disciplines. Bias training
of the country that score well on indices of gender bias and inclusion programs for “gatekeepers,” such as
(i.e., regions that generally have a more positive view grant makers or tenure and promotion committee
of women) tend to also have more female inventors members, are additional tools to encourage greater
(11). diversity in invention. Programs that provide innova-
Exposure to, and engagement with, inventive tors with assistance in applying for grants and other
teams works. Lisa Seacat DeLuca, a technology strat- government programs, such as the Department of
egist at IBM, has written, Energy’s “Phase 0 Assistance Program” (19), help

On my first job, I was surrounded by inventors. encourage women and people of color to seek funding
Rather than being intimidated, I found a group for their innovative enterprises.
of engineers who met a couple times a month Public Policy
to discuss patents. I quickly discovered just how
addicting it was to brainstorm about cutting edge Public policy changes also play an important
technologies, write up our ideas, and pitch them role. Congress and the Administration should fur-
to our company’s patent review boards (14). ther study the problem and promote institutional
best practices; provide technical and programmatic
Since that first job, DeLuca has filed over 600 patent assistance to inventors; support policies that advance
applications on technology ranging from cloud and STEM education; incentivize VC firms to support a
mobile computing to the Internet of Things and has more diverse set of inventors; strengthen the patent
been issued 250 U.S. and global patents to date. She system; and prevent and remedy discrimination.
has been recognized as the most prolific inventor in Congress should direct the USPTO to collect
IBM history and was inducted into the Women in demographic data on patent applicants and recip-
Technology Hall of Fame in 2017 (15). ients to better understand the gaps and to evaluate
the effectiveness of efforts to reduce them. Today, the
Access to Venture Capital USPTO collects no data on race, gender, or income
More reliable venture capital (VC) funding would from patent applicants, requiring researchers to use
also help close the gaps. Currently, fewer than five name-matching software and other techniques to
percent of all VC deals—and only about two percent study disparities in patenting. Reliable studies of
of all VC funding—goes to women, and only seven both the patent gaps and their remedies require a
percent of partners at VC firms are women (16). This comprehensive data source that the USPTO can cre-
massive funding gap penalizes women inventors, who ate and publish to maintain accountability for equity
are less likely to receive venture backing for their ideas in patenting. As with other government programs,
than their male counterparts. Funding to bring their the collection of this data would be segregated and
research and development ideas to market would would not be known or considered in the decision
only further spur women to invent. about whether to grant a patent (20).
Researchers and practitioners need to learn more
Assistance Programs for Entrepreneurs about best practices that maximize patenting and
Some programs are available to help provide the commercialization among diverse communities. To
tools inventors need to be successful entrepreneurs that end, Congress should commission a study of
and to help them build their networks. For example, best practices that lead women, people of color, and
the Empowering Women in Technology Startups lower-income populations to engage in innovation.
(Ewits) program at the University of Florida pro- Agencies across the government have a role to
vides women with hands-on entrepreneurial training play in engaging diverse inventors. The USPTO pro-
to help them pursue leadership roles in technology vides technical assistance with patenting. The Small
businesses (18). Universities and industries should Business Administration offers grants and technical