Report on Allison Byers: Entrepreneurship, Policy Advocacy, and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

This report details the career trajectory of Allison Byers, a Boston University Questrom School of Business alumna, focusing on her transition from management consulting to tech entrepreneurship and national policy advocacy. Her work demonstrates a profound commitment to addressing systemic inequities in venture capital and business leadership. This report analyzes her efforts through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting significant contributions to SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

2.0 Educational Foundation and Skill Development

Allison Byers’ professional pivot was predicated on acquiring a robust business education at the Questrom School of Business. Recognizing the need for a formal business language to supplement her background in psychology, she pursued an MBA to enhance her understanding of corporate dynamics and leadership.

2.1 Academic and Leadership Experience at Questrom

• Academic Focus: Double concentration in Business Strategy and Marketing, providing a dual analytical and communicative skillset.
• Leadership Development: Served on the leadership team for the Questrom Business Symposium, managing marketing for a conference with over 500 attendees. This experience provided practical application of her studies in a high-stakes environment.
• Mentorship: A formative relationship with Professor and now Dean Susan Fournier was instrumental in shaping her perspective on business and creating professional opportunities. This mentorship underscores the importance of quality education and guidance, a key tenet of SDG 4 (Quality Education).

3.0 Entrepreneurial Journey and Confronting Systemic Barriers

Post-graduation, Byers’ career path exposed her to significant systemic barriers, which became the catalyst for her advocacy and entrepreneurial ventures. These experiences directly informed her mission to reform inequitable systems.

1. Workplace Discrimination: Byers was forced out of her job following maternity leave, an event she identifies as a systemic failure in supporting working mothers. This directly relates to challenges addressed by SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
2. Venture Capital Bias: While raising capital for a medical device startup, she encountered firsthand the gender bias prevalent in the venture capital ecosystem, being shut out of Series B funding. This experience illuminated the severe funding disparities that hinder innovation and economic participation.

4.0 Scroobious: A Platform for Inclusive Economic Growth (SDG 5, 8, 10)

In response to the inequities she faced, Byers founded Scroobious, a platform designed to dismantle barriers to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs. The venture is a direct application of business principles to achieve social and economic justice.

4.1 Mission and SDG Alignment

• Core Mission: To democratize access to venture capital, specifically targeting the funding gap where only 1.8% of VC funding goes to female founders nationally and 0.6% in Massachusetts.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The platform’s primary function is to empower female entrepreneurs by providing them with the tools and access needed to secure funding.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): By focusing on all underrepresented founders, Scroobious actively works to create a more equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial landscape.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The creation of Scroobious was supported by the BU network, with alumna Cynthia Cohen serving as an early mentor and current advisor, exemplifying the power of collaboration to drive change.

5.0 Policy Advocacy and Legislative Impact

Byers has extended her impact from entrepreneurship to national policy advocacy, leveraging her platform to champion systemic change through legislation. Her work focuses on creating transparency and accountability within the financial industry.

5.1 Key Advocacy Initiatives

• Legislative Action: Co-authored a landmark California bill (SB54) mandating that venture capital firms report demographic data on their investments. This is a critical first step in addressing funding disparities through data, a core principle of effective policy.
• National Campaign: Byers is now championing similar transparency bills in Massachusetts and New York, scaling her impact.
• Investor Reform: She is advocating to modernize the U.S. definition of “accredited investors” to expand the pool of potential funders to include more women and minorities.

These policy efforts are a direct contribution to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by seeking to reform the structural rules that perpetuate economic disparity. Her collaboration with lawmakers also embodies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

6.0 Conclusion: A Model for Social Entrepreneurship and SDG Advancement

Allison Byers’ career serves as a powerful case study in social entrepreneurship, where business ventures are created not only for profit but to actively solve societal problems. Her work in building Scroobious and advocating for legislative reform provides a tangible model for how business leaders can advance the Sustainable Development Goals. By identifying systemic flaws and building targeted solutions, she demonstrates that business can be a formidable force for promoting gender equality, reducing inequality, and fostering inclusive economic growth. Her continued engagement with the Boston University community ensures that this legacy of purpose-driven leadership is passed on to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article centrally addresses the significant gender disparity in venture capital funding, a key issue of economic inequality for women.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The focus on supporting entrepreneurs, particularly from underrepresented groups, and creating platforms like Scroobious to foster innovation and business growth connects directly to this goal.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article’s core theme is tackling systemic barriers and reducing inequalities faced by underrepresented entrepreneurs, including women and minorities, in accessing capital.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Allison Byers’ work in policy advocacy, specifically co-authoring legislation to make venture capital firms more transparent and accountable, relates to building stronger and more just institutions.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article emphasizes the importance of collaboration between academia (Boston University), private enterprise (Scroobious), mentors, investors, and policymakers to achieve equity in entrepreneurship.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in economic life. Allison’s mission to fix the funding gap where “Only 1.8% of VC dollars go to women” directly aims to increase women’s participation and leadership in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
  • Target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality. Her work co-authoring a “landmark California bill requiring venture capital firms to report demographic data” and championing similar bills in other states is a direct implementation of this target.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation…including through access to financial services. The creation of Scroobious, a “platform…to transform access to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs,” is a direct effort to support entrepreneurship by improving access to finance.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of sex, race, ethnicity, or other status. The article highlights Allison’s work to “open the doors for more women and minorities to fund startups” and her platform’s focus on “underrepresented entrepreneurs,” which directly addresses the goal of economic inclusion.
  • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory policies and practices. By tackling the “gender bias in venture capital” and advocating for legislation to bring transparency, she is working to eliminate discriminatory practices and reduce inequalities of outcome in the funding landscape.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The California bill she co-authored is described as bringing “real transparency into a historically opaque space” by requiring venture capital firms to report data, thus making these financial institutions more accountable and transparent.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article details numerous partnerships: Allison’s collaboration with her BU mentor Cynthia Cohen, her work with legislators on the California bill, and the community of “investors, even my husband — so many of us are BU or Questrom alums” working together. This network illustrates a multi-stakeholder partnership model.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Percentage of venture capital funding allocated to female founders: The article explicitly states, “Only 1.8% of VC dollars go to women. In Massachusetts, it’s just 0.6%.” This statistic is a direct indicator for measuring progress on gender equality (SDG 5) in finance. An increase in this percentage would signify progress.
• Demographic data of founders receiving investment: The California bill requires “venture capital firms to report demographic data on their investments.” This reported data serves as a key indicator to measure the inclusion of underrepresented groups (SDG 10) and the transparency of financial institutions (SDG 16).
• Number of laws and policies promoting investment transparency: The article mentions the “landmark California bill” and efforts to champion “similar bills in Massachusetts and New York.” The number of states or jurisdictions that adopt such legislation is a measurable indicator of progress towards Target 5.c and 10.3.
• Number of underrepresented entrepreneurs receiving support/funding: While not quantified, the success of platforms like Scroobious can be measured by the number of entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds who gain access to capital, directly indicating progress on Target 8.3.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: bu.edu