Project Include
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| Project Include | |
|---|---|
| Name | Project Include |
| Formation | 2016 |
| Founder | Evelyn Rusli; Paradigm co-founders (associated founders include) Ellen Pao; Tracy Chou |
| Type | Nonprofit advisory initiative |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Region served | United States; global tech hubs |
| Focus | Diversity; equity; inclusion; workplace reform |
Project Include
Project Include is a nonprofit advisory organization founded in 2016 that advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the technology industry. It emerged from conversations among Silicon Valley engineers, investors, and executives aiming to translate research on representation into actionable policies for companies, startups, and venture capital firms. The initiative gained attention through partnerships with technology companies, activist campaigns in the startup ecosystem, and publications that synthesize best practices for hiring, retention, and leadership development.
History
Project Include was formed in 2016 amid heightened discourse following events such as the 2014–2016 diversity reports from companies like Google and Facebook (now Meta Platforms), coupled with public controversies involving executives at firms including Uber Technologies and Khosla Ventures-backed startups. Early contributors included engineers and advocates who had worked at Pinterest, Dropbox, Quora, and Pinterest alumni networks, drawing support from venture capitalists in firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. The organization’s founding coincided with campaigns by activists associated with groups like Black Lives Matter and investigators following the publication of diversity data by Intel Corporation and Salesforce. Project Include’s initial reports synthesized guidance from research institutions such as McKinsey & Company and Harvard Business School while engaging corporate leaders from LinkedIn and Airbnb to pilot policy recommendations.
Mission and Goals
Project Include’s stated mission centers on accelerating diversity and inclusion across technology workplaces by providing concrete, evidence-based recommendations to executives, human resources leaders, and investors. Goals include improving representation of underrepresented groups such as Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and women-identifying individuals across engineering and leadership roles, reducing attrition among marginalized employees, and mainstreaming metrics-driven approaches to accountability. The organization operationalizes these goals by borrowing metrics frameworks from institutions like National Science Foundation studies, aligning with standards used by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filings, and encouraging transparency similar to public reporting models adopted by Microsoft and Intel Corporation.
Programs and Initiatives
Project Include produces analysis, templates, and toolkits designed for technology companies, startups, and venture capital firms. Core initiatives include comprehensive diversity baseline assessments modeled after reporting practices at Google and Apple Inc., hiring pipeline reforms inspired by programs at Code2040 and Girls Who Code, retention strategies paralleling employee resource group frameworks used at Salesforce and IBM, and leadership development curricula referencing programs at Stanford University and Berkeley. The organization also launched industry-wide campaigns partnering with organizations such as Glassdoor and The New York Times to publicize best practices, and has run workshops with incubators like Y Combinator and accelerators connected to Techstars.
Impact and Criticism
Project Include’s influence is visible in adoption of policy templates and public commitments by companies including mid-size startups and enterprises that cite its recommendations when publishing diversity reports. Analysts from firms like Deloitte and McKinsey & Company have referenced similar, data-driven approaches in broader corporate consulting. However, critics argue that voluntary frameworks can enable performative compliance rather than systemic change, echoing criticisms leveled at corporate diversity efforts in cases like Uber Technologies and controversies noted in reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Some labor advocates and researchers from institutions like University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University have called for binding regulation such as mandatory reporting or reparative hiring practices, questioning whether advisory groups alone can shift power dynamics rooted in venture finance and executive networks exemplified by Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners.
Organizational Structure
Project Include operates as a nonprofit advisory collective composed of staff, advisors, and industry volunteers drawn from engineering, product, human resources, and investment backgrounds. Leadership has included founders and board members with ties to organizations such as Pinterest, Quora, Intel Corporation, and advocacy groups like Color Of Change. The organization leverages working groups to craft toolkits, aligning cross-functional experts from technology companies, legal advisers familiar with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance, and academic researchers from institutions such as Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business to ensure recommendations are operationally feasible.
Funding and Partnerships
Project Include’s funding model combines philanthropic grants, corporate sponsorships, and pro bono partnerships. Early supporters included technology firms and philanthropic arms of investors that have previously backed initiatives through organizations like Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Ford Foundation-style philanthropy. Partnerships span nonprofit organizations such as Code2040, AnitaB.org, National Center for Women & Information Technology, academic collaborators at Stanford University and UC Berkeley, and corporate partners from Google, Facebook (now Meta Platforms), and various venture capital firms. These relationships facilitate piloting of policies within incubators like Y Combinator and within enterprise HR teams that manage compliance with disclosure regimes influenced by agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.