“Women can’t afford to fail.”

I once heard this from a venture capitalist with a women-led mandate. The implication was clear: While funding was allocated to women-led companies, there was zero tolerance for anything but success. Failure would only validate the belief that women didn't deserve investment.

And yet, the historical rate at which venture capital (VC) backed businesses fail is well-documented. It has been an acceptable risk for men to fail not just regularly, but with such splashing bravado that it’s actually celebrated. The tech world’s passion for failure–promoting a culture of “embracing failure” and mantras of “failing fast” to spur innovation hasn’t just been a Silicon Valley trend but one of its primary exports. READ MORE