At GEM, we work together to build a diverse and inclusive organization that reflects the range and richness of our experiences and identities. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to how we accomplish that goal. Evidence shows that diversity unlocks innovation and drives market growth.1 It introduces different perspectives to a problem and inspires teams to think unconventionally about a solution. We invest in diversity because it bolsters our judgment as professionals.
We take a systematic approach to fostering DEI, with a focus on creating opportunity and driving change across the following areas: our firm, our portfolio, and our community and industry.
* As of January 1, 2025.
In recent years, we’ve expanded recruitment across a range of colleges and universities, including the Atlanta University Center Consortium, comprised of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Contact us if you’d like GEM to recruit talent from your college or university.
We are committed to investing with diverse managers and promoting equity in our investment portfolio — from initial sourcing through due diligence. Diversity and equity are embedded in our standard due diligence process and addressed holistically across our entire portfolio.3
Learn about diversity and equity in our portfolio
We partner with the Strengthening Racial Equity in Asset Management (STREAM) Foundation, an industry-leading nonprofit focused on bringing diversity into the financial services industry. Through our work with STREAM, we offer training, mentoring, scholarships, and internship opportunities to college students from underrepresented groups.
Head of Investments Jay Ripley joined Ted Seides on the Capital Allocators podcast to discuss his path from private equity to GEM, the firm’s approach to backing emerging managers and independent sponsors, and the importance of strong manager selection amid growing dispersion.
In a recent byline, GEM’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Stephanie Lynch, examines the merits of in-person nonprofit board meetings and highlights why virtual interactions often lack the depth of engagement required for effective board leadership.
Strong returns from leading university endowments have reignited discussion about how institutions can sustain performance in a shifting market environment. In commentary for The Wall Street Journal, GEM’s Co-CIO, Matt Bank, reflects on how endowment leaders are preparing for more uncertain conditions ahead.
Let’s start a conversation about how we can help.
1Harvard Business Review, “How Diversity Can Drive Innovation,” December 2013.
2Managers are considered diverse if (a) 25% or more of the firm founders/owners are non-white and/or non-male and/or (b) 25% or more of the key decision-makers for the strategy in which GEM invests are non-white and/or non-male.
3GEM’s Impact Team reviews each investment against its Impact Management Project-based framework. The GEM IMP Framework is a comprehensive model adapted from the Impact Management Project’s Impact Management “norms” and Impact Classes, and applied by GEM to assess impact by evaluating investment strategies and managers, including but not limited to the impact of portfolio companies on key stakeholders and investment managers’ contributions to impact. For more information on the Impact Management Project, please see https://impactfrontiers.org/norms/. For the avoidance of doubt, GEM reserves the right to modify the GEM IMP Framework and its application.
