LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - June 04, 2020 - An Open Message to Our Portfolio Members and Community.
Let's start with the basics: Black lives matter. Black voices matter. You matter. You matter to us.
The last 2 weeks have been difficult ones for the entire country, but that burden, like so many other things, has been disproportionately shouldered by black and brown communities. The senseless killing of Mr. George Floyd has triggered so many in our society, already primed by the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade… a list too long and too tragic for this short communication.
The feelings of anger, frustration, sadness, and heartbreak have led to thousands protesting to demand that we be better; protests that have unfortunately in many cases been met with antagonistic leadership and disproportionate and punitive police responses. Tragically, this is all happening against the backdrop of the single greatest health crisis we have faced in a century, making it even more overwhelming.
As a pediatric medical device accelerator, we struggled with what CTIP should say at a time like this. But when silence feels uncomfortably complicit with the unacceptable status quo, we felt compelled to express our frustration with where we find ourselves as a nation, and our solidarity with those working for change. So, to reiterate: Black lives matter. Black voices matter. You matter. You matter to us.
One of the things that we are most proud of is CTIP’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We apply these principles to the make-up of our own team, the founders and companies we engage with and support, and the organizations we partner with in the healthcare ecosystem. We will continue to deliberately and thoughtfully reach out to communities of color to find promising entrepreneurs and early-stage companies focused on pediatric medical devices. We will continue to leverage CTIP as a platform to shine a light on health inequity, as well the institutional racism and barriers within our own industry of MedTech.
The mental load and stress of this moment can be a lot. If you don’t have an institution or community to turn to for a safe place to vent, talk, or seek out help, you can reach out to us, and we will do our best to be present for you and connect you to resources when possible. If you are a CTIP portfolio member and you are struggling with any CTIP reporting requirements, just drop us a line and let us know you need more time. We trust that you will complete it when you are in a better place and time.
Please take care of yourselves; the world needs every one of you.
Sincerely,
Juan, Kathryne, Yaniv, Nadine, Salima, Ernesto, and Payal (The CTIP Team)