Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer were, in so many words, fed up with startup sexism. As the cofounders of Witchsy, an ecommerce marketplace for weird art, dark humor, and culturally aware content, they had received condescension and downright sexism on more than one occasion while trying to launch their business. Nevertheless, they persisted with success. The marketplace, designed to be a less cluttered Etsy that pays creators 80 percent of the profits, allowed the women entrepreneurs to enjoy “a small profit.” They’ve even received a small investment from Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, with promises of creating Witchsy-exclusive merchandise for the incredibly popular animated series on Adult Swim.
A post shared by Witchsy (@shopwitchsy) on Aug 13, 2017 at 7:52pm PDT However, as the profits rolled in, sexism still remained a pressing issue. While naysayers had cooled their tone, contractors working with the pair continued the pattern of condescension, often responding to requests after more than a few days and starting work emails with things like “Okay girls…” on a regular basis. One web developer even tried to delete everything because Gazin refused to go on a date with him. The two cofounders decided it was time to make a change. Enter Keith Mann. As the third cofounder of the ecommerce marketplace, he was able to more efficiently communicate with contractors, providing the authority and unattractiveness required of a startup founder. His expansive experience in the business world, paired with his strong jaw and impressive hair line, made life at the ecommerce startup that much easier. Oh yeah, and he’s not real. That’s right, Gazen and Dwyer made up a male cofounder, with a less-than-subtle name, to dodge the rampant sexism that had become so prevalent in their work environment. And, boy oh boy, did it work wonders. Rather than being infuriated by this trend, a response all of us would have more than understood, Gazen and Dwyer allowed it to inspire them. Not only were they even more driven to show the world that two women entrepreneurs can make it in business, they also enjoyed the opportunity to make fun of a couple of tech bros in the process. Read more about the importance of diversity in tech on TechCo H/T Fast Company
