HarbourVest DEI Report

A review of our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts

Fostering inclusion

We continue to work together to ensure all employees are seen, heard, and valued because establishing a culture where all employees can thrive is key to our success. All levels of our organization have a voice in this effort, and we have focused our strategy on three centers of influence: our DEI Council, Employee Resource Groups, and Regional Roundtables.

Building on a solid foundation

Our DEI Council was established in 2019 with the mission to operate under three key principles: opportunity for all, mutual respect, and global strength. Membership in the DEI Council was expanded this year to ensure the inclusion of leaders across business units and global regions.  

The vision for the DEI Council is to help all colleagues across HarbourVest feel like this is a place where they belong. We are continuing to unpack how DEI impacts different regions as each location has unique cultural nuances. We are prioritizing awareness and sharing local perspectives with partners across the globe because we are committed to building a strong global organization that enables colleagues, no matter their location or position, to thrive.
Lydia Hao Managing Director

Committing to inclusion

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) were formed to provide team members with a platform to share, connect, and support one another. Our ERGs are committed to personal and professional development, leadership, and operating in the best interest of their members to ensure the workplace is an inclusive, collaborative environment. To date, over 50% of global HarbourVest employees are actively involved as an identifying member and/or ally in at least one ERG. See our list of ERGs below:

(Abled and Disabled Allies Partnering Together)

ERG supporting all types of disabilities and allies.

“This important initiative is near and dear to my heart. My brother has Autism, and he is my inspiration for everything. I want to make sure 
everyone with different abilities, including my brother, has access to 
what they need to thrive.”

- Alma Brucal, IT Manager and Co-lead of ADAPT

ERG supporting DEI initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region.

“The team size in Asia and the number of offices throughout the region have grown tremendously over the years. Yet, culturally, each Asian office is different. As such, it’s important that we have a dedicated ERG, sponsored by the firm, to provide resources and guidance so our Asia team feels connected and supported.”

- Amanda Chen, Principal and Co-lead of APAC Regional ERG

ERG supporting Asian and Pacific Islander identifying colleagues and allies in the US and EMEA.

“APHV has found common ground in sharing both cultural and professional experiences and has benefitted from a highly engaged leadership team sharing career advice and taking a personal interest in our members. As the company grows and we continue our DEI journey together, I'm excited to have our voices heard as we support Asian employees at HarbourVest.”

- Anita Ware, Human Resources Manager and Co-lead of APHV

ERG supporting Black colleagues and allies.

“As we look forward to the future of BlackVest, I am inspired by the continuous opportunity to shape HarbourVest into a space where Black talent can feel connected and thrive.”

- Maya Read, Human Resources Analyst and Co-lead of BlackVest

(Families and Caregivers ERG)

ERG supporting colleagues in caregiving roles and allies.

"The world of work is changing, and we're becoming much more aware of the struggles families and caretakers have when it comes to bringing your whole self to work. We will continue bringing awareness, create community and solidarity, and ensure HarbourVest is a place for all, no matter our responsibilities outside of the office."

- Jackie Peradotto, Principal, Executive Sponsor of FACE

ERG supporting colleagues focused on building intergenerational synergy in the workplace.

“Ultimately, age is not static, and neither is HarbourVest. Between how we work together day-to-day, differing communication styles, and the potential of today’s junior employees who could be tomorrow’s leaders - it’s important for us to listen to one another and strengthen collaboration across generational differences.”

- Olivia Jackson, Investor Relations Analyst and Co-lead of GenVest

(HarbourVest Latine Association)

ERG supporting Latino/a/e colleagues and allies.

"We have representation across LATAM countries and organize events where we can share our cultural traditions with each other, our allies, and HarbourVest colleagues to elevate awareness across the firm."  

- Analia Graham, Senior Vice President, Vanguard Program Specialist, and Co-lead of HOLA

ERG supporting LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies.

“We are creating a community at HarbourVest that not only strengthens our mission of inclusion and ensures all team members can bring their authentic selves to work every day but reinforces the message that we all belong in this industry.”

- Richard Campbell, Managing Director and Executive Sponsor of HVPRIDE

ERG supporting veterans, family members, and allies.

“As a Marine Corps veteran that served in Afghanistan and Iraq, I’m grateful for the opportunity to foster community and create a welcoming atmosphere with fellow veterans, family members, and allies.”

- Bill Shallies, Performance Measurement Director and Co-lead of Veterans ERG

ERG fostering wellness through holistic support and initiatives.

“To achieve any version of success, it is important for employees to feel well and have a balanced lifestyle. A well employee is much more ready to face challenges, solve problems, and think creatively to help both themselves and the firm flourish.”

- Jennie Moore, Client Service Assistant Manager and Co-lead 
of Wellness ERG

ERG supporting women-identifying colleagues and allies.

“We created the Women’s Network to be a space for women to find personal and professional support, build community, and have opportunities to both lead and participate in specialized programming.”

- Karen Chung, Vice President and Co-lead of HWN

Colleagues spoke, we listened 

Regional Roundtables were created as a result of feedback we heard from employees across the firm: they wanted to be involved in the DEI strategic plan and its implementation. These sessions ensure the unique needs of each global office are met by providing a localized forum on a range of topics essential to our culture.

Our first series of roundtables focused on Inclusion, and over 300 colleagues in APAC, the Americas, and EMEA provided region-specific feedback on what HarbourVest is doing well and where we can improve. With collective contribution, we are shaping the future of what it means to work at our firm.

It's incredible that there is a space at HarbourVest for me to connect with my colleagues and identifying LGBTQ+ folks. There's value in feeling seen and validated as our whole selves, and this ERG highlights that. There's confidence that comes with feeling secure, and the authenticity across the firm allows us all to do our best work and be our best selves.
Amanda Russo
Executive Assistant and HVPRIDE member 
Ensuring equity

Important Disclosures:

This material does not constitute an offer or solicitation for any fund sponsored by HarbourVest Partners, LLC (“HarbourVest”) or its affiliates, or any investment services provided by HarbourVest, and may not be relied on in any manner as legal, tax, or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in a fund or any other investment product sponsored by HarbourVest. No sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation, or sale is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make the offer, solicitation or sale. This document includes information obtained from published and non-published sources that HarbourVest believes to be reliable. Such information has not been independently verified by HarbourVest. Unless otherwise specified, all information is current at the time of issue. Any opinions expressed are those of HarbourVest and not a statement of fact. The opinions expressed do not constitute investment advice and are subject to change.

The companies and GPs discussed in this report are intended for illustrative purposes only, do not represent all of the investments made, sold, or recommended for funds or client accounts, and should not be considered an indication of the performance or characteristics of any current or future performance HarbourVest fund or investment strategy. It should not be assumed that an investment in the company or fund sponsored by a GP discussed in this report was or will be profitable. Actual investments will vary for each fund and client and there is no guarantee that a particular client’s account will hold any or all of the investments identified herein.

Any published third-party ratings or rankings discussed herein are not representative of any one client’s experience with HarbourVest and are not indicative of HarbourVest’s future performance. Ratings and rankings have inherent limitations and qualifications, and are not indicative of the experience of any client or investor or of the future performance of any product. There can be no assurance that the universe upon which the awards were based included all investment products within each category that are actually in operation or existence. Unless otherwise specified, all awards shown are based on the one-year period immediately preceding the date listed.

Certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of terms such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “project”, “estimate”, “intend”, “continue”, or “believe” (or the negatives thereof) or other variations thereof. Due to various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed above, actual events or results or actual performance may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. As a result, investors should not rely on such forward-looking statements in making an investment decision. Any forecast provided herein is based on HarbourVest’s opinion of the market as of the date of preparation and is subject to change, dependent on future changes in the market.

The principles related to sustainable and responsible investing discussed above represent general goals that will not be achieved by investment selected. These goals are not representative of current processes or outcomes for every strategy, and may not be fully realized for all products or client accounts. There can be no assurance any initiatives or anticipated developments described herein will ultimately be successful. The information provided is solely for informational purposes and should not be relied upon in connection with making any investment decision. It should not be assumed that any ESG initiatives, standards, or metrics described herein will apply to each asset in which HarbourVest invests or that any ESG initiatives, standards, or metrics described have applied to each of HarbourVest’s prior investments. ESG is only one of many considerations that HarbourVest takes into account when making investment decisions, and other considerations can be expected in certain circumstances to outweigh ESG considerations. The information provided is intended solely to provide an indication of the ESG initiatives and standards that HarbourVest applies when seeking to evaluate and/or improve the ESG characteristics of its investments as part of the larger goal of maximizing financial returns on investments. Any ESG initiatives described will be implemented with respect to a portfolio investment solely to the extent HarbourVest determines such initiative is consistent with its broader investment goals. Accordingly, certain investments may exhibit characteristics that are inconsistent with the initiatives, standards, or metrics described herein.

For additional legal and regulatory disclosures related to HarbourVest offices and countries, please refer to Important office and country disclosures.

Continuation solutions encompass a host of transaction types in which a GP secures interim liquidity and/or additional primary capital for their LPs in a strongly performing asset, or set of assets, that the GP will continue to own and control. Specifically, they include continuation funds, new funds created by GPs for the purpose of acquiring the asset(s) that continue to be managed by the same GP and capitalized by one or several secondary buyers, or equity recapitalizations involving a direct equity or structured equity investment into a portfolio company. These transactions can also include a parallel investment from the GP’s latest fund into that same pool of assets (a “cross-fund trade”).