The Entrepreneurial DEI Data Exchange
The Entrepreneurial DEI Data Exchange (EDDEx) is a platform and community that aims to standardize the collection, analysis and exchange of personal and professional data about entrepreneurs, with a focus on consistent collection of data related to entrepreneur Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Why EDDEx?
Leveling the playing field in entrepreneurship requires data that can reveal the existence of systemic biases, provide meaningful insights into how these systemic biases impact the experiences of entrepreneurs based on their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and guide the creation and improvement of programs and legislation that will reduce or remove the observed biases and their harmful impact. EDDEx will increase our collective knowledge about entrepreneurship by orders of magnitude, while dramatically increasing the impact of public and private entities that strive to make entrepreneurship more diverse, inclusive and equitable.
Who IS EDDEx for?
Entrepreneurs create profiles on the EDDEx platform, where they store personal data, including DEI data in a standardized format. They own and have full control of their data, and can choose to share it flexibly with a variety of organizations. EDDEx is built on highly secure, third-party identity management technology to ensure privacy and security. Entrepreneurs use their EDDEx identity to apply for funding, training and other opportunities, to participate in surveys, and to learn about opportunities highly tailored to their needs.
A Standards Council—consisting of representatives from various affinity / special interest groups—defines a standard and a set of processes to maintain and update the standards that are used to ask questions related to DEI.
Funders, training and certification organizations, and other entities that work directly with entrepreneurs join the EDDEx community to be able to collect entrepreneur data seamlessly and painlessly. Through an API similar to social logins, entrepreneurs will be able to populate their personal and DEI-related data with the click of a button through any standard application platform.
Researchers, vendors, service providers, policymakers and other stakeholders can gain access to EDDEx data to the extent that individual entrepreneurs grant permission. For commercial uses, entrepreneurs may be compensated for sharing their data.