We all say inclusion matters. But what if you had the numbers to prove it’s the smartest way to run a business?
In Episode 105 of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk to economist, engineer, and entrepreneur James Felton Keith.
And he flips the DEI conversation on its head.
Key Takeaways from episode 105
Here’s what you’ll discover by listening to episode 105:
📉 Exclusion raises risk, and your insurance premiums
📈 Inclusion builds resilience and reduces your costs
🧩 ISO 30415 and Inclusion Score are changing how companies compete.
This episode is packed with fresh thinking and bold truths, especially for founders, strategists, and leaders who want to build companies that are inclusive by design and resilient by default.
To learn how you can help build inclusion into capitalism, find episode 105 of Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Or hit the play button below👇.
Building Inclusion Into Capitalism with James Felton Keith | Ep. 105 – Women Disrupting Tech
- Key Takeaways from episode 105
- Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
- Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack
- The Magic in This Episode🪄
- Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
- Three Hidden Truths About Inclusion
- About James Felton Keith
- About Inclusion Score
- Share what’s on your mind!
- Coming up next on Women Disrupting Tech
Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
Below are some events worth visiting in the coming months. You’ll find a full overview of all events, including links to buy tickets, on the events page.
Founders Beach Series | Edition 1: Founders in Flow
Date: 12 June 2025
Location: Mango’s Beach Bar, Zandvoort
Time: 15:00 – 22:00 hours
Tickets: On Luma
TNW Conference:
Date: 19 and 20 June 2025
Location: NDSM, Amsterdam
Time: 12:00 – 17:00 hours
Tickets: On TNW Website
Founders Beach Series | Edition 2: Feel the Brand, Lead the Future
Date: 3 July 2025
Location: Mango’s Beach Bar, Zandvoort
Time: 15:00 – 22:00 hours
Tickets: On Luma
Founders Beach Series | Edition 3: Tech & Soul
Date: 11 September 2025
Location: Mango’s Beach Bar, Zandvoort
Time: 15:00 – 22:00 hours
Tickets: On Luma
Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack
Changing the funding landscape starts with access. Not just to capital, but to the right people, ideas, and spaces. That’s why I’m building The Women Disrupting Tech Community on Substack.
Join us if you want to help more women be heard, funded, and celebrated in tech. You’ll receive:
✨ Early access to new podcast episodes, plus a weekly email with the moments that moved me and what they taught me.
✨ Exclusive research on what it really takes to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem.
✨ Invites to special events we sponsor or co-host, where conversations turn into collaborations.
This community is for people who believe in action. And know that together, our voices go further.
The Magic in This Episode🪄
If there has ever been an episode I could not wait to release, it is this one. Not only do we get a clear path to incorporating inclusion in our business processes. We get a pricing mechanism to come with it.
Allow me to highlight three quotes from the episode as an example of what I mean:
💬 “I think capitalism is evolving itself into what I like to call inclusionism.”
James reframes inclusion as the next phase of capitalism. Not a side campaign, but a core shift in how value is measured and distributed.
💬 “There is already a price on exclusion. The insurance industry is tracking it.”
Workplace conflict, litigation, and discrimination are costing companies more than they realize. That cost is being priced into insurance premiums and rising fast.
💬 “I’m always doing the work for that 10-year-old boy in Detroit.”
James grew up poor, Black, and queer, constantly questioning why society’s systems weren’t built for him. That experience fuels his mission today: to design systems that include everyone from the start, not as an afterthought.
Want to hear more of James’ inclusionist magic? Listen to Episode 105 on Spotify.
Did you know your company’s insurance premiums could be affected by its DEI practices? Let me know in the comments.
Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
Want to make inclusion in tech the new normal by 2032? Here’s how you can help:
Amplify the voices of Women Disrupting Tech by following the podcast on your favorite platform. Every follow brings these stories to more people.
Give the show a rating or review on Spotify or Apple. It only takes a moment, but it tells others this podcast is worth listening to. And helps the voices of my guests carry further.
Share the stories that move you.
Send this episode to a friend, a colleague, or someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps the Women Disrupting Tech build a more inclusive tech future and supports women in getting the stage they deserve.
Use the buttons below to spread the word. Your voice helps amplify theirs.
Three Hidden Truths About Inclusion
For anyone building an inclusive business, especially in tech, here are three takeaways that matter:
You don’t need more data; it’s already being tracked.
Insurance companies and regulators are already tracking the cost of exclusion globally. You don’t need to collect sensitive personal data to know where your company stands. The financial risk is visible and priced in.
DEI is becoming measurable and auditable.
Standards like ISO 30415 allow companies to assess and improve their inclusion maturity across governance, HR, product delivery, and supply chain. This moves DEI from soft to strategic.
Inclusion lowers your financial risk.
Companies that invest in inclusive systems are seeing lower insurance premiums because they’re managing people risk better. Inclusion is now part of your financial infrastructure.
How inclusive is your business model — really?
If your goal is to build a company that lasts — one that attracts talent, earns trust, and scales sustainably — you can’t afford to treat DEI as an afterthought. You need systems. You need a strategy.
And you need to know how the financial world is already rewarding inclusion. And penalizing the lack of it.
🎧 Listen to Episode 105 of Women Disrupting Tech now on Apple Podcasts.
Or click the image below to listen on YouTube. And don’t forget to share what your favorite moment from the episode was in the comments.
“I think capitalism is evolving itself into what I like to call Inclusionism.”
James Felton Keith, CEO of Inclusion Score
About James Felton Keith
James Felton Keith is an award-winning Engineer & Economist turned Labor Leader who was the first Black LGBTQ person to run for Federal Office in America via the US Congress in 2017.
He is CEO at InclusionScore Companies and currently lectures on Inclusion at the #1 Business School for Insurance, the University of Georgia.
As an entrepreneur, he established the first international diversity & inclusion certification based on the ISO-30415:2021 standard and effectively reshaped commercial insurance underwriting to incentivize inclusion via a standardized “inclusion score.”
You can connect with James on his website and on LinkedIn.
About Inclusion Score
Inclusion Score is the world’s first platform that helps organizations measure and improve how inclusive they really are, using a global standard called ISO 30415.
Created by economist and engineer James Felton Keith, Inclusion Score turns diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into something you can track, improve, and even insure.
By connecting inclusion to business systems like HR, leadership, product development, and supplier diversity, Inclusion Score helps companies lower risk, boost performance, and make sure everyone counts.
It is not about checking a box. It is about building a smarter, fairer way to do business.
You can learn more about Inclusion Score on the website or by following them on social media via @InclusionScore.
Share what’s on your mind!
How does your company currently track DEI progress? Do you have formal KPIs, or do you already use the ISO Standard? Let me know how you track progress in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
Coming up next on Women Disrupting Tech
Next week, we’ll dive into the world of communication, training, coaching, confidential counselling, and crisis negotiation with Kirsten Heukels.
Here’s a clip from our conversation that is particularly relevant when you want to put the right team together…
Stay tuned for more. And until the next episode, stay curious and Keep Being Awesome!
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 