Hudson is one of the exceedingly few black venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. But the venture industry in particular has been even worse. As other venture industry critics have pointed out, the industry has long been a kind of closed system. In the venture business in particular, there has been a significant uptick in the number of female investors, venture firms with women on staff, and investment in female-founded firms. While still a distinct minority in the industry, those female investors and founders have helped open eyes at venture firms, Hudson said.