Bobbie Racette was once the hesitant face of Virtual Gurus, the Canadian tech company she started, but she has since embraced her identity.
Racette is the first Indigenous woman to close a Series A funding round of $8.4 million for her company, Virtual Gurus, which pairs staffers with companies that want to outsource bookkeeping and other administrative tasks.
She has brought the company to a $40 million valuation since she launched in 2016 with $300 and a splash page. “Somebody’s got to lead the way, and somebody has got to be the first,” said Racette, who also identifies as LGBT.
“Society says, ‘You have to be somebody else when you’re starting a business, or hide your tattoos. Don’t tell people you’re gay,’” she added. “It’s just like, no, man, be you.”
Currently, there are about 900 “virtual assistants” working for Virtual Gurus, but they are real people working remotely — Racette makes sure to prioritize hiring members of historically underrepresented groups, including single moms, veterans and people with disabilities. “We try to bring on people who have often been told, ‘No,’” she said.
The company doesn’t force anyone to self-identify, but many organizations seek out Virtual Gurus expressly for that purpose.
“We’ve had, for example, Black Lives Matter in New York City come to us and [say they] only want Black virtual assistants,” Racette said. “We’re doing that because we understand that diversity angle.”
In fact, 40% of Virtual Gurus’ revenue now comes from the United States — and that share is growing each year. One of their biggest clients at the moment is the global design company, IDEO.
