*By Conor White* The world of venture capital can be pretty opaque for those outside the industry. And Jenny Gyllander, an investor at Backed VC, is trying to change any misconceptions that may exist. "I think a lot of what's causing the issue of not having enough diversity in the venture market is really a lot of stereotyping about what a venture capitalist should potentially be looking like," the venture capitalist said in an interview with Cheddar on Friday. To help demystify the industry, Gyllander launched [thingtesting](https://www.instagram.com/thingtesting/?hl=en) on Instagram. Started just six months ago, the account already has more than 13,000 followers. On it, Gyllander reviews products that range from home blood tests to A.I.-brewed beer ー and she approaches every item from the angle of both a VC and a consumer. "I'm hoping that thingtesting might be a gateway, a door to come and see what venture capitalists actually do." "It's really for people who are super curious and want to meet these amazing founders and see where the world is going." Gyllander still isn't sure how she wound up in the venture capitalist world herself and confessed, "I guess I didn't really fit what the stereotype investor in my mind would look like." More than $148 billion was poured into private companies in 2017, an all-time record, according to [Pitchbook](https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/a-record-setting-year-2017-vc-activity-in-3-charts). With so much capital looking for a home, it may now be incumbent on the investors to pitch *themselves* to entrepreneurs ー a bit of a reversal for an industry that's so long operated behind closed doors. "Venture capitalists are finally having to tell founders what they are all about, and that I think is absolutely perfect," she said. "It's great for the founders to hear more about what their partners in crime would actually be offering them." "I just hope ventures overall will be more helpful for founders," Gyllander added. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-business-of-testing-things-and-demystifying-vcs).
