In 2016, 11 percent of venture capital firms’ investment partners were women, according to a survey by the National Venture Capital Association and Deloitte. The survey found no black investment partners at venture firms, while 2 percent of investment partners were Latino.

Venture capital firms have made some attempts to diversify their own ranks, as well as in the companies they invest in. Several high-profile Silicon Valley partnerships have recently hired female investment partners. Others have pledged to take more meetings with female entrepreneurs. To cut down on harassment, more than 40 venture firms also made their codes of conduct public this month.

“Change has picked up and it’s coming, but I do think it’s measured in years, not months,” Greg Sands, a venture capitalist at Costanoa Ventures, said. Costanoa has made its code of conduct public and recently held “Seat at the Table” events to meet more female entrepreneurs.

Part of the pressure to diversify the venture capital industry is coming from within — in particular, from a small group of female venture capitalists. The Founders for Change movement, for example, originated with Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures and Jenny Lefcourt of Freestyle Capital.

Over dinner in September, the two women shared stories of different entrepreneurs who were agitating for more diversity in tech. They decided to corral those founders together to publicly seek change.

“Founders tell us: ‘I cannot believe your industry. It’s like ‘Mad Men,’” Ms. Lee said.

She added that it might seem self-serving for female investors to push founders to seek more diversity. But, she said, it is not a case of “us versus them.”