Nairobi, Aug. 19 -- Men are often taught to pitch around profitability while women go around purpose.

It is a simple distinction, but it reveals something much deeper about how we teach both gender to understand ambition. A man presenting a business idea is often encouraged to explain the opportunity: the size of the market, the revenue potential, the margins, the growth trajectory and return an investor can expect.

A woman with an equally ambitious idea is more likely to explain the problem she is solving, the people she will help, the communities she will transform and the social impact she hopes to create.

Both conversations have value. But they are not the same.

For too long, women have been taught to make their ambitions useful b...