Google for Startups has awarded 30 Black founders from the UK and Europe to receive cash funding of up to $100k (more than £70k) from its Black Founders Fund – a $2 million initiative to provide funds for Black-led startups.
The 30 startups – chosen from the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands – were selected for their inspiring, fast-growing startups, which addresses global challenges like access to healthcare, financial inclusion, energy and education, hardware design, advertising, data and risk management.
Of those awarded, 40% of the startups are led by women.
The winning 30 Black-led startups will be receiving up to $100,000 in equity-free cash, paired with up to $220,000 per startup in Google Ad Grants and Cloud credits and support from experienced Startup Partner Managers at Google.
Meet some of the 30 Black founders:
(Left Image) France – Bruno Mendes Da Silva, founder, Heex. Heex Technologies provides AI-powered software and web services to development teams in data intensive fields such as autonomous driving. (Right Image) Germany – Deborah Choi, founder, Bosque. Bosque is the first tech-enabled, direct-to-consumer plant brand in Europe with digitised inventory. AR tech and on-demand access to vetted plant experts. Image Copyright – Google.Netherlands – Michael Musandu, founder, Lalaland. Lalaland uses AI to create synthetic humans for fashion eCommerce brands to increase diversity in retail. Image Copyright – Google.
UK – Nnamdi Emelifeonwu, founder, Define. Define is a legal technology company that optimises the contract drafting and reviewing process for lawyers, serving the world’s largest banks and consulting companies. Image Copyright – Google.
Belgium – Nancy de Fays, founder, LINE. LINE builds powerful hardware and software tools for content creators. Image Copyright – Google.
Austria – Tolulope Ogunsina, founder, Playbrush. Playbrush is the innovation leader in oral care, growing smart toothbrush subscriptions to foster better mouth and body health. Image Copyright – Google.
UK – Christian Facey and Wilfrid Obeng, founders, AudioMob. AudioMob provides non-intrusive audio ads within mobile games. Image Copyright – Google.
Check here for the full list of the selected 30 startups.
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