Yesterday, Google for Startups announced the 46 U.S. recipients of this year’s Black and Latino Founders Fund.
The participants receive $150,000 in equity-free cash to help fuel their business, sales, and fundraising training, technical support from Google mentors, up to $100,000 in Google Cloud credits, and mental health coaching from a team of Black and Latino therapists.
Over the past month, Google has welcomed 99 Black Founders Fund recipients in the U.S., Africa, Europe, and Brazil.
Here are some of the recipients chosen from the U.S.
Meet some of the startups.
Stemuli – A 3D, immersive gaming experience that uses AI, machine learning, and gaming to take students from their current academic proficiency to their dream job. In April, Stemuli announced the merger of Black-owned ed-tech companies Infinity. careers and Oppti into Stemuli, which founder Taylor Shead described as “an important milestone for both black entrepreneurs and the ed-tech industry as a whole.”
Edlyft – Founded by longtime friends Erika Hairston and Arnelle Ansong, Edlyft builds the software companies use to train technical students and early engineers on skills they need to be productive. Hairston and Ansong recently became two of the youngest Black women to raise over $1 million from investors.
KaiXR – A virtual reality learning platform where students use in-demand technologies to improve technical literacy for students stuck in the Opportunity Gap. In March, the ed-tech startup raised $1.6 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round led by Kapor Capital.
Guardian Lane – Founded by Kristina Jones, it is a children’s mental health platform innovating how children access grief counseling. Children can watch, create and share creative grief projects, creating their social healing network. There are also featured counselors that offer 1:1 tele-counseling sessions.
Untapped Solutions – An AI-powered platform that bridges the gap between the formerly incarcerated, case worker-driven organizations and employers. It provides the justice-impacted community with resources and tools to make a successful Reentry plan while creating a pathway toward professional employment.
Vantage Point – The leading global immersive virtual reality-based training provider for EQ-related topics such as DEI and anti-sexual harassment. It was founded on the belief that while technology can cause apathy, immersive technology can drive empathy and make the world more human.
You can view the complete list of Black and Latino Founders Funds recipients here.
