Black Founders Fund
The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund provides cash awards — without giving up equity in return — and hands-on support to help Black entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses.
About the program
About the program
Established in 2020, the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund has awarded more than $30 million to help Black-led startups in Africa, Brazil, Europe, and the United States secure funding, strengthen communities, and create generational change.
In addition to equity-free cash awards, Black Founders Fund recipients receive ongoing Google mentorship, Google Cloud credits, and product support to help them navigate every stage of their startup journey.
Key benefits
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Access to capital
Receive up to $100k equity-free cash awards.
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Custom Mentorship
Receive tailored product and leadership support from Google mentors and industry experts.
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Leadership training
Become a more effective leader through research-based strategies and expert coaching.
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Founder Network
Connect and get support from fellow founders as part of the Google for Startups alumni network.
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Google Cloud credits and support
Receive Google Cloud credits and dedicated support via the Google for Startups Cloud Program.
Entry Criteria
Entry Criteria
- Diverse companies with at least one Black founder on their founding team.
- Between Pre-seed and Series A
- Scalable product or service with a significant total addressable market and defensible growth model
- Ready to go global
Current programs
Find a Black Founders Fund for you
Some of our Alumni
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Bruno Mendes Da Silva
Heex
Heex Technologies accelerates AI development by enabling engineering teams to get the most value out of their data.
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Josephine Philips
Sojo
Sojo is a sustainable fashion tech startup centralising & modernising the clothing repair and tailoring industry.
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Steven Oji
Hyfindr
Hyfindr is the rapidly growing digital B2B marketplace for reliable products and services in the hydrogen economy.
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Tebogo Mokwena
Akiba Digital
Akiba Digital is a Fintech that provides alternative credit scoring to lenders and also enables small businesses to access better financing from lenders.
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Hilda Moraa
Pezesha
Pezesha provides affordable working capital to underserved and excluded MSMEs across Africa.
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Nohoa Arcanjo
Creators
CREATORS is a startup that connects brands with squads of content creators.
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Paulo Tenorio
Trakto
Online tool for editing and producing arts for social networks, websites, and other pieces of digital marketing.
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Carlos Augusto
Certdox
A platform for simplifying and accelerating the credit contracting process, facilitating the granting of operations by financing agents.
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Arthur Rufino
Octa
Octa promotes a circular economy in the vehicle recycling sector, linking vehicle owners, legal dismantling centers and customers.
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Genau Lopes
Yoobe
Yoobe automates the whole process of creating, producing, managing and delivering products that promote company culture.
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Guilhermino Afonso
Wellbe
A platform that integrates various health data and offers indicators for employers healthcare management.
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Del Smith
Acclinate
Acclinate helps healthcare organizations engage communities of color so their research efforts are inclusive and reflect the populations they serve.
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Damola Ogundipe
Plural
Plural helps organizations follow legislation, pinpoint focus areas, and access information about the policies that impact them.
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Emily Brown
Free From Market
Free From Market provides curated food selection, integrated tele-nutrition and educational support to improve patient health outcomes.
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SaLisa Berrien
COI Energy
COI Energy is a digital energy management platform that detects and eliminates energy waste in buildings.
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Christine Izuakor
Cyber Pop-up
Cyber Pop-up is an on-demand cybersecurity service platform powered by vetted and highly skilled freelance experts.
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Edna Martinson
Boddle Learning
Boddle is a gamified education platform for grades K-6 that makes learning fun, personalized, and effective.
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Chantelle Bell
Syrona Health
Syrona is a digital health company that focuses on providing vertically integrated healthcare services for those with chronic gynaecological conditions.
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Anna Samuels
Boxx
Boxx offers flexible at home and studio workouts across boxing, HIIT, Strength and Yoga and serves every type of customer.
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Christian Facey Wilfrid Obeng
Audiomob
Audiomob is the world’s first and only audio advertising company capable of serving non-intrusive audio ads into games and general apps.
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Minuifuong Nghombombong
Bongalo
Bongalo is a digital marketplace for African travel accommodation.
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Yvonne Williams
Topset
Topset is an edtech platform that makes quality education accessible to Africans everywhere
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Morgane Kablan
Leja
Leja is a book keeping app enabling African microbusinesses to digitize all their business transactions and manage all their finance in one place
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Kingsley Abrokwah
Kudigo
KUDIGO is a one-stop shop for a complete omni-channel digital commerce experience for retailers, consumers, and stakeholders in retail across Africa
Thanks to the Black Founders Fund, our tech team tripled, product direction sharpened, and v1 of our community platform launched. MoM revenue almost doubled, with a 22-person team in 7 countries across Europe and Africa and a 50-50 gender split.
