Africa-wide
Program
Entrepreneurship
Details
The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Africa provides grants and technical assistance to early-stage startups led by black and diverse teams, or with a goal of advancing the Black community. Through the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Africa, they are supporting early-stage Black-founded startups and startups that are benefitting the Black community on the continent.
The aim of the fund is to bridge the existing fundraising gap for Black startup founders in Africa’s fast-growing technology landscape. The non-dilutive $3 million fund is allocated across a pipeline of 50 investable startups in Africa. The fund is open to all startups that meet the criteria, with priority given to Google for Startups Accelerator and partner program alumni. The fund will be given along with mentorship support and Google platform credits to help the startups grow.
Criteria
- The Black Founders Fund is intended for startups with self-identifying Black leaders or companies directly supporting the Black community. We encourage established startups based in Africa who are seeking seed-stage funding to apply
A startup that is:
- Headquartered in Africa or has a legal presence on the continent
- Building for Africa and a global market
- Creating jobs, has growth potential to raise more funding, and making an impact
With a founding team that is:
- Diverse, with at least one Black C-level founding member
- Directly supporting the Black community
Technical requirements:
- Technology startups with a live product in market or business where technology is core to their ability to scale (not for consultancies or not-for-profits)
- Compatibility with Google products, our products can accelerate their growth
Benefits
- Access to capital: Equity-free cash awards to help you build and grow your business
- Custom Mentorship: Receive tailored product and leadership support from Google mentors and industry experts
- Leadership training: Become a more effective leader through research-based strategies and expert coaching
- Founder network: Connect and learn from fellow founders and access a peer-to-peer support network
- Google Cloud credits and support: Receive Google Cloud credits and dedicated support via the Google for Startups Cloud Program
About Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational technology company specialising in Internet-related services and products. These include on-line advertising technologies, search, cloud computing, and software. Google is and always will be an engineering company. We hire people with a broad set of technical skills who are ready to tackle some of technology's greatest challenges and make an impact on millions, if not billions, of users. At Google, engineers not only revolutionise search, they routinely work on massive scalability and storage solutions, large-scale applications and entirely new platforms for developers around the world. From AdWords to Chrome, Android to YouTube, Social to Local, Google engineers are changing the world one technological achievement after another.