Google For Startups announced that 76 Black-led startup founders were selected to receive non-dilutive cash awards from the Black Founders Fund, which launched over the summer. Two founders in Los Angeles are among the entrepreneurs receiving capital to help their businesses grow.
NanaEfua Afoh-Manin of Shared Harvest Fund and Dante Tolbert of Florence Technologies each received $50,000 from the Google accelerator, L.A. Biz reported.
“Original consideration was based on the founder’s application, their startup’s size as well as readiness for funding,” the news outlet noted. “Google said it only considered companies with less than $3 million in total funding and weighed other variables like demonstrable funding need.”
Florence Technologies is a demand labor marketplace for the healthcare system designed to help licensed nurses find nearby open shifts right away. The Shared Harvest Fund platform connects professionals with pro bono opportunities to earn relief from student debt burdens. Afoh-Manin, an emergency room physician, is also working on a portal called myCovidMD to connect residents with telehealth resources in real time.
In our regular curation of must-read innovation and tech news, the Plug In South LA Beat, we’re taking a deeper dive into the Google accelerator’s new $5 million Black Founders Fund — part of a broader $175 million economic opportunity investment — and getting to know the recipients:
Google for Startups funds 2 Black founders of L.A. startups
Black Founders Fund: Meet the Recipients
Photo: NanaEfua Afoh-Manin, MD, founder of Shared Harvest Fund.