Blackbox Connect and Google for Entrepreneurs Partner To Accelerate Female-Founded Startups
San Francisco, California (PRWEB) April 24, 2015 -- Blackbox, the Silicon Valley accelerator dedicated to leveling the playing field for global startups, today announced their first-ever program comprised exclusively of women founders. Blackbox Connect Female Founders Edition is committed to helping women gain access to Silicon Valley resources and funding networks, and is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. Since its inception, Blackbox has dedicated itself to maintaining diversity by ensuring that 50% of their program startups are founded by women. The nonprofit Blackbox has hosted hundreds of companies from 50 countries over the past three years with 90% funded, and all deeply embedded in a growing network of successful entrepreneurs.
One participant in the Blackbox Connect program, Tatiana Birgisson, Founder of Mati Energy, just won Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day. The other entrepreneurs chosen hail from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Poland, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. The businesses bring innovations in a variety of industries, including art education, enlightened dating, eyewear, fashion, healthy eating, location-based e-commerce, mental health, native advertising, and wearables.
The full list of female founders and their companies are available on the Blackbox website and the program will be held in Palo Alto from April 27 - May 8, 2015.
“There are many underrepresented women founders in both the U.S. and abroad that could benefit from more support,” said Fadi Bishara, Founder of Blackbox. “Silicon Valley does not have a monopoly on talent, but access to the valley’s rich resources are critical to an entrepreneur’s success. Blackbox creates that access and helps startups learn, collaborate and grow. Along with Google for Entrepreneurs, we are thrilled to have the privilege of welcoming such talented female entrepreneurs to Blackbox.”
“Through our efforts like the #40Forward initiative, we've seen how access to funding and mentor networks is critical to the growth of any business, especially female-led startups,” said Bridgette Beam, head of women’s outreach at Google for Entrepreneurs. “The women joining us in the Blackbox Connect Female Founders Edition represent some of the most promising female entrepreneurs from around the world, and we're excited to help them connect to the best of Silicon Valley and support them in building high growth businesses."
About Blackbox Connect:
Blackbox Connect is a two-week, residential program in Silicon Valley designed to immerse founders in the startup culture, to learn from other successful entrepreneurs, to connect with potential partners and investors, to forge valuable business relationships, and to receive expert advice from venture capitalists, successful founders, and game changers. Sponsored in part by Google for Entrepreneurs, Blackbox Connect gives founders a foundation of knowledge and access to the expertise needed to expand their vision and scale their companies globally. To learn more about Blackbox Connect, visit Blackbox and find us on Facebook, Twitter and G+.
About Google for Entrepreneurs:
Google for Entrepreneurs provides financial support and the best of Google's resources to dozens of coworking spaces and community programs across 125 countries. We also create Campuses: physical hubs where entrepreneurs can learn, connect, and build companies that will change the world. To learn more about Google for Entrepreneurs, visit googleforentrepreneurs.com or follow us on G+ (+GoogleForEntrepreneurs) and Twitter (@GoogleForEntrep).
Heather Meeker Haas, MeekerQuinn, http://meekerquinn.com, +1 415310.9551, [email protected]
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