DivInc, a 12-week pre-accelerator program targeted to entrepreneurs of color and women, announced the newest members of its upcoming spring cohort class.
CEO and co-founder of DivInc Preston James IIÂ earned an engineering degree from Howard University. He spent over 10 years at Dell where we worked his way up to managing director at Dell’s Global Center for Entrepreneurs. James also co-founded E3 Angel Network–an organization devoted to accelerating ethnically diverse entrepreneurs. In 2015, The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business named James an Entrepreneur-in-Residence.
The latest cohort includes seven women and nine men. Underrepresented people of color account for 14 out of 15 of the fledgling entrepreneurs. Those selected for the program must have startups that are tech or tech-enabled, with a valid concept and preferably at the MVP stage, according to an e-mail from DivInc.
The program will take place at the coworking space Galvanize Austin. The founders will receive access to mentors, serial entrepreneurs, as well as investors.
“As someone who has been in the tech space for a number of years, I’ve seen the lack of diversity firsthand,†said James via an e-mailed statement.
“I’m proud and excited for this second group of founders as we create positive change and empower them to succeed. We continue to receive tremendous support from the Austin community and beyond, and look forward to collaborating with partners that want to create a mindset shift within the tech industry.â€
The selected founders for the latest cohort are:
Jamal Wilburn, founder of BigMouff
Kate Peiler, founder of disruptED
Mark Ruvalcaba, Raj Panesar, and Joe Ruvalcaba, founders of FeverFit
Louis Daily, Malick Djiba, and Donte Houston, founders of Hairu
Trisha Locke, founder of InPharm Global
Sophie Kwok, founder of Love Intently
Mira Royz, founder of MiraLend
Miriam Derin Raji, founder of Tekhniteo
Isis Ashford, Kehlin Swain, and Michael Pittman, founders of Xplosion Tech