Founder Gym Partners with Google for Startups to Provide Scholarships to Underrepresented Founders

Recently, Founder Gym, a virtual training program for underrepresented startup founders, announced it’s new partnership with Google for Startups. After piloting a program last March, the two organizations joined together to launch a new Founder Gym scholarship program, that set’s out to help level the playing field for underrepresented founders.

“Google for Startups took an early bet on Founder Gym when we were less than six months old, and as any founder knows, you never forget the first people to say ‘yes’ to your dream,” said Mandela SH Dixon, CEO of Founder Gym. “Our team at Founder Gym has used that early vote of confidence to help fuel our efforts to train a groundbreaking number of founders around the world in our inaugural year. As we enter year two of this journey, we couldn’t be more excited to expand our partnership with Google for Startups, an organization that has a long history of supporting the entrepreneur’s journey. There is no doubt in my mind, this partnership will help us achieve our mission of developing the next generation of great innovators and leaders.”

According to a recent press release, beginning this month, Google for Startups will solicit scholarship applications from across its global partner network of startup accelerators and tech hubs with a focus on founders from historically underrepresented groups. Founder Gym will select the scholarship recipients and guide the participants through its renowned 6-week virtual training program with all costs covered by Google for Startups.

Additionally, Founder Gym will join Google for Startups’ partner network, which has a global footprint of over 50 partners and includes six international campuses which include Google’s owned and operated spaces for startup entrepreneurs. The addition of Founder Gym to the network means Founder Gym alumni will join a global community of entrepreneurs and have access to the best of Google’s products and connections in the form of mentorship, programming, and tech training.

(Image: Founder Gym)

“We are deeply committed to supporting the growth and success of underrepresented founders,” said Lisa Gevelber, VP Google for Startups. “At Google we know that innovation can come from anywhere, but the resources needed to succeed are not evenly distributed. Founder Gym is truly moving the needle in this space – their unique program delivers the tangible resources necessary to level the playing field for founders and help them grow their businesses. We’re thrilled to partner with Founder Gym to help empower the next wave of tech entrepreneurs.”

During its 6-week online sessions, Founder Gym will train underrepresented founders on how to raise capital to scale their tech startups. In 2018, Founder Gym trained 170 underrepresented founders across 9 countries. The inaugural batch of Founder Gym graduates have already raised $35 million, and that number continues to grow. Founder Gym trainers are the best in class and include venture capitalists, accelerator directors, angel investors, and funded-founders based in the startup capitals of the world.

For more information, you can visit on how to go about securing a scholarship for the program, click here.

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