Black Founders Fund

About the initiative

Through the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Africa, we are supporting early-stage, Black-founded startups on the continent. We want to bridge the existing fundraising gap for Black startup founders in Africa’s fast-growing technology landscape.

This non-dilutive $4M fund is allocated across a pipeline of 60 investable startups in Africa. Applications for the latest $4M Black Founders Fund in Africa are now open until May 31st (23:59 GMT). Find out more and apply below. Founders will receive up to $100K in equity-free cash, up to an additional $200K in Google Cloud Credits, and access to the best of Google—people, products, and practices.

Who should apply?

Early-stage startups with black founders or diverse founding teams operating and headquartered in Africa.

Startups must be:

• Headquartered in Africa or has a legal presence on the continent
• Building for Africa and a global market
• Creating jobs, able to show 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 a business where technology is core to their ability to scale (the initiative is not for consultancies or not-for-profits)
• Compatibility with Google products—our products can accelerate your growth

Initiative benefits

Program Highlights

• Non-dilutive (equity-free) cash awards of up to $100,000 per startup
• Up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits
• Access to a network of mentors to help tackle each startup’s unique challenges
• Access to the best of Google – people, products, and best practices
• We are currently accepting applicants from the following countries in Africa: Botswana, Cameroun, Côte D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. (These countries are our prime focus due to their active tech and startup ecosystems, but we will consider very strong applications from other African countries not listed.)

• The best of Google
  We connect founders with the very best of Google’s people, products, and practices.

• Access to capital
  Up to $100K in equity-free cash will be awarded to each startup.

• Global community
  At its core, the Black Founders Fund is a global initiative. Selected founders have the opportunity to connect with founders from all over the world.

Black Founders Fund