Empowering Black Founders through Google's Accelerators

Google’s accelerators empower entrepreneurs who are tackling complex challenges and driving meaningful change in their communities. This year's Google for Startups Accelerator: Black Founders cohort exemplifies this spirit, with startups focused on everything from revolutionizing healthcare and improving public safety to transforming the construction industry.

Unlocking opportunity through mentorship

At the core of the Google for Startups Accelerator program, we offer founders and their teams the opportunity to connect with Google mentors and technical experts across topics like generative AI, cloud optimization, growth and sales strategies, leadership and more. Working one-on-one allows busy entrepreneurs to pause for a moment, openly share their issues, and unblock their thinking. Such is the case with Aster, a health technology startup that enables women’s health practices to manage, grow and scale their operations. “Fred Sauer, an experienced technical mentor, took the time to understand Aster’s business; and then helped us work out issues, not being super prescriptive, or giving us a simple solution; but rather by asking us the right questions, and following frameworks to work on things,” said Aster cofounder, Fifi Kara.

Leveraging Google's technology and expertise

In addition to technical mentorship, Google for Startups Accelerator participants are given access to the latest cutting-edge Google technologies. Participants leverage tools like Google Cloud, Gemini, Vertex AI, Flutter, Firebase and more to prepare them for the next phase of growth.

For example, TracFlo, a construction management platform, worked closely with Google mentors throughout the program to streamline the ticket creation process using Gemini, achieving an estimated 80% improvement in efficiency for their customers.

Driving growth and innovation

The program's impact is evident in the impressive growth and innovation demonstrated by the startups. Previous Accelerator: Black Founders cohorts have gone on to collectively raise $160M in fundraising post-program and created more than 350 jobs across North America. This year’s participants are also on track to launch new products, expand into international markets, and form strategic partnerships during the accelerator program.

Lokum, a platform that connects medical specialists with health care facilities nationwide, raised $700,000 in pre-seed funding that will go toward further development of their technology.

Building a supportive community

Google accelerators are more than just programs; it's a network of like-minded entrepreneurs who support and learn from each other. These thirteen companies are now part of the Google for Startups alumni community. We're excited to see what the future holds for these talented entrepreneurs and can’t wait to see what they each do next.

• Allison (Birmingham, AL) is an AI-powered operating system for community banks and credit unions.
• Assetlink (New York, NY) leverages artificial intelligence to connect asset managers, wealth managers and accredited investors via first party contextualized data.
• Aster (San Francisco, CA) enables women’s health practices to manage, grow and scale their practices.
• Invy (Washington, DC) helps consumers digitally manage valuable belongings—such as clothing, jewelry, furniture and art — and assesses their real-time market values.
• Lokum (Houston, TX) leverages technology to give employers of medical specialists direct access to staff that they desperately need, while allowing them to skip recruitment agencies and save up to 92% of their current costs.
• NurseBrain (Wilmington, DE) streamlines nursing workflows to reduce burnout, improve patient outcomes and increase nurse-retention rates.
• OneCliq (Toronto, ON) is a personal creative AI assistant that helps users create, share and manage your content across platforms with a simple conversation.
• Oppos Incorporated (Toronto, ON) is a leading provider of cybersecurity compliance solutions and IT audit preparation activities.
• Productions.com (Atlanta, GA) provides talent solutions connecting brands to vetted local freelance and full-time production talent, saving time and money in the process.
• roboMUA (South Bend, IN) is a computer vision AI company building inclusive datasets, predictive and generative AI models for diverse skin shades under a variety of lighting and atmospheric conditions.
• Sivil (Los Angeles, CA) is a public safety software company enabling g local government agencies to easily gather, manage, and report on civilian feedback about law enforcement.
• Skilbi (Chicago, IL) is a career exploration platform that leverages advanced machine learning to recommend careers aligning with individual interests and skills, offering interactive challenges for skill development sought by early talent recruiters.
• TracFlo (New York, NY) is an online platform that allows contractors to track all project costs in a mobile app and make real-time financial decisions.