Global tech entrepreneur and start-up community TechHub has revealed the founders and companies of the first cohort of TechHub Accelerate.
Supported by Google for Startups, Silicon Valley Bank, Wilson Sonsini, Talent.io and Davis Grant, the programme addresses the diversity gap in the tech industry by offering free membership, mentoring, investor introductions and business support to diverse founders.
The programme has been designed by TechHub to tackle the tech industry’s diversity problem by supporting founders currently under-represented in the sector.
These include women, people with disabilities and the BAME and LGBTQ+ communities.
The first cohort, which was announced in August, now has 31 companies, and the programme intends to support 100 start-ups with underrepresented founders in the first year.
TechHub is working with these entrepreneurs to accelerate the growth of their businesses and amplify their voices in the tech community.? One founder has already secured angel funding through a TechHub introduction.
Participants include a surgeon, frustrated at surgeries cancelled because of broken lights in a hospital operating theatre, and a founder who grew up not knowing where to find financial advice.
TechHub Accelerate founders will receive mentoring and focused fundraising support for free through TechHub’s membership grants funded by both TechHub and its partners.
This is in addition to TechHub’s support for all its members, which includes over 200 programme sessions a year, workspace in central London and a network of over 400 TechHub member companies.
Elizabeth Varley, TechHub’s founder and CEO said the cohort showed enormous opportunities for growth and impact.
“They’re a really diverse mix of products and sectors and some truly scalable and investable companies with really impressive founders,” she said.
“To create stronger products and a stronger tech ecosystem, we want to see innovations being generated by people from all sorts of backgrounds.
“Moving the needle on inclusion in the tech industry takes direct support and meaningful action – not just talk about the challenges.”
The 31?cohort?members are:
- Abdulaziz Redha, CEO & co-founder of UVerify
- Alec Grant, co-founder & CTO of Interrodata
- Alma Ramirez Acosta, co-founder of Vibio LTD
- Anna Corp, founder of Eloy
- Ashish Kalraiya, founder of MediShout
- Caroline Hughes, co-founder of Lifetise
- Chang Liu, founder & CEO, Extend Robotics
- Danielle Lawrence, founder & CEO of Freyda Ltd
- Efua Akumanyi.co-founder & head of technology ofFurnishful
- Francesca Gomez, co-founder & CEO of Smarter Human
- Gabrielle Patrick, co-founder & CEO of Knabu
- Inas Ismail, co-founder of Autsera
- Tumi Itholeng, founder & CEO of Vendabox
- Janvier Wete, founder of Minute App
- Jibril Gudal, co-founder, BookB
- Jillian Kowalchuk, founder & CEO, Safe & the City
- Juliet Eccleston, founder of Anygood?
- Karen Agwu, co-founder of Truenova
- Lucy Cranwell-Ward,co-founder of UpSkillMe
- Majeed Saheb-Zadha, co-founder of PPTX Builder
- Maria Noel Reyes, founder & director Vozlab
- Matt Pierri, co-founder & CEO of Sociability Venture
- Michael Berhane, co-founder & CEO of People of Color in Tech
- Priyanka Lilaramani, founder & CEO of Plinth
- Rafael Cepeda Lopez, co-founder & CEO of Altar
- Rayhan Sawar, founder of IlluminOut
- Sabine Opris, co-founder & CEO of Tryatec
- Siddhi Mittal, co-founder of Yhangry
- Toyin Ajidele, founder of MyQuickClinic
- Uyen Ngo, co-founder & CEO of ESwapp
- Yasmin Abedin, co-founder of Ava MD
TechHub Accelerate is seeking partners for its second cohort in early 2020, both corporates keen to be involved in diversity initiatives, and smaller businesses and individuals who’d like to make the tech industry a more inclusive place.