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Introducing our S'22 Founders Cohort
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We are excited to announce the S’22 Cohort of the Black Valley Founders Programme and want to congratulate all of the founders!
Next week, the founders will start their 8-week programme, and we are kicking it all off with a launch event on August 17 at the Salesforce Tower!
Through our application process, we selected founders whose businesses have shown signs of traction, scalability and profitability. With the help of our programme, we are aiming to accelerate their growth as a business and support them in getting their first institutional investment.
These are the founders you should keep an eye on!
Hameed Adigun of Africa Story
A streaming service for authentic accurate African edutainment.”
Matthew AddaI, Jonathan Addai & Nicholas Addai of Cashblack
A platform that rewards members with cashback for shopping with Black-owned businesses.”
Sofiane Bebert & Alex Alexandrescu of Dicey Tech
A talent marketplace helping young people showcase skills, gain experience, and connect with top employers.”
Lee McPherson & Kevin Kwong of Heyr
A therapy-based messaging app that helps you build better mental habits and rewards you along the way
Bayo Ibirogba, Ibrahim Bolarinwa & Goke Adebayo of Mappa
PropTech providing AI-powered decision enhancement solutions for house hunters and estate agents”.
Imwen Eke of New Party Rules Labs
An experimental game studio and research lab that creates spaces for adults to play!.
Tungtaeya Abdel-Majeed & Maya Harruna of No Guilt Bakes
Makes delicious Low Carb treats, snacks and baking mixes.
Akintunde Agbeja & Gbemi Oluleye of Pika Group
Provides meal kits that let customers cook delicious African meals.
Lara Senbanjo & Kemi Lawson of The Cornrow
A curated home & lifestyle platform that champions Black Culture.
Rose Sterling & Caliya Sterling of The Pro Box
An Interactive beauty & fashion TV platform which utilises unique immersive in-media features.
The Programme
The 8-week programme contains of 4 main features: Workshops, Fireside Chats, Mentorships and Investor Office Hours.
1. Workshops: The weekly workshops are divided into two main themes. For the first 4 weeks, the founders focus on getting their product right. For the following 4 weeks, the focus is on marketing, sales and funding.
2. Fireside Chats: Every week our fireside speakers, other black founders who has successfully raised, will be speaking exclusively to our Founders Programme cohort and alumni. Collectively their businesses have raised over $300 million in funds and are valued at over $3 billion. Speakers announced so far includes: Christian Facey, Josephine Philips, Olugbenga GB Agboola , Dr. Dupe Burgess, Ruben Harris
3. Mentorship: The founders are paired up with a mentor dedicated to their team, which they will meet every week. Each mentor has been handpicked for their unique insight into various tech sectors as well as their experience in successfully raising seed/pre-seed funding. In addition, all founders have further access to 300+ mentors & technical experts in the Black Valley community who can provide strategic advice into their businesses.
4. Investor Office Hours: Every week, the founders get to pitch to an Early Stage Investor and get feedback. This will not only make founders more comfortable with being in a room with an investor and knowing what to focus on, but it will also help them gain a network of investors, as well as implement live feedback. Some of the investors we have onboard include: Andy Davis, Yvonne Bajela, Lorcan Delaney, Luisa Gockel (she/her), Audrey Handem, Parin Shah, Andrew Sheffield, Ella Wales Bonner, George Mensah, Chenelle Ansah, Ezechi Britton.
The programme is rounded up with a Demo Day Event on October 28, where we showcase the founders and gather the startup ecosystem in one room. If you are an investor or founder interested in attending our Demo Day, please register here.
How do I get involved in the Black Valley Community?
In addition to the Demo Day, there are ways for you to get involved with the programme and the Black Valley community. If you are an investor who’s interested in taking part in Investor Office Hours or our Demo day - please sign up here, and we will get in touch with you shortly.
If you are a founder interested in the programme, please get on the founders' programme waiting list here. By signing up to the waiting list, you will also get invites to our events and things that are happening.
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