Blackbox Connect and Google for Entrepreneurs Partner To Accelerate Female-Founded Startups - 1871 Member 30Second Mobile Selected

Blackbox Connect and Google for Entrepreneurs Partner To Accelerate Female-Founded Startups

Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day Winner To Participate in Female Founders Edition

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Female Founders Edition Startups

San Francisco, California (PRWEB) April 24, 2015

Blackbox, the Silicon Valley accelerator dedicated to leveling the playing field for global startups, today announced their first-ever program comprised exclusively of women founders. Blackbox Connect Female Founders Edition is committed to helping women gain access to Silicon Valley resources and funding networks, and is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. Since its inception, Blackbox has dedicated itself to maintaining diversity by ensuring that 50% of their program startups are founded by women. The nonprofit Blackbox has hosted hundreds of companies from 50 countries over the past three years with 90% funded, and all deeply embedded in a growing network of successful entrepreneurs.

One participant in the Blackbox Connect program, Tatiana Birgisson, Founder of Mati Energy, just won Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day. The other entrepreneurs chosen hail from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Poland, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. The businesses bring innovations in a variety of industries, including art education, enlightened dating, eyewear, fashion, healthy eating, location-based e-commerce, mental health, native advertising, and wearables.

The full list of female founders and their companies are available on the Blackbox website and the program will be held in Palo Alto from April 27 - May 8, 2015.

“There are many underrepresented women founders in both the U.S. and abroad that could benefit from more support,” said Fadi Bishara, Founder of Blackbox. “Silicon Valley does not have a monopoly on talent, but access to the valley’s rich resources are critical to an entrepreneur’s success. Blackbox creates that access and helps startups learn, collaborate and grow. Along with Google for Entrepreneurs, we are thrilled to have the privilege of welcoming such talented female entrepreneurs to Blackbox.”

“Through our efforts like the #40Forward initiative, we've seen how access to funding and mentor networks is critical to the growth of any business, especially female-led startups,” said Bridgette Beam, head of women’s outreach at Google for Entrepreneurs. “The women joining us in the Blackbox Connect Female Founders Edition represent some of the most promising female entrepreneurs from around the world, and we're excited to help them connect to the best of Silicon Valley and support them in building high growth businesses."

About Blackbox Connect:
Blackbox Connect is a two-week, residential program in Silicon Valley designed to immerse founders in the startup culture, to learn from other successful entrepreneurs, to connect with potential partners and investors, to forge valuable business relationships, and to receive expert advice from venture capitalists, successful founders, and game changers. Sponsored in part by Google for Entrepreneurs, Blackbox Connect gives founders a foundation of knowledge and access to the expertise needed to expand their vision and scale their companies globally. To learn more about Blackbox Connect, visit Blackbox and find us on Facebook, Twitter and G+.

About Google for Entrepreneurs:
Google for Entrepreneurs provides financial support and the best of Google's resources to dozens of coworking spaces and community programs across 125 countries. We also create Campuses: physical hubs where entrepreneurs can learn, connect, and build companies that will change the world. To learn more about Google for Entrepreneurs, visit googleforentrepreneurs.com or follow us on G+ (+GoogleForEntrepreneurs) and Twitter (@GoogleForEntrep).

1871 Member 30Second Mobile Selected to Attend Google For Entrepreneurs’ Blackbox Connect Accelerator Program

                                            

1871 Member 30Second Mobile Selected to Attend Google For Entrepreneurs’ Blackbox Connect Accelerator Program

Elisa All, Founder and CEO of 30Second Mobile, to spend two weeks at Google for Entrepreneurs’ Blackbox Connect program for female founders

Chicago (April 16, 2015)—Google for Entrepreneurs announced today that 1871 member company 30Second Mobile, a women-led mobile media company, has been selected to participate in Google for Entrepreneurs’ Blackbox Connect Female Founders Edition, a two-week immersion program where the most promising global startups grow and connect with top VCs and game-changers in Silicon Valley. Elisa All, founder and CEO of 30Second Mobile, will travel to Google Headquarters with other companies nominated by partners of Google for Entrepreneurs for a two-week accelerator program exclusively available to high potential women entrepreneurs.

“1871 is constantly working to offer a wide variety of opportunities and resources that help our member companies succeed,” said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. “As one of only nine members of the Google for Entrepreneurs North American Tech Hub Network, our close relationship with Google continues to create amazing opportunities for 1871 companies. We are especially excited to work on a program that focuses on supporting women entrepreneurs, and we congratulate 30Second Mobile on being selected for this year’s Blackbox Connect program.”

Google for Entrepreneurs selected the most promising startups from across the globe to participate in its first Blackbox Connect program focused specifically on female founders. These startups will travel to California from April 27 through May 8, where they will have the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs from around the world and partake in an intense agenda of strategic meetings and workshops with entrepreneurs, investors, experts and executives. Each of the participating companies is required to have launched a product and received customer feedback.

“I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to participate in the first Blackbox Connect program to focus specifically on female founders,” said Elisa All, founder and CEO of 30Second Mobile. “I look forward to collaborating with other female entrepreneurs while learning from Google’s experts and representing the amazing startup community at 1871 and in Chicago.”

30Second Mobile is a women-led mobile media company creating authentic, easily-consumed content for mobile and social users. The company licenses its content to media companies and creates custom branded content for companies that bring their brand messages to life. 30Second Mobile’s first vertical, 30Second Mom, is a free website and app that enables mothers to access quick and helpful information tailored to their interests and share that information via social networks – in about 30 seconds. The company has received numerous accolades, including being named “One of the 5 Hottest Startups in Chicago.”

Prior to 30Second Mobile, Elisa All founded iParenting Media, a highly-regarded dotcom acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2007. Elisa led the company to be recognized as “Best of the Web” by Newsweek, US News & World Report, The London Times and more. After iParenting was acquired by Disney, Elisa served as Director for the Disney Interactive Media Group, where she led the integration of iParenting into the Disney Family Network. Elisa also has served as a video and radio host, newspaper columnist and editor-in-chief of six national newsstand magazines: Pregnancy, Baby Years, Women’s Health & Fitness, Family Energy, European Homes & Gardens and The Buyer’s Guide.