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.

ALL OUR BEST WISHES TO INRENTIVE AT GOOGLE DEMO DAYS - INRENTIVE EARNS $100,000 INVESTMENT FROM STEVE CASE

1871 provides home for CODE2040/Google minority-entrepreneur program

871 will host a minority entrepreneur in residence for one year as part of nonprofit CODE2040's residency program (Blue Sky illustration)

By Amina ElahiBlue Sky Reportercontact the reporter

Merchandise Mart-based tech hub 1871 will host a Latino/Latina or African-American Entrepreneur in Residence for one year as part of nonprofit CODE2040's residency program, the organizations announced Monday.

Google for Entrepreneurs will fund the program at 1871 and two other American tech hubs: American Underground in Durham, N.C., and Capital Factory in Austin, Texas. CODE2040 is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization committed to boosting underrepresented minorities, particularly African-Americans and Latinos/Latinas, in the tech industry.

“I think that this is just another of the programs we’re working on that will permit us to provide access to another group of ideally super talented entrepreneurs but who wouldn’t otherwise have access to all of the resources there,” said 1871 CEO Howard Tullman.

The program will award each selected entrepreneur $40,000 in seed capital without asking for equity in return. It also will provide workspace in the partner hubs, a training trip to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., and mentoring and support from the CODE2040 and Google for Entrepreneur communities.

CODE2040 will accept applications for the yearlong program through Feb. 17. Applicants must identify themselves as African-American or Latino/Latina, reside or have resided in the city for which they apply and be a founder of an early stage tech company. The organization said applicants must also “be committed to impacting the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of their local tech sector.”

Tullman said CODE2040 would manage the application process while his organization would provide workspace and facilities. He said the entrepreneur could move into 1871 as early as March.

Tullman expressed concern that requiring participants to focus on diversity initiatives while building young companies could prove challenging. He said he is waiting to hear what Google has planned to make that charge achievable.

“This is really on (the entrepreneurs), and frankly it’s important for them to have that commitment,” Tullman said. “There’s only a certain number of rabbits you can chase at the same time.”

Tullman said he would advise the Entrepreneur in Residence to focus on growing his or her business first. Tullman said the goals of business success and improving diversity can be achieved by making new opportunities available.

Google Gives $775K to Create Minority Entrepreneurs in Residence at 1871 and Other Cities

Jim Dallke - Staff Writer

02/02/15 @1:12pm in Tech

A minority entrepreneur will get one year at 1871 and $40,000 of seed capital thanks to a donation by Google to Code2040, a non-profit aimed at helping monitories who want to enter the tech field.

Google donated $775,000 to Code2040 Monday to help launch entrepreneur in residence programs at Chicago's 1871, as well as American Underground in Durham, North Carolina and Capital Factory in Austin, Texas. The program will allow one black or Latino startup founder to work for one year at the tech hub and receive $40,000 (with no equity taken), a trip to the Googleplex in Silicon Valley for training and networking, mentoring by Google for Entrepreneurs and CODE2040, and other resources.

The grant will also give free training programs to more than 5,000 black and Latino college engineering students over the next two years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“We're really excited to be partnering with the Google for Entrepreneurs NextWave Campaign to support the development of diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems nationwide,” Jason Towns, Director, CODE2040 Residency said in a news release. “Each EIR will get the resources needed to grow her/his venture as well as the support needed to help boost the pipeline of minority entrepreneurial talent in their community.”

The EIR program will help minority tech founders get their ideas off the ground. To apply, applicants must self-Identify as black or Latino/a, reside in Austin, Chicago, or Durham, be a founder of an early stage tech venture, and be committed to impacting the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of their local tech sector, the release said.

"The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program provides another important resource at 1871 to support underserved communities across Chicago," added 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. "CODE2040 and Google for Entrepreneurs have been incredible partners, and we look forward to growing our relationship as we work together to foster opportunities for underrepresented groups in the entrepreneurial and technology communities."

Creative Commons Image 

1871 CEO Howard Tullman and Mary Grove from GOOGLE discuss New Programs for GFE

1871 Members Will Receive $100k in Cloud Platform Credits as Part of Google's New Startup Program

Today, Google announced that they will be offering startups that are affiliated with one of 50 global accelerator programs, incubators, and VC funds $100,000 in Cloud Platform credits for one year so that emerging businesses can host their applications on the software giant's servers at no cost.

1871 is one of the program's first partners - joining Y Combinator, 500 Startups, and Techstars, amongst others - and only members that are less than five years old and have less than $500,000 in annual revenue are eligible. The program is part of the Google's Cloud Platform for Startups initiative, which was set up to steer emerging entrepreneurs away from competing service providers, such as AWS and Azure.

“This offer supports our core Google Cloud Platform philosophy: we want developers to focus on code; not worry about managing infrastructure,” Google’s Julie Pearl wrote on the company's blog. “Starting today, startups can take advantage of this offer and begin using the same infrastructure platform we use at Google.”

On top of the credits, 1871 members will also be able to schedule office hours for 1:1 technical architecture reviews.

Though a couple sources in the industry are labeling the offer as a "bit of a marketing gimmick" - most startups won't come close to hitting the $100k threshold in a year - it's still another major offering that 1871 can add to its list of member benefits.

Google did mention that they will continue to add more partners to this program over time.

1871 WELCOMES CAPITAL FACTORY IN AUSTIN TO THE GOOGLE NETWORK FOR ENTREPRENEURS

1871 CEO HOWARD TULLMAN INTERVIEWED ON WBEZ ABOUT CAMPUS 1871 and GOOGLE FOR ENTREPRENEURS

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW: https://soundcloud.com/techshift/tech-shift-howard-tullman

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW: https://soundcloud.com/techshift/tech-shift-howard-tullman

1871 Hosts Campus 1871, A Three-Day Cross Campus Hack-A-Thon Focused on Entrepreneurship

1871 Hosts Campus 1871, A Three-Day Cross Campus Hack-A-Thon Focused on Entrepreneurship

1871 Pairs University Students with Entrepreneurs, Challenges Teams to Ideate, Create, and Bring to Life Their Own Startups in One Weekend

Chicago - April 4, 2014 – Today 1871 announced Campus 1871, a three-day cross-campus hack-a-thon where students will meet and create their own startups with the support of Chicago’s most prominent business leaders. Throughout the weekend nearly 100 students from The University of Illinois, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, and The Illinois Institute of Technology will team up and collaborate to bring to life their own startups.

Not only will students be able to build their own startups from the ground up with mentors from local businesses, they will be able to foster their entrepreneurial spirit with Startup 101 crash courses, advice from keynote speakers, and participate in pitches while having the the opportunity to capture the grand prize for Campus 1871.

"We're excited about hosting Campus 1871 and bringing together the best and brightest from four top-tier universities," said Howard A. Tullman, CEO of 1871. "Through programs like Campus 1871 and our university partnerships, we're able to give these students exposure to the thriving tech community in Chicago. Our goal is to educate and immerse students in tech entrepreneurship, and show them why Chicago is the best place to start and build a business and to have a long and fruitful career with a wonderful quality of life."

What:            Cross-Campus hack-a-thon focused on entrepreneurship

When:            April 4-6, 2014

Where:          1871

222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, 12th Floor
Chicago, IL

Website:       http://www.1871.com/events/campus-1871/

"There is no better introduction to entrepreneurship than the intense experience of the Campus 1871 Hack-a-thon,” said Raju Malhotra, SVP of Products at Centro and a mentor for Campus 1871. “As a company that was founded in Chicago, Centro is proud to support the university students driving the next generation of innovation in one of the largest business centers in the U.S."

Several companies and leaders in the community will be lending their time and resources for the weekend activities including:

·               Google for Entrepreneurs– Summa Cum Laude Sponsor, enabling the event & providing 30 volunteer mentors to advise each startup as they build from the ground up.

·       SingleHop – Exclusive hosting sponsor, SingleHop, will provide the server infrastructure that will support each team’s startup idea.

“From the inception of SingleHop, giving back to the community by being involved with local startups has been deeply engrained within our culture,” said Zak Boca, CEO and co-founder of SingleHop. “Working with college students takes this to the next level for us and we can’t wait to see what they build.”

“The economy of the future is increasingly about ideas and technological skills. Nothing demonstrates Illinois’ commitment to lead that economy better than 1871,” said Adam Pollet, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “I hope the students here today will see that Illinois is a great place to start and grow a venture."

About 1871

1871 is an entrepreneurial hub for digital startups. Located in the famed Merchandise Mart, the 50,000-square-foot facility provides Chicago startups with programming, access to mentors, educational resources, potential investors and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs that help them on their path to building successful businesses. 1871 is the flagship project of the CEC.