Microsoft for Startups and Microsoft’s venture fund M12 Invest in Black and Latinx community via Sponsorship of Black & Brown Founders
Virtual event series and conference on the 2020 horizon for Black and Latinx founders
San Francisco, CA — Today Black & Brown Founders announced Microsoft for Startups and Microsoft’s venture fund M12 have collectively signed on as the Diamond Corporate Sponsor in support of the organization’s mission to help Black and Latinx entrepreneurs build and launch tech businesses. This announcement kicks off the third year of collaboration between Black & Brown Founders and Microsoft.
People of color and women continue to face barriers to entry for wealth building. This has resulted in a growing wealth gap, and a moral and economic imperative to work towards closing it. The challenges presented by the novel COVID-19 coronavirus have further amplified the gap as confirmed by studies which have found communities of color to be historically hit harder during times of crisis and economic uncertainty.
Extenuating circumstances like COVID-19 and its trailing economic impact have created a critical time for organizations to support under-resourced nonprofit organizations in their respective industries. Microsoft for Startups and M12 are committed to helping ensure underestimated founders have access to the tools and resources necessary to pursue entrepreneurship and build great startups.
”M12 and Microsoft for Startups are proud to support the work of Black & Brown Founders,” said Elisa Garcia Anzano, Senior Venture Capital Partnerships Manager at M12. “Our commitment enables us to share our business experience and technology expertise with a community of ambitious entrepreneurs. I’ve seen firsthand how mentorship and exposure to technology can fundamentally change the trajectory of your life, regardless of your background.”
Through this sponsorship, Microsoft for Startups and M12 are providing much needed funding to Black & Brown Founders for programming aimed at advancing the Black and Latinx communities and forging stronger connections amid a global pandemic.
“As a nonprofit dedicated to helping Black and Latinx entrepreneurs build tech businesses, it’s our job to not just know the odds, but to help our community members beat them. We’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we take our role of being at the vanguard seriously. We try to protect our community by investing time and energy into creating opportunities while staving off opportunists,” said Aniyia Williams, founder of Black & Brown Founders. “For that reason, it’s been our pleasure to collaborate with Microsoft and to build upon this relationship during one of the most critical moments for Black and Latinx founders.”
The new sponsorship will power two unique forms of programming for the Black & Brown Founders community: CHROMA Virtual Conference + Community and Bootstrapping Bootcamp.
CHROMA will be a multi-day virtual conference and online community hub that converts into a library of content to help founders level up their tech business and discover a spectrum of funding opportunities. Powered by M12, CHROMA will feature Black and Latinx tech entrepreneurs, leaders, and subject matter experts from around the United States and internationally. Event dates are set for September 28th - October 2nd, 2020.
In 2019, Black & Brown Founders piloted its Bootstrapping Bootcamp. The virtual 10-week training program serves pre-revenue entrepreneurs offering tutorials, templates, and tools to help them work through their tech business idea, aligning it with their competitive advantages. The newest iteration of the program, launching June 2020, already has a list of 150+ people waiting to join the next cohort. Powered by Microsoft for Startups, access to the bootcamp will be offered on a sliding scale through scholarships.
The Black & Brown Founders team is thrilled to work with Microsoft yet again as they consistently demonstrate that their leadership staunchly believes that diversity fuels innovation.
To learn more about upcoming programming, visit: blackandbrownfounders.com
To learn more about our work with Microsoft, visit: blackandbrownfounders.com/microsoft
About Black & Brown Founders: Black & Brown Founders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, providing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs best practices and community to build and launch successful tech companies with modest resources.
About Microsoft for Startups: Microsoft for Startups is a program that delivers access to technology, go-to-market and community benefits that helps startups grow their customer and revenue base.
About M12: M12, Microsoft's venture fund, invests in enterprise software companies in the Series A through C funding stages with a focus on applied AI, business applications, infrastructure, security, and vanguard technologies. As part of its value-add to portfolio companies, M12 offers unique access to strategic go-to-market resources and relationships globally. M12 has offices in San Francisco, Seattle, London, Tel Aviv, and Bengaluru.
For inquires, contact: Syreeta Martin | syreeta@bbfounders.co | 215-626-6864