FOC 2021 Event
Our Collaborative Experience
The main event was on May 3, 2021. It was amazing, so inspirational!
After receiving nearly 50 nominations for our second annual Founders of Color Showcase, our co-hosts, sponsors & advocates were eager to have an impactful *virtual* event on Monday, May 3, 2021, highlighting spectacular diverse founders, and investing in the change needed in the world.
Six (6) finalists pitched their companies to an audience of investors, funds and angel groups; and all semifinalist were highlighted in the program. This year’s innovative startup leaders tackled 10 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, came from 8 states in the USA and represented a range of industries including healthcare, education, environment, consumer and cleantech.
CONGRATULATIONS to the 2023 FOC Showcase Finalists
Finalists
Boddle
Tulsa, OK
Clarence Tan & Edna Martinson
change:WATER Labs
Cambridge, MA
Diana Yousef
CourtRoom5
Durham, NC
Sonja Ebron & Debra Slone
DrugViu
New York, NY
Kwaku Owusu & Melanie Igwe
Golden Leaf Energy
New Orleans, LA & San Francisco, CA
Troy Clarke & Calvin Mackie
Provider Pool
St. Louis, MO
Janna Westbrook
Semifinalists
Beereaders
Austin, TX
Ruben Arias & Luis Gringras
Boddle
Tulsa, OK
Clarence Tan & Edna Martinson
change:WATER Labs
Cambridge, MA
Diana Yousef
COI Energy
New York, NY
SaLisa Berrien
CourtRoom5
Durham, NC
Sonja Ebron & Debra Slone
DrugViu
New York, NY
Kwaku Owusu & Melanie Igwe
Golden Leaf Energy
New Orleans, LA & San Francisco, CA
Troy Clarke & Calvin Mackie
Hydrostasis
San Diego, CA
Debbie Chen
LAMIK Beauty
Houston, TX
Kim Roxie
LendStreet
Oakland, CA
Jerry Nemorin
Provider Pool
St. Louis, MO
Janna Westbrook
Social Cipher
Los Angeles, CA
Vanessa Castañeda Gill
All Cohorts
“Funding opportunities are glaringly disproportionate for founders of color who want to scale their businesses, and the Founders of Color showcase is one way to help reverse that.”