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

Tulsa, OK

Clarence Tan & Edna Martinson

Cambridge, MA

Diana Yousef

Durham, NC

Sonja Ebron & Debra Slone

New York, NY

Kwaku Owusu & Melanie Igwe

New Orleans, LA & San Francisco, CA

Troy Clarke & Calvin Mackie

St. Louis, MO

Janna Westbrook

Semifinalists

Austin, TX

Ruben Arias & Luis Gringras

Tulsa, OK

Clarence Tan & Edna Martinson

Cambridge, MA

Diana Yousef

New York, NY

SaLisa Berrien

Durham, NC

Sonja Ebron & Debra Slone

New York, NY

Kwaku Owusu & Melanie Igwe

New Orleans, LA & San Francisco, CA

Troy Clarke & Calvin Mackie

San Diego, CA

Debbie Chen

Houston, TX

Kim Roxie

Oakland, CA

Jerry Nemorin

St. Louis, MO

Janna Westbrook

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.”

Alicia Robb, Next Wave Impact