16 Global Startups Selected for Blackbox Connect: Female Founders Edition
Women entrepreneurs from 13 countries will leverage the best of Silicon Valley to scale globally
For the third year running, a hand-picked cohort of 16 high potential women entrepreneurs will travel to Silicon Valley from across the globe to participate in Blackbox Connect: Female Founders Edition, powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. The two-week immersive residential program will take place May 15–26 at Fact0ry in San Francisco, offering the opportunity for entrepreneurs to live and learn together while connecting with top Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, investors, thought leaders, and executives in an intimate environment.
After two weeks of speaker sessions, workshops, pitch coaching, mentoring and expert feedback, the program will conclude with the Blackbox Connect Startup Showcase on May 25, an opportunity for founders to pitch their company to an audience of investors and Silicon Valley tech leaders.
The participating startups are a part of the Google for Entrepreneurs partner network — a global community of the leading entrepreneurial organizations around the world. The 16 founders hail from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Spain and the United States, and represent a wide variety of sectors, including (but not limited to) biotech, financial inclusion, fashion, solar energy, education, social networks and HR tech.
“Our entrepreneur-first approach instills a holistic growth mindset, allows for the open exchange of knowledge across borders, and ultimately translates to greater success back home,” says Blackbox Founder & CEO Fadi Bishara. We’ve been blown away by the number of female founders from past cohorts who have gone on to become major role models in their communities. We can’t wait for this group to continue that pattern and build on the impact of Blackboxers around the world.”
“Together with Blackbox Connect, we are deeply committed to supporting the success of women-led innovation globally. This program offers female entrepreneurs from the Google for Entrepreneurs partner network the unique opportunity to expand their network, build a community, learn from experienced founders, and gain a new perspective, often resulting in them dreaming and leading bigger. We are proud to partner with Blackbox, and to support this impressive group of founders” says Bridgette Beam, Head of Global Programs & Operations for Google for Entrepreneurs.
Since 2011, Blackbox has helped elevate more than 350 founders from 60+ countries to reach their full potential. Within three-to-nine months after Blackbox Connect, over 60% of startups have gone on to raise funding and more than 90% continue to grow their businesses. There have been nine exits to fuel the growth of global startup ecosystems.
Introducing the 2017 participants of Blackbox Connect: Female Founders Edition:
Ana Isabel Orvananos, Aliada | Mexico
Carlota Pi, Holaluz | Spain
Emmy Teo, FASHORY | China
Giang Nguyen, Vest Wealth Management | Mexico
Jessica Colaco, Brave Venture Labs | Kenya
Joanna Fedorowicz, Ovufriend | Poland
Laura Brod, RoverMed BioSciences | United States
Lise Snelgrove, ThisSpaceWorks | Canada
Michelle Li, Sorority China | China
Michelle Wolters, Klup | Netherlands
Pamela Newenham, GirlCrew | Ireland
Pauline Eveno, SYOS | France
Samira Almeida Pinto, StoryMax | Brazil
Sana Farooq, ELN — The eLearning Network | Pakistan
Ursula Mead, InHerSight | United States
Yscaira Jimenez, LaborX | United States
About Blackbox:
Blackbox is a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit working to elevate entrepreneurs across the globe. Our entrepreneur-first approach is grounded in two fundamental beliefs: that entrepreneurs are the core engine for global economic growth, and that they need someone in their corner. Blackbox Connect was launched in 2011 as our flagship offering in Silicon Valley, with Google for Entrepreneurs powering two cycles each year since 2013. Blackbox has since expanded to offer 3-day in-country community events (called Blackbox Ignite) for partners around the world. To learn more, visit http://blackbox.vc or follow us on Twitter (blackbox.vc) or Facebook (fb.com/blackbox.vc).
About Google for Entrepreneurs:
Google for Entrepreneurs provides financial support and the best of Google’s resources to dozens of co-working spaces and community programs across 140 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 google.com/entrepreneurs or follow us on G+ (+GoogleForEntrepreneurs), Twitter (@GoogleForEntrep) and Facebook (fb.com/GoogleForEntrepreneurs).
For more information, contact Marie Paoli (marie@blackbox.vc).
