Google for Startups x Founder Gym Scholarship Recipients Continue to Soar

Since Founder Gym’s earliest days, we have been proud to partner with Google for Startups to provide 90 scholarships to underrepresented founders who participated in the FG Fundraising Cohort.

As we wrap up our final week of operations at Founder Gym (to learn more, read this article by our founder), we are proud to reflect on our partnership and share exciting updates from some of the founders who received scholarships.

Thank you to the Google for Startups Partner Network

To be considered for a Google for Startups full-tuition scholarship, founders were nominated by organizations in the Google for Startups Partner Network, a global network of 70 top startup organizations that support the world’s most innovative startups.

Partners include local tech hubs and accelerators in more than 60 countries, from Accra to Zurich, and organizations offering training and resources for underrepresented founders. Google for Startups partners contribute to a global mission-driven community to help founders and their businesses grow, with help from Google’s connections, technology, and best practices. To learn more, visit their website.

Partners nominated their top founders from 17 countries on 5 continents. We are so grateful that they trusted us to train their community members.

Thank you to our incredible partners who nominated scholarship recipients:

• 1871
• American Underground
• Astia
• Atlanta Tech Village
• Backstage Capital
• Black Founders Exchange
• Bunker Labs
• Capital Factory
• CcHUB
• DMZ
• Fishburners
• Found8
• Fueled Collective
• Gaza Sky Geeks
• Grand Circus
• Impact Hub Zurich
• Inicio Ventures
• IdeaSpace
• iSpace
• Nashville Entrepreneur Center
• Parallel 18
• Patriot Boot Camp
• Sand Hill Angels
• Seedrocket
• Startup Grind
• Startup Wise Guys
• Techstars

We also wanted to say a special shout-out to Nicole Farmer, Partnerships Manager at Google for Startups.

Since day one of our partnership, Nicole has worked with us to connect founders with the best that Google for Startups has to offer — scholarships, programming, training, expertise, and a global network. She and her team are brilliant, talented, and compassionate. Thank you for your incredible support!

Let’s get into it — check out these updates from Google for Startups Scholarship Recipients!

This week, Anastasia Simon, Founder Gym’s Program Director, and I interviewed several Google for Startups Scholarship Recipients to hear about their progress and the impact that Google’s support has had on their startup’s growth.

• Founder: Shahar Keinan
• Company: Polaris Quantum Biotech
• Description: Polaris Quantum Biotech is using quantum computing, AI/ML, and personalized medicine to design drug leads to treat and cure all diseases for all people.
• Location: Cary, NC
• GFS Nominating Partner: American Underground
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? The scholarship had a big impact on me because it was one of the first times that I understood how to raise money. I also learned that I have a place at the table even though I may not fit the “founder” stereotype. It was very life-changing.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? Being part of American Underground, Google gave us time on their clusters. That kind of technical support was what we needed to build. We are still using Google and have strong technical support from their team in Durham. We’re thinking about writing some test cases together. We run everything on Google and they are truly a partner on our journey.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? First, I’m a very technical founder and I always say look at the data. Make sure that you have the market fit so you can demonstrate that you have customers for what you’re building. Then, you will have the data to show why people need to invest in your business. Second, find a community that can support you on your founder and personal journey when things get rough. You will face challenges and you need help!
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We’re scaling up. We had several new customers in Q1. We’re collaborating with customers to address aging, cancer, and women’s health issues. Last year, we did 10 projects. This year, we’ll do 20 to 40 projects, and next year, we’ll do 50 to 100 projects.

• Founder: Dr. Tope Mitchell
• Company: Reflekt Me
• Description: Reflekt Me increases sales conversion for online retailers through a hyper-personalization size and fit system, that drives successful product recommendations and creates an inclusive shopping experience.
• Location: Fayetteville, NC
• GFS Nominating Partner: Backstage Capital
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? Being nominated for a scholarship, seen, and supported, especially by Backstage Capital was fantastic. Because we were a Google for Startups Scholarship Recipient. a few of us were able to talk to experts from Google and incorporate their feedback into our business. That kind of support is really invaluable at such an early stage!
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? From the very beginning, we worked with G-Suite for our emails and used Google Meet. Using Google products helped keep costs down, and makes it seamless for us to collaborate across time zones.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Get out there and find your tribe. Start with a strong foundation of great people in your network and branch out to new networks. This will help you avoid surprises and navigate challenges because you have balanced and well-rounded perspectives from different people in your community.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We launched with Levi Strauss & Co in the US this month, which covers about 300 products. We’re launching in Europe next — Germany, the UK. It’s going to be beautiful! We are not only showing jeans but jackets and polos in a multitude of sizes. It’s been fantastic to work with a company that for generations has had a focus on inclusion and diversity. Levi’s has been about it for a long time. We are also launching a custom app on Shopify that millions of business owners can gain access to with the click of a button.

• Founder: Manuel Saez
• Company: Beyond
• Description: We are like car leasing, but for micro-vehicles (today e-bikes, scooters).
• Location: Brooklyn, NY
• GFS Nominating Partner: Backstage Capital
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? I’m so grateful that I could participate in Founder Gym with a Google for Startups’ scholarship. I couldn’t have afforded the program without the scholarship. Because of what I learned, the program helped me position our company for success in any meeting. Every communication that I’ve had with the Google team has been so reinforcing.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? Our number one source of customers is Google through organic traffic or paid ads. Moving forward, we will continue to use Google products to help us grow.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? One of my favorite pieces of advice from FG Expert Trainer Melody McCloskey, Co-founder and CEO of StyleSeat, is “Know your stuff and own the room.”
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We have been growing 20% to 25% week-over-week. We will close this month with almost 50% growth compared to our previous month. Our next step is to target people doing deliveries. We have a new vehicle that we’re launching soon. It really adds another vertical.

• Founder: Felicia Jackson
• Company: CPRWrap
• Description: CPRWrap is a single-use template that protects and guides non-medical responders during a cardiac arrest.
• Location: Hixon, TN
• GFS Nominating Partner: Nashville Entrepreneur Center
• Get connected: Twitter and LinkedIn
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? Receiving a scholarship to Founder Gym was life-changing. It helped me get in the room with experts. It gave me the tools that I needed to help me stand out as I fundraise and build my company. As a leader, we’re expected to know the answers. The growth for me was learning that it’s okay to not have all those answers.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? I use anything and everything Google for our business! Google Slides is what I use to prepare my deck. We use Gmail to serve our customers and market to new customers.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Don’t wait for confirmation to begin what you love to do. Focus on your why and let that be your driving force to begin your journey.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We are growing internationally! Our product is now in Australia and New Zealand. I’m so happy to announce that we’ve partnered with Heart Hero, a new AED manufacturer in 33 countries. Through Operation Classroom Safety, we’re working to get a CPR Wrap in every classroom in the United States and abroad.

• Founder: Candice Dietz
• Company: GIVESPACE
• Description: GIVESPACE is powering the world to give back, together.
• Location: Honolulu, HI
• GFS Nominating Partner: Patriot Boot Camp
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? I’m so grateful that Google invests in women and veterans. Patriot Boot Camp has been so supportive and nominated me for a Google scholarship. By joining the FG Fundraising Cohort, I stepped into a community that helped me see that my differences are my strengths and my network grew!
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? We use the G-Suite daily and we received Google Ad Credits. We also used Google’s advice about how to improve our SEO so we could move from page three to page one when people search for us on Google.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Have your North Star and your why. When you feel self-doubt, it will keep you going. Surround yourself with great founders and stay in touch! They can offer you support when you need it.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We just launched our partnership with Shopify! We’re looking at other integrations and large partnerships across the e-commerce vertical and hospitality/tourism. We’ve added an impact calculator so people and companies can see the impact of their support for charitable causes. It’s exciting to see how much impact we’ve had to date!

• Founder: Lawrence Wagner
• Company: Spark Mindset
• Description: Spark Mindset is a bridge for low-income students into cybersecurity careers.
• Location: Colorado Springs, CO
• GFS Nominating Partner: Patriot Boot Camp
• Get connected: Twitter and LinkedIn
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? I was so grateful to be nominated by Patriot Boot Camp for a Google for Startups Scholarship to participate in the Founder Gym Fundraising Cohort. Being part of the program allowed me to dig deep into our business model and helped us surface the pivots that we needed to make during the pandemic.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? We’ve learned how to design, organize, and leverage the power of Google Drive so we can share information with our teammates and our customers. We look forward to leveraging more of their support!
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Find an accelerator to join. The wisdom was so important. You need a community! A community can support you and offer additional insights because you don’t know what you don’t know.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? During the pandemic, our business quadrupled! We now have middle school camps. It’s available and you can sign up on our website. We’re recruiting for our high school and adult programs in August. We’re looking for high school students in Colorado, Louisiana, and Missouri. If you’re an adult and you want to change careers, join our adult program. You might be working a low-wage and low-demand job, and we can help you get a high-wage and high-demand job.

• Founder: Yamillet Payano
• Company: Sign-Speak
• Description: Sign-Speak is the first real-time AI Sign Language recognition software that allows businesses to improve compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) while serving the 48 million Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) individuals in the United States.
• Location: New York, NY
• GFS Nominating Partner: 1871
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? We’ve been supported by 1871 and they nominated us for the Founder Gym Fundraising Cohort Google for Startups’ scholarship. We joined Techstars, which is also part of the partner network. Altogether, it has been great to be part of the Google for Startups Partner Network because we’ve received so much mentorship and advice.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? We use Google products for everything! My team is very special because we have deaf individuals. The closed captioning feature is so cool and accurate! It makes it easy and allows all of our team members to get the information that they need.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Tap into your self-awareness. Step away from taking everything personally and make it about your company. Entrepreneurship isn’t possible alone, so you’ll need partners like those in the Google for Startups Network to grow your startup. Your self-awareness will help you bring together the right pieces to be successful.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? There is a lot going on! We’re hiring new data collectors, so if you’re a native signer, please apply at our website using the Career tabs. We’re fundraising our pre-seed round of $650,000, so we’re looking for investors! We also have some big-named partnerships that we can’t share quite yet, but we’re excited to announce.

• Company: VictimsVoice
• Description: VictimsVoice is a digital diary that allows victims to record each incident of their abuse and meets the strictest legal standards of court admissibility. Our platform gives victims a legal voice.
• Location: Princeton, NJ
• GFS Nominating Partner: Startup Grind
• Get connected: Twitter and LinkedIn
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? I’ve received so much support from Google. The person who nominated me for a Google for Startups Scholarship to participate in the Founder Gym Fundraising Cohort, David Stengel, Founder of the Princeton Startup Grind Chapter, is still my mentor today. We’re a bootstrapped company, so the scholarship allowed us to participate in the program without paying; we used the money that we would have paid for tuition for other priorities in the business. Being introduce to the Google ecosystem led to us being accepted into Google’s Sustainable Development Goals Program. They have been throwing resources at us! We’ve received support and expertise without any cost. We’ve also been learning about how to create and roll out our OKRs. And the network! As a result of the network, we’ve also met other social impact organizations that we can learn from and collaborate with.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? We are huge Google users. We use the business suite, Google Meet, Google Drive, Google Docs, and more. Because we’re fully remote, having access to everything no matter where we are and allowing collaboration is priceless. Google integrates with our Zoho One environment, which makes it super easy to work with anyone from anywhere.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? First, venture capital isn’t the end game. Build a great business that isn’t just an extension of someone’s investment. Second, you need a community, people you can rely on and be honest with when you’re experiencing the lows of entrepreneurship. Finally, train for the marathon. It’s a long journey.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? There is so much to celebrate! We’re planning the Two Girls TOOW (Tiny Office On Wheels) Tour with one of our partner members Safe in Harms Way, during which we’ll take VictimsVoice on the road. We’re also rolling out the Halo Fund, which we’ll launch with the Halo App. We’ll be in business for four years this June. We now have users in all 50 states. We’ve just locked in our 90th partner member, which means we have partners in 39 states across the United States. We have cases that have used our report as evidence in their court hearings and we receive a lot of support from people we work with and serve every day.

• Founder: Davion Ziere
• Company: Origyn and Mobius
• Descriptions: Origyn is the easiest way to shop with BIPOC, woman-owned and LGBTQIAA+ owned brands. Mobius is a home for people creating Liberatory Technology products, systems, and narratives.
• Location: Atlanta, GA
• GFS Nominating Partner: Google
• Get Connected: Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? Google connected us with seasoned investors and aligned experts who were willing to support me and our company’s growth. One of the most powerful experiences was talking to a Google team member who said “You know, the seeds that you plant are all awesome, but the most important thing is your soil. You are your soil. Make sure that you’re taking care of yourself as much as you’re caring for your soil.” That was life-changing for me because it caused me to realize that the work is a reflection of how we are. That was it for me!
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? The most important thing for us was having the foundational infrastructure tools of Google Suite. You want to use tools that just work and Google’s tools just work. We also learned more about how to use Google tools to do customer segmentation for our marketing efforts.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Take care of yourself first and foremost. Learn more about how you can take care of yourself — your body, your mind, your heart. You have a life outside of your startup, so don’t sacrifice your well-being.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? Mobius gives us the opportunity to be an architect of the world that we wish to see. We’re building our own frameworks and prosperity systems that help founders who want to build compassionate, loving, and accountable companies. We’re also working with production houses to tell the stories of underrepresented founders who are building in this way. We’re launching a fellowship in the early part of next year for founders, researchers, scientists, and healers. As long as the work that you’re doing is unlocking people, we want to hear from you, share your story, welcome you to our community, and support you as a fellow.

• Founder: Maryann Kilgallon
• Company: Pink Lotus Technologies
• Description: Creators of POMM safety platform, a SaaS business that gives peace of mind to families while connecting their profile and location directly to 911 centers.
• Location: Orlando, FL
• GFS Nominating Partner: Inicio Ventures
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? It’s great to be part of the Google for Startups Community because I get to learn from other founders. Challenging times happen, so being able to hear from the horse's mouth about how other founders navigate challenges helps you not be so hard on yourself. It may feel like the end of the world when it happens to you, but then you can see how other founders have dealt with similar issues.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? As a founder, you need to watch every dollar, so we use several Google products — Google Drive, Google Maps, Gmail — to run our business.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Don’t wait for perfect because perfect never comes. Just do it!
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? This quarter, we’re launching in Orlando, Tampa, and Miami, and we’re shooting a national commercial with UPS. We were also named “A Top 10 Startup to Watch” by the Orlando Business Journal.

• Founder: Jaden Risner
• Company: Family Proud
• Description: Family Proud is a care management platform that connects patients and families to a community and resources critical to their care, in a time of need.
• Location: San Diego, CA
• GFS Nominating Partner: Patriot Boot Camp
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? Receiving a scholarship was so helpful because we connected with experts and other founders. The ability to connect to mentors and get technical support has been so helpful!
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? We use Google Drive and Google Meet. We’re a cloud platform, so being on GCP and connecting with a technical advisor about how to use the product has been helpful along the way.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Don’t give up. Don’t overestimate the power of self-care for you and your team. It’s important to put people first — you, your team, and your family.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We were awarded our Phase 2 SBIR grant through the Air Force, so we’re serving Air Force families. We deliver Family Proud’s products through the Department of Defense.

• Founder: Mariana Russo Chambers
• Company: Cut + Clarity
• Description: The premier destination for customizable, fine jewelry sustainably made in NYC on a mission to ignite systemic change.
• Location: New York, NY
• GFS Nominating Partner: Founder Gym
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? Being part of the Google for Startups Network opened the door to other organizations in the ecosystem. Once you enter the network, there is a level of excellence that is expected and people are eager to help you!
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? We use Google Analytics on our e-commerce platform to determine how we’re performing. We use this data to drive our business growth. We are currently testing Google Ads and they have been very successful!
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? Keep going. You never know when a successful project is going to happen. Keep networking and talking to people.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We’re growing our community and focusing on underrepresented people. In the summer, we’re working with Stephanie Thomas, the creator of the Disability Fashion Styling System and founder of Cur8able, to design an adaptable jewelry collection. We want to outfit disabled people with beautiful jewelry that tells their story and is part of their lives. We’re also wrapping up a campaign with actor and activist Millicent Simmonds to raise awareness and funds for Sky High Deaf Mentors. Together, we developed a 14K solid goal Millie ASL Mama Charm for Mother’s Day. 100% of the net profits will go to charity. We’re proud to work with Millie’s network to support accessibility and ASL.

• Founder: Gabriela Bell
• Company: Organized Q
• Description: Organized Q provides virtual executive assistant services to small business owners, executives, and social impact organizations while also providing flexible remote work opportunities to military spouses, executives, and under-employed professionals.
• Location: Alexandria, VA
• GFS Nominating Partner: Bunker Labs
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? Google has allowed me as an underrepresented female founder to have access to organizations that can help me build and grow my business. Without their help, I wouldn’t have this level of access to the skills, knowledge, and resources that I need. I’m thankful to Google for believing in me, supporting me, and giving me opportunities that I can leverage to better serve my team, my community, and my family.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? Google Products have helped me form my business, and we continue to use their products because they are so dependable. As a founder leading other military spouses and veterans, using Google Products has helped us collaborate and grow so we can serve more clients. Additionally, Google Products allow us to hire military spouses and veterans who need flexible, remote work.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? First, if you don’t know something, ask for help. People are generous and want to see you succeed. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know how people can support you. Second, trust your gut. PERIOD. Third, believe in yourself so you can keep going.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? We’ve been invited to the Tuck School of Business Diversity Business Program. I feel so fortunate to be with so many innovative underrepresented founders. We’re building community and scaling our businesses together.

We are so proud of each Google for Startups Scholarship Recipient! We wish them the best and will continue to cheer them on as they transform the world with their innovative startups.

• Founder: Isaac Tavares
• Company: Clever Up
• Description: Clever Up is a fintech platform that aims to help Latinos in the U.S. reach the next level with their money.
• Location: Lemon Grove, CA
• Get Connected: Twitter and Linkedin
• How has Google support helped you grow as a leader? I participated in the Bunker Labs’ Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship Workshop. They nominated me for a scholarship to participate in the Founder Gym Fundraising Cohort so I could learn about fundraising. Prior to the program, it was a black hole for me. Now, I know! The scholarship helped me close the gap in my knowledge and skills so I can fundraise if and when I choose to do so.
• How have Google products helped you grow your business? I’ve been a fan of Google ever since my college days! Once Google came out with their suite of products, I couldn’t give up my Google. There are so many tools and resources for business leaders that help us flourish. For example, I use Google Sheets to collect feedback from customers and analyze information.
• What advice do you have for founders just starting out? First, be okay with putting yourself out there and accepting failure. If you’re willing to accept failure, that’s an important part of entrepreneurship because each failure will take you to the next level. Second, don’t let the risks scare you from moving forward. Instead, identify and mitigate the risks.
• Shout it from the rooftops! What are some exciting announcements, initiatives, or projects that you’re working on and you want people to know? I’ve worked with five alpha clients to test our product and get their input. On average, we’ve helped them reduce their debt by over $40,000 and increase their income by almost $5,000. I started this business because I had a lot of great opportunities through education and professional experiences. For those who didn’t have the access that I did, I want to streamline the process so they can get to the next level. Truth be told, I also started this business because I want my community to have the opportunity to raise their glasses together as they reach their financial goals.

Google for Startups has resources and a global network of organizations dedicated to serving you and your startup.

Whether you’re starting out, or scaling to meet demand, connect with the right people, products, and best practices to help your startup grow. Find products, resources, and programs for every stage of your startup journey by visiting their website.