Braze adds 17 companies to its 2024 Tech for an Equitable Future Cohort

In December 2023, Braze launched applications for Tech for an Equitable Future, an expansion of the original Tech for Black Founders product grant program to support more underrepresented groups from more regions of the world. Startups with underrepresented founders accepted into the program receive 12 months of free access to the Braze platform and comprehensive support services, designed to accelerate their growth and increase their chances of securing venture funding. The program’s ultimate goal is to empower these founders to build successful, sustainable businesses.

Our fourth annual call for applications received over 320 inquiries received across the APAC, EMEA, and North America regions. Selections were made based on overall product fit, understanding of how Braze can influence their business goals, and bandwidth for timely implementation of the Braze platform. Since accepting the newest cohort of 17 companies highlighted below, the Braze Tech for an Equitable Future program now provides a total of 31 early-stage startups with free or discounted access to our comprehensive customer engagement platform, including 16 women-founded businesses—totalling more than $900,000 in Annualized Product Value donated in FY’25 alone as of August 13, 2024.

We are proud to share that this is our largest cohort of product grant customers to date, emphasizing our continued commitment to the pursuit of equity and inclusion in the technology industry. In addition to receiving one year of free access to our comprehensive customer engagement platform, new companies receive dedicated Braze customer success managers, free Braze certifications, unlimited virtual instructor-led training courses, and more. This year, we also introduced partner-led onboarding for a select number of new companies in collaboration with Clear Goals, ConsultMyApp, and Massive Rocket, allowing us to build a scalable foundation for future cohorts. These enterprise-level support services are designed to give participating companies a significant advantage and advance their access to future opportunities.

With that, we are excited to announce the 17 startups selected for our 2024 cohort below. Please join me in congratulating our newest Tech for an Equitable Future class:

• ABC Travel Network (Oakland, CA): ABC Travel Network is a travel technology company connecting travelers to Black-owned businesses, events, and communities on six continents. Founded by Martinique Lewis.
• ActionVFX (Johnson City, TN): ActionVFX is on a mission to build the best visual effects asset marketplace in the world by providing stock footage elements and filmmaking tools for visual effects artists and filmmakers. Founded by Rodolphe Pierre-Louis.
• The ApplyAI (New York, NY): The ApplyAI is on a mission to ensure that AI-powered career growth tools are accessible to everyone. Founded by Logan Currie and Vrijen Attawar.
• Black Rise (London, UK): Black Rise is a global social business platform with business and talent solutions. They are on a mission to unite Black professionals, entrepreneurs, and businesses with wider networks, including Black-focused organizations, companies and investors. Founded by Flavilla Fongang.
• CultureLancer (Houston, TX): CultureLancer is on a mission to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world skills, preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow. Founded by Brianna Brazle.
• Flexie (Charlotte, NC): Flexie is a future-of-work technology startup that leverages AI to connect companies to local untapped youth talent instantly. Founded by William Ward.
• Foode (Chicago, IL): Foode integrates consumers' favorite dining tools, connecting them effortlessly to the most trusted and personalized dining experiences. Powered by their own proprietary generative AI model, Foode equips every user with their own personalized dining concierge. Founded by Ken Clay, Keith Houlemard, and Ron Walden.
• girlgroup (Los Angeles, CA): girlgroup is a technology platform whose mission is to forge friendships among women that go beyond the screen, providing a safe space for both virtual conversations and in-person gatherings. Founded by Shoshana Cooper and Melissa Alex.
• Girls First Finance (New York, NY): Girls First Finance is a FinTech company committed to providing a secure online space for women to pursue their educational and career aspirations. Their app offers essential tools, including budget tracking, mentorship opportunities, counseling services, and career-building resources. Founded by Andrea Pizziconi.
• Hamperapp (Miami, FL): Hamperapp is an on-demand laundry and dry cleaning service that operates through a mobile app. Hamperapp has a focus on B2B partnerships with laundromat and dry cleaners, helping them expand their customer bases by using the platform. Founded by Jorge Rodriguez and Alejandro Chang.
• Meka Connect (Birmingham, UK): Meka Connect, formerly Meka Toys, started with a mission to celebrate diversity through educational play. Today, they’ve evolved into a platform fostering cultural understanding and community engagement. Founded by Helene Ntuadi.
• Metluma (Sydney, Australia): Metluma is a doctor-led initiative that provides innovative yet compassionate team-based care with highly qualified health and wellbeing professionals specializing in supporting women and their unique health needs. Founded by Georgie Drury, Dr. Nicole Avard, and Jarrah Eddy.
• Metric Mate (Atlanta, GA): Metric Mate is a subscription based mobile app and “personal fitness virtual assistant” that leverages data and analytics to transform, connect, and restore each user's mind, body, and spirit anytime, anyplace. Founded by M-T Strickland and Braxton K. Davis.
• NurseBridge (Tulsa, OK): NurseBridge is a healthcare staffing platform that provides a highly automated three-sided marketplace for clients, candidates, and agencies dedicated to improving the lives of rural Americans. Founded by Patience Gitau and Emmanuel Ezechinonso.
• Productions.com (Atlanta, GA): Productions.com fills the needs of production brands by making it easy to hire local, qualified crew who meet their criteria for budget, skills, and experience—no matter where they produce content. Founded by Carolyn Pitt.
• Sortd (Sydney, Australia): Sortd is dedicated to simplifying the way we shop online for more informed and efficient purchases using wishlisting, peer-to-peer advice and social commerce as core drivers. Founded by Jodine Holli Wolman and Alexis Aaron.
• TheraMotive (New York, NY): TheraMotive is a health technology company whose A.I. and Virtual Reality powered mobile clinics deliver inclusive "Healthcare on Demand" experiences across all zip codes. Founded by Dr. Lola Omishore.

Interested in learning more about the program? Visit the Tech for an Equitable Future program page for more information.