Almost this time last year, tech expert Justin McLeod — founder of his socially-driven marketing consultancy Surthrive — was busy launching the Square One Startup School to bring more diversity into the tech industry and generate more wealth for Black communities.

Now, the program is entering the commencement of its third cohort searching for passionate startup founders hoping to transform their ideas into the next biggest profitable tech company.

Following the pandemic’s massive impact on the structure of working from home, the tech world has found itself in a unique position to break geographical boundaries and allow more access to opportunities that would’ve been impossible to attain without occupying major tech hubs in San Francisco, New York, and Boston.

The Square One Startup School is contributing to this new infrastructure by offering individuals equal access to information and resources to help them build successful tech startup companies, regardless of their geographical location or socioeconomic background.

So far since its launch, the Square One Startup School has graduated 16 minority founders based in underserved markets who have raised a combined $110,000-plus in equity-efficient capital, according to a press release.

It has also sourced from its startup network across the U.S. to bring in 30 startup experts including Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital, and Ally Keller, product designer at Twitter.

Additionally, the virtual startup showcases (Demo Day) — hosted during the pandemic — have brought out attendees from several different countries, including Nigeria, Germany, Argentina, Ireland, Ghana, and the United Kingdom.

Even as more investment models join the startup world, the Square One Startup School maintains its continued mission to help first-time founders learn how to quickly scale their startups in the most equity-efficient way possible.

Applications for the Square One Startup School’s third cohort are open now until Feb. 19 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

All graduates of the program will be considered for an angel investment from Managing Director, Justin McLeod to help kickstart their business.

For more information about how founders can apply for the program, click here.

Square One

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