Circle and SeedInvest have launched a collaborative effort to support underrepresented founders. According to a press release, the Community Pitch Competition will be underway on June 1, 2022. The event will provide participants access to capital, networking, and business-building tools in hopes of propelling their business forward. What’s more, the competition will be free to enter. In the end, three founders will take home a prize pool of $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000 coupled with the option to secure funding on SeedInvest with $10,000 in fees waived. Plus, the winners may be in contention to secure bonus prizes from Ramp, Braze, and EY to bolster their business, with the stipulation that they meet additional outlined prize partner qualifications, according to the press release. “Underrepresented founders still do not have the same access to capital and economic opportunity, especially at the critical early stages of a startup,” said Rod McLeod, VP of Social Impact at Braze,...

Founder Gym , the popular 6-week online training program for entrepreneurs, is partnering with Google to elevate more underrepresented founders and help them gain the skills to scale their businesses. Google and Founder Gym’s first project was a pilot program that started last March. “For the first time, Founder Gym is bridging this gap by giving underrepresented founders the opportunity to be directly trained by some of the most experienced and successful venture capitalists and founders in the world,” Founder Gym CEO Mandela SH Dixon told AfroTech. Google Startups is paying for startup leaders to participate in Founder Gym’s virtual courses. Founder Gym has online pre-seed and seed cohorts to help founders at various stages of their companies. The pre-seed cohorts offer daytime and evening sessions that educate entrepreneurs on the legal preparation of their company, how to find funding and effectively pitch to investors. The seed cohorts cover topics on the mentalities of venture...