HBCU Founders Initiative

Join us for an exciting evening dedicated to aspiring entrepreneurs from HBCUs! Our Fall 2024 Pre-Accelerator Informational Session will provide you with all the essential details about our upcoming 8-week program.

The HBCUFI pre-accelerator program is an advancement opportunity for early-stage startup founders and business owners. Founders who join the program must be ready to validate the problem that their idea solves and build a minimum viable product (MVP).

Highlights:
- Overview of the Pre-Accelerator program structure and objectives
- Insights into the mentorship and resources available
- Success stories from program alumni
- Live Q&A to answer all your questions

Who should attend:
This event is ideal for HBCU students and alumni who are curious about entrepreneurship and looking for structured support to kickstart their journey.

Register for session one, August 5th: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kc-igqz8sE9PwTVXttezD57PM672VKAfg #/registration

Register for session two, August 26th: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlf--qqTIjGdA5HfmiGbP9PZrad4tQ7Ev2 #/registration

As we honor and celebrate Juneteenth, we invite you to reflect on the milestones we have achieved together since the HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI) was born on this day in 2020.

In 2020, the team at , a Bay-area-based venture accelerator on a mission to help support and accelerate underrepresented founders — recognized their ability to further fuel the untapped potential within the entrepreneurial ecosystem at HBCUs.

That summer, Nex Cubed called on our allies to pitch an HBCU-centered program with a mission of encouraging founders to pursue tech entrepreneurship and develop solutions that close the racial wealth gap. In its first year, the HBCU Founder’s program engaged over 350 students and alumni from more than 50 HBCUs.

The success of this inaugural effort led to the establishment of The HBCU Founders Initiative as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. is the first accelerator of its kind, ensuring that innovative ideas at HBCUs do not die on a vine due to lack of resources.

To date, HBCUFI has supported over 1,200 student and alumni startup founders across 80+ HBCUs in the last three years.

We invite you to join us in celebrating Juneteenth and the incredible achievements of our community. Your support is invaluable as we continue this journey together.

Consider donating at hbcufi.org/donate to help us empower more HBCU students and alumni founders. Together, we are making history.

The HBCU Founders Initiative is proud to present our Spring 2024 Pre-Accelerator founders!

This cohort is composed of nearly 60 startups from 18 different HBCUs working on tech-enabled solutions across fintech, edtech, AI, health gaming, retail, logistics, and other sectors.

We are so honored to work with each and every one of them on their entrepreneurial journeys! 🤝💜

is embracing the excellence of African American visionaries during ! 🚀 Our list features 8 trailblazing HBCU entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who are reshaping the world with innovation. 🌍✨

Swipe to learn more!

📣 Calling all ! Applications for ‘s Spring 2024 Pre-Accelerator Program close TONIGHT!

The Spring 2024 Pre-Accelerator program is open to students and graduates, targeting early-stage startup founders and business owners who are past the ideation stage. Founders who join the program are expected to be ready to validate the problem that their idea solves and build a minimum viable product (MVP). Interested participants who do not attend one of ’s 12 partner HBCUs are eligible to apply to the virtual cohort.

Applications are open now through February 5th, at 11:59 PM PST.

To apply and learn more, visit: https://www.hbcufi.org/pre-accelerator