As of this week, DC-based entrepreneurship nonprofit 2Gether-International has officially launched its first-ever tech-focused cohort for disabled founders, including two from Philly.
Through the 10-week accelerator program, which kicked off earlier this month, participants will be coached on startup best practices, including customer development, product marketing and leadership. They’ll also have access to mentors from Google for Startups. Plus, each startup will be competing in December for seed funding from the cohort.
2Gether reportedly received over 200 applications for the cohort. In order to qualify, participants needed to be a disabled founder working the tech space, and their companies must be in the Series A or pre-revenue stage of funding and have a well-defined pitch or working prototype.
2Gether founder and CEO Diego Mariscal said the founders were selected because they are both leaders in their communities while highlighting disability as a “source of innovation, strength and creativity.” Getting one-on-one mentorship and a community of fellow startup leaders, he said, is crucial in finding success.
“It’s all learning about their own development and in fact, we have found that that is the number one thing that people find the most useful and helpful,” Mariscal told Technical.ly in August. “Because you’re talking about challenging stigmas about disability. So it’s a really powerful component of it.”
Here’s who from Philly nabbed a spot:
- Kristy McCann, GoCoach — This RealLIST Startups 2020 honoree is a job training and reskilling consultancy. The app relies on a network of customers and career coaches who work together to bring folks up to speed on current workforce trends and skills. The company is remote friendly, though McCann is local.
- Adam David Jones, Zeer — This personal safety app uses AI to listen for a user’s code word to then contact law enforcement in case of emergency. Jones cofounded the startup after his own experience as the victim of violent crime.
We have been accepted into @2GetherInternat upcoming tech cohort supported by @GoogleStartups and we are incredibly honored and excited ?
Thank you @2GetherInternat for giving entrepreneurs and startups with disabilities a chance to shine ? #startup #disabilitysupport pic.twitter.com/PZmpNLK5S7
— Zeer (@ZeerSafe) October 13, 2021
And here’s who else made the cut, from across the US as well as countries including Belgium, Russia, the United Kingdom and South Korea:
- Hua Wang, SmartBridge, Alexandria, Virginia
- Samantha Scott, JuneBrain, Rockville, Maryland
- Elizabeth Tikoyan, Healp, Fairfax, Virginia
- Gareth Walkom, With VR, Ghent
- Michael Zalle, Yellow Bird, Phoenix
- Saida Florexil, Imanyco, West Palm Beach
- Denis Goncharov, NOLI Music, St. Petersburg
- Toshe Ayo-Ariyo, Uniclude, Los Angeles
- Arianna Mallozzi, Puffin Innovations, Boston
- Vanessa Gill, Social Cipher, Los Angeles
- Sheryl Mattys, Fetchadate, Westfield, Indiana
- Nikolas Kelly, Sign-Speak, Rochester
- Beth Kume-Holland, Patchwork Hub, London
- Kun Ho Kim, Door Labs, Seoul
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