(Las Vegas, NV) – Google for Startups today announced the recipients of its fourth Google for Startups Black Founders Fund and second Latino Founders Fund, which respectively provide promising Black and Latino-led startups non-equity cash awards to help fuel their businesses. One Las Vegas-based founder, Leslie Asanga of Pills2Me, is among the recipients, amounting to $150,000 invested in Nevada startups.
“In 2020, we launched our first Google for Startups Black Founders Fund to help Black tech entrepreneurs overcome the disproportionate hurdles they face when raising capital,” said Lisa Gevelber, VP of Google for Startups. “Over the past three years, we’ve significantly expanded the scope of our work, expanding our Black Founders Fund to Europe, Africa and Brazil, and to Latino founders in the US. We’ve now provided $45M in cash awards and to 547 promising entrepreneurs through our Black and Latino Founders Funds. We are excited to welcome a new group of diverse founders who are using technology to solve some of society’s biggest problems.”
The Google for Startups Black and Latino Founders Funds will provide $150,000 cash awards as well as hands-on support to help Black entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses in the US. In addition to the non-dilutive capital and up to $100,000 in Google Cloud credits, recipients also receive mentorship from Googlers, along with other resources such as sales training, investor prep, mental health coaching, and more at no cost.
Pills2Me, a Techstars-backed startup and winner of Startup Yale 2020, increases medication adherence especially in vulnerable communities via on-demand prescription delivery from any pharmacy and medication therapy management (MTM).
“The Google for Black Founders Fund is a game changer for us. It gives us the confidence we need to continue building and the opportunity to leverage Google’s resources to scale our technology and expand to more cities across the nation to reach and impact millions of lives like we envisioned from Pills2Me’s inception,” said Leslie Asanga, Founder of Pills2Me. “The cash prize will help us grow our team and invest in marketing to leapfrog our growth. We are also looking forward to mentorship and coaching from world class mentors and the opportunity to collaborate with other ambitious founders. It is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
The total contribution from Google for Startups in the state of Nevada since 2020 amounts to $200,000 invested across two startups. Recipient Pills2Me represents an integral part of the growing startup ecosystem in the region.
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