Fast Forward Announces 10th Startup Accelerator Cohort With $2.8M+ in Funding From Google.org, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation, Bloomberg, Okta, Twilio.org, ServiceNow, Dell Technologies, PwC, Salesforce, Fidelity Charitable Trustees' Initiative, Endless Network, HubSpot, Splunk Inc., Pinterest, DigitalOcean, NewRelic.org

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Mar 21, 2023, 10:39 ET

Fast Forward announces a global cohort of tech nonprofits building solutions addressing mental health, climate change, and more for its 10th Startup Accelerator.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Forward, the only organization exclusively supporting tech nonprofits solving our biggest social problems, announces a $3M+ funding round for its 10th Startup Accelerator. With support from leading companies, Fast Forward will equip 10 early-stage tech nonprofits with capital and resources to grow their impact.

The round is supported by Google.org, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation, Bloomberg, Okta, Twilio.org, ServiceNow, Dell Technologies, PwC, Salesforce, Fidelity Charitable Trustees' Initiative, Endless Network, HubSpot, Splunk Inc., Pinterest, DigitalOcean, and NewRelic.org. Beyond financial support, Fast Forward's partnerships provide tech nonprofits with skilled tech advisors, product donations, and cross-sector relationship building.

This global cohort is making a timely impact. Amidst the pandemic's lasting effects on mental health, three organizations are supporting youth well-being. Climate tech is another theme: the cohort is tackling this crisis through food waste reduction and nature restoration. Headquartered across four continents, 100% of organizations have a founder with lived experience with the problem, 70% have a founder who is a person of color, and 60% have a founder who is a woman.

Since 2014, Fast Forward's 79 alumni have impacted 139M lives and raised $519M in follow-on funding. This year's cohort includes:

Closegap: Daily mental health check-ins for K-12 students to give educators real-time insights into student well-being
Dollar For: Discovery tool helping low-income patients apply for financial assistance to eliminate medical debt
Joy Education: One-to-one, online literacy tutoring for students struggling to read at grade level
Karya: Employment platform for low-income Indians to improve AI and ML models through bite-sized tasks
Koko: API for social media platforms connecting young people with peer support in moments of crisis
Mobile Pathways: SMS solutions empowering nonprofits and attorneys to equip immigrants with legal resources
Restor: Global network supercharging nature restoration projects that reverse climate change
Road To Uni: Interactive playbook guiding first-generation high schoolers through the college application process
SameSame: Chatbot providing queer youth with safe, identity-affirming resources in countries where support is dangerous to access
Solar Freeze: Solar-powered refrigerators reducing food waste while increasing income for smallholder farmers

About Fast Forward

Fast Forward scales social impact tech. Through its annual Startup Accelerator, Fast Forward equips a cohort of startups with seed funding, mentorship, and community. With support from its partners, Fast Forward has invested $10M+ in philanthropic capital into tech nonprofits. Fast Forward's other programs and products include its Growth Accelerator, Pitch Camp, Tech Nonprofit Playbook, Tech Nonprofit Job Board, Tech Nonprofit Directory, and Academy. Based in San Francisco, the organization was founded in 2014 by seasoned entrepreneurs Kevin Barenblat and Shannon Farley. For more information visit www.ffwd.org.