Fast Forward Announces 9th Startup Accelerator Cohort With $4.6M in Funding From Google.org, BlackRock, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation, Bloomberg, Okta, ServiceNow, Dell Technologies, Twilio.org, CTIA Wireless Foundation, Deloitte, DigitalOcean, Splunk Inc., NewRelic.org, The Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and The Nasiri Foundation

The tech nonprofit startup accelerator selects a global cohort of organizations building tech solutions for Black youth, asylum seekers, the LGBTQ+ community, and more.

 SAN FRANCISCO , March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Forward, the organization equipping tech nonprofits with funding and support to scale impact, announces a $4.6M funding round for its 9th Startup Accelerator. This infusion of capital empowers Fast Forward to support nine organizations building tech products furthering racial justice, education, workforce development, and more, as well as expand its ecosystem growth initiatives.

The round is led by Google.org, BlackRock, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation, Bloomberg, Okta, ServiceNow, Dell Technologies, Twilio.org, CTIA Wireless Foundation, Deloitte, DigitalOcean, Splunk Inc., New Relic, The Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and The Nasiri Foundation. Fast Forward's corporate partnerships yield more than financial support, connecting tech nonprofits with invaluable product opportunities and skilled tech advisors.

This cohort of tech nonprofits is making a global impact. The nine organizations are headquartered in the U.S., the UK, India, and Ghana. Continuing Fast Forward's focus on entrepreneurs with lived experience, 100% of organizations have a founder with lived experience with the problem, 78% have a founder who is a person of color, and 67% have a founder who is a woman.

Since 2014, Fast Forward's 70 Accelerator alumni have positively impacted 105M lives and raised $357M in follow-on funding. Fast Forward's 9th Accelerator cohort includes:

• Asylum Seekers Advocacy Project: Hub for U.S. asylum seekers to access work permits and legal aid
• Center for New Data: Cutting-edge data tools to combat voter suppression and protect democracy
• Empowr: Culturally-relevant curriculum preparing Black youth for careers in tech
• Ersilia: Open-source AI models to cure neglected diseases in low-income countries
• Gramhal: Chatbot connecting rural Indian farmers with data to increase agency and income
• Stuttering Scholarship Alliance: Digital platform making speech therapy affordable and accessible for people who stutter
• Unlocked Labs: Offline education software unlocking Pell Grants and college degrees for incarcerated people
• Worthy Mentoring: App facilitating trusted mentorship within the LGBTQ+ community
• Yielding Accomplished African Women: Digital community for advancing Black college women in STEM

About Fast Forward
Fast Forward scales tech nonprofits. Every year Fast Forward brings a cohort of nonprofits building tech solutions through its Startup Accelerator. The Startup Accelerator helps each organization maximize its impact through seed funding, mentorship, and community. With the support of its partners, Fast Forward has invested $10M+ in philanthropic capital to tech nonprofits. Fast Forward also runs the Tech Nonprofit Playbook, Tech Nonprofit Directory, Fast Forward Academy, and Tech Nonprofit Job Board. The organization was founded in 2014 by seasoned tech and nonprofit entrepreneurs Kevin Barenblat and Shannon Farley, and is based in San Francisco. For more information visit www.ffwd.org

Media Contact: Shannon Farley, [email protected]

SOURCE Fast Forward