Today, Google for Startups announced that five South Florida startups are recipients of grants from their Latino Founders Fund. In total, Google for Startups announced 46 U.S. recipients of this year’s Google for Startups Black and Latino Founders Funds.
The startups get $150,000 in equity-free cash to help fuel their business. They also receive sales and fundraising training, technical support from Google mentors, up to $100,000 in Google Cloud credits and mental health coaching from a team of Black and Latino therapists.
Since 2020 Google for Startups has provided $45 million in cash funding to 547 Black and Latino founders worldwide. Past recipients have gone on to raise over $400 million in investment after being selected and they’ve used these funds to create jobs and grow their revenues.
Of the South Florida startups selected for the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund, one of them – Krypos – was announced at the eMerge Americas conference this year, as part of a Google for Startups/eMerge partnership. Storybook was the 2022 Google for Startups Latino Fund winner announced at the 2022 eMerge Americas conference, and Storybook went on to participate in the Google for Startups Accelerator. Find all seven of last year’s South Florida Latino Founders Fund recipients here.
Below is a list of the 2023 Latino Founders Fund recipients from Florida (all hailing from South Florida). There were no recipients of the Black Founders Fund in Florida this year.
Securily, founder/CEO: Orit Benzaquen – This Boca Raton startup created a generative AI platform for frictionless, continuous security compliance. Securily also took part in a Boca-focused EndeavorLAB cohort last year and is currently participating in the Global Ventures program at the Research Park at FAU.
Clayful, founder/CEO: Maria Barrera – This Davie-based startup partners with schools and districts to provide affordable, personalized wellness support to every student. The startup provides schools with relevant, research-based psychoeducation lessons to help students build their skills.
Kriptos, founder/CEO: Christian Torres – This Miami cybersecurity startup helps businesses prevent data leakage by locating, classifying, and labeling documents automatically according to their sensitivity level. Torres is pictured above during the surprise Latino Founders Fund announcement on the eMerge Americas stage.
HealthBird, founder/CEO: Ariel Dominquez – This Miami startup developed a platform enabling users to more easily find and compare healthcare insurance offerings. Once they have purchased a plan, users can manage their benefits through the app. Healthbird won the Startup Showcase Pitch Competition at eMerge Americas this year.
Lazo, founder/CEO: Juan Manuel Barrero – The Miami fintech startup is an all-in-one SaaS platform offering a VC-ready solution for founders tackling bookkeeping, finance, legal, tax, payroll, and fundraising needs. Lazo launched a startup house during Miami Tech Month to build bridges between LatAm and Miami tech.
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