Menu
The best ideas have never been bound by zip codes. But access to the capital needed to scale them is not equal – especially for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs.
That’s why we launched the Fund for South LA Founders – with help from our members, we’re raising $500,000 in non-equity funding for Black and Latinx-led businesses.
These innovative leaders and their businesses comprise the PledgeLA + Grid110 Winter Cohort:
Finalist Judges
Our incredible panel of judges brings diverse experience from tech, philanthropy, venture capital, and social impact. They’ve helped us select our innovative companies poised to thrive:
Join us as a sponsor of the Fund — every dollar donated goes directly into the hands of our founders.
For sponsorship information, contact: [email protected].
Our Sponsors
Our Partners
After receiving more than 200 applications from South LA founders, we’ve selected 20 innovative companies to be part of the new PledgeLA + Grid110 Winter Cohort, where each will receive:
FAQ
Founders and businesses should have a clear connection to South LA (AKA South Central) and adjoining neighborhoods and cities, such as Inglewood, Compton, South Gate, etc.
The economic impacts of COVID-19 have had a disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx communities, already facing generations of systemic under-investment. In LA, only 6% of venture capital investments go to Latinx founders, and only 7% go to Black founders. In our nation’s largest county with such a wealth of diverse talent, we know we can do better.
Mentors and advisors come from PledgeLA’s network of tech companies and venture capital firms. We’ll be matching each company selected with mentors relevant to their specific needs.
Because this program is focused on founders, only the founder and one additional co-founder are invited to participate in the weekly cohort programming. If your team has more than two members, please contact [email protected] for more information.
Below are some of the essay questions we’d like to highlight in our application to help you prepare (3-4 sentences max / 500 characters):
Essay Questions (Required)
Video Component (Optional, but Recommended)
Introduce yourself and your company. What would you want the companies in your cohort to know about you? (2 minutes)
Contact us with any other questions at [email protected].
