Author Archives: Marta Krupinska

Celebrating 10 years of Google for Startups in the UK

I remember clearly the palpable sense of excitement at the Google for Startups Campus in London’s ‘Silicon Roundabout’ when I first visited in 2012. My first startup, back in Krakow Poland, had shut down after three years of solid early traction, and I moved to London in pursuit of bigger opportunities, a community and capital to fuel growth. The UK quickly became home, and my London Campus experience was so positive I ended up joining Google six years later.

As we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Google for Startups UK, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the entrepreneurs and teams who have blazed a trail, and looking ahead to ensure we’re helping create the right conditions for future founders.

The industry has grown exponentially since Google for Startups UK launched 10 years ago – this year, we’ve already seen UK tech startups and scaleups cumulatively valued at more than $1 trillion (£794bn); up from $53.6 billion (£46bn), ten years ago.

One area of the UK tech startup community that has flourished in particular is impact tech - defined as . companies founded to help address global challenges like climate change and help transform health, education and financial inclusion. Our new report created in partnership with Tech Nation, A Decade of UK Tech, shows that funding for impact tech startups has soared. In fact, since 2011, funding for impact tech companies addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals has risen 43-fold from just $74 million (£59 million) to $3.5 billion (£2.8 billion).

Graph: Investment into impact tech scaleups (2011-2021)

Graph 1: Investment into impact tech scaleups (2011-2021)

Source: Tech Nation, Dealroom, 2022

Startups are helping to solve global challenges, like climate change, education, health, food and sanitation, with agility, innovation and determination. And at Google for Startups, we’re proud to be supporting these businesses along the way by connecting founders with the right people, products and practices to help them grow. Because their continued success is vital not just for the UK’s future, but that of the world.

Enduring market barriers and perceptions of high risk can slow private sector investment. But even such challenges create a multitude of new opportunities for tech startups to leverage the UK's position as a financial services powerhouse. Elizabeth Nyeko
Founder of Modularity Grid - A deep tech startup

Google for Startups was launched in the UK with a mission to support a thriving, diverse and inclusive startup community. Here’s where we are a decade later:

  • Startups in our community have created more than 24,000 jobs
  • Startups in our network have raised £358 million
  • We supported 20 UK-based Black-led startups with the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Europe. Last year's European cohort went on to raise £64 million in subsequent funding and increase their headcount by 21%

Our work at Google for Startups is far from over. We’re committed to levelling the playing field for all founders, and closing the disproportionate gap in access to capital and support networks for underrepresented communities. For the impact tech sector to continue to grow and succeed, we must ensure funding is channeled towards the most innovative startups - no matter their valuation, funding stage or background.

Find out more at Google for Startups.

A $4 million fund for Europe’s Black founders

Black founders have long been playing a key role in Europe’s economy by solving challenges with agility, resilience and innovative technology. But we’ve known for a long time that Black founders do not have the same opportunities and support as many others. Less than 0.5 percent of venture capital (VC) funding goes to Black-led startups, despite the fact that 77% of Black-led tech startups generate revenue and create an average of 5.4 jobs each.

When we opened applications for the first $2 million Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Europe last year, we were blown away by demand. Almost 800 people applied from across Europe, and 30 startups were selected across fintech, healthcare, beauty, gaming, healthcare and commerce. These startups have gone on to raise over $63 million collectively in funding, and hired more than 100 people, since the program began. When given the right opportunities, Black founders thrive.

Since receiving capital from Google in 2021, founders have gone on to raise funding, hire new employees and grow.

Since receiving capital from Google in 20201, founders have gone on to raise funding, hire new employees and grow.

That's why today, we’re launching a second round of investments in the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Europe, a $4 million fund for Black-led tech startups in the region. With double the funding from our inaugural fund, we hope to help even more startups succeed this year.

Established in 2020, the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund provides cash awards — without giving up equity in return — and hands-on support to help Black entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. The Black Founders Fund has awarded more than $16 million in Europe, Brazil, Africa and the U.S. toward making a resounding impact to help Black-led startups secure funding, strengthen communities and create generational change.

In addition to up to $100,000 (approximately 89,000 Euros) in non-dilutive cash awards, Black Founders Fund recipients receive ongoing Google mentorship and product support to help them navigate every stage of their startup process—including up to $200,000 (approximately 179,000 Euros) in Google Cloud credits.

Founders will also be introduced to each other and the global Google for Startups community of experts for leadership, growth and technical support. This includes partnerships with leading firms to provide specialist support ranging from marketing support from WPP; advice on raising capital from Tier 1 venture capitalists; to donated media campaigns and creative support from national broadcasters like ITV.

Last year’s Black Founders Fund recipients have seen tangible growth and success in the nine months since first receiving the awards. That includes AudioMob, a UK-based startup transforming how game developers are monetizing their games, who recently raised another $14 million; Berlin-based Kwara, which digitizes financial cooperatives to give their members an easier way to manage money and build a credit history, whichraised $4 million in follow-on funding; and Playbrush, a startup based in Vienna, Austria, making oral health care fun by connecting toothbrushes to phones and tablets, which was acquired by Sunstar in September. We can’t wait to see what this year’s cohort will achieve.

  • A quote from La La Land, a Startup which received funding from the first European Black Founders Fund

    La La Land, a Startup which received funding from the first European Black Founders Fund

  • A quote from Bosque, a Startup which received funding from the first European Black Founders Fund

    Bosque, a Startup which received funding from the first European Black Founders Fund

  • A quote from Scoodle, a Startup which received funding from the first European Black Founders Fund

    Scoodle, a Startup which received funding from the first European Black Founders Fund

Applications for the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Europe are open from today. Black-led startups with a live product in market and early traction are encouraged to apply. Applications will close on April 17th.

To find out more about the program, and to apply, visit this link: https://www.campus.co/europe/black-founders-fund/

Black Founders Fund: Meet the UK Founders

From the internet to the world’s first vaccine, the United Kingdom has long been home to groundbreaking ideas that have changed the world. Great ideas come from everywhere, but in most cases, an idea alone isn’t enough to bring an invention or a business to life. Funding plays a key role in turning a brainstorm into a business venture.

Unfortunately, startup founders do not have equal access to funding. In 2020, less than 0.25% of venture capital (VC) funding went to Black-led startups in the U.K. and only 38 Black founders received venture capital funding in the last 10 years. Black founders are disproportionately over-mentored, yet underfunded, and in many cases not being given access to the resources needed to turn great ideas into great businesses.

Nobody wins in this cycle of underrepresentation. Black founders miss out on opportunities to bring their vision to life, investors miss out on opportunities for worthwhile returns, and society as a whole misses out on innovative solutions that were never given the opportunity to grow as they should.

That’s why in 2021 we launched the firstBlack Founders Fund in Europe to help tackle the inequality in venture capital, and today we’re launching a new fund, twice the size, and inviting Black-led startups to apply for a total of $4 million worth of non-dilutive cash awards.

Some say there’s a pipeline problem when it comes to funding black startups, but we know this isn’t true: last year we received almost 800 applications from across Europe. Some of the exceptional British startups that received last year’s funding range from Axela’s data-enhanced healthcare solutions to Kami’s virtual support systems for parents.

Our teams partnered with ITV, WPP, Allen & Overy and Soho House to offer last year’s 20 U.K.-based founders free advertising opportunities, legal support and co-working space, in addition to Google Cloud grants and ads support. This gave the founders the time and resources needed to grow their businesses, and the results speak for themselves: last year’s group raised over $63 million (approx £48 million) in subsequent funding and increased their staff headcount by 21%!

In the video above, two UK-based founders, Rachael Corson, founder of haircare line Afrocenchix, and Ismail Jeilani, founder of education influencer platform Scoodle, discuss the fund’s impact on their businesses and explain why more Black founders should apply for this year’s fund.

Celebrating Black women founders working in STEM

As a woman fintech founder in London in the early 2010s, I felt like an anomaly: The intersection of science, tech and finance didn’t necessarily attract the most gender-diverse talent. Ten years later, there’s still work to be done. As a well-educated white woman — albeit an immigrant — I shouldn’t stand out in the tech industry, but still only2.3% of all global venture capital goes to women-led companies.

Change won’t be meaningful if it doesn’t impact all women. Women of color are among the most talented founders I’ve met, and yet data shows they are disproportionately disadvantaged when it comes to securing investors and support. By creating opportunities for everyone, initiatives like the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund are closing the tech and science equality gap.

ThisInternational Day of Women and Girls in Science, meet six women Black Founders Fund recipients from around the world who are paving the way in STEM and the startup ecosystem.

The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund provides cash awards — without giving up equity in return — and hands-on support to help Black entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. Learn more about the 200+ recipients from around the world.

Celebrating Black women founders working in STEM

As a woman fintech founder in London in the early 2010s, I felt like an anomaly: The intersection of science, tech and finance didn’t necessarily attract the most gender-diverse talent. Ten years later, there’s still work to be done. As a well-educated white woman — albeit an immigrant — I shouldn’t stand out in the tech industry, but still only2.3% of all global venture capital goes to women-led companies.

Change won’t be meaningful if it doesn’t impact all women. Women of color are among the most talented founders I’ve met, and yet data shows they are disproportionately disadvantaged when it comes to securing investors and support. By creating opportunities for everyone, initiatives like the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund are closing the tech and science equality gap.

ThisInternational Day of Women and Girls in Science, meet six women Black Founders Fund recipients from around the world who are paving the way in STEM and the startup ecosystem.

The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund provides cash awards — without giving up equity in return — and hands-on support to help Black entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. Learn more about the 200+ recipients from around the world.

Funding Europe’s future with the Black Founders Fund

To cement our commitment to racial equity in Europe, last Octoberwe announced the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, a $2 million initiative to provide cash awards up to $100,000 to Black-led startups in Europe. These are non-dilutive awards, meaning companies won’t have to exchange equity for the funding, and are paired with up to $120,000 in Ads grants and up to $100,000 in Cloud credits per startup. The founders will be introduced to each other and a wider community of experts for leadership, growth, technical support and access to Google for Startups’ body of knowledge, mentors and best practices.   

We often hear that lack of diversity in tech is a pipeline problem. This program shows that isn’t the case. We received almost 800 applications for the fund from 18 countries in Europe and the quality we saw was truly exceptional — from tech prodigies, to former executives of the most successful companies in the world, to serial entrepreneurs. 

Our team interviewed almost 100 founders for the fund to understand their businesses, their ambitions and their lived experience as leaders, whether they are serial or first time founders. Did they need to work three jobs at a time? How much perseverance did it take to get that degree? Did they have a friend or a cousin to call up to get easy funding? We looked at what opportunities each founder has been given (or not given) and what they did with them. The answers we heard made clear the caliber of these founders.

Today, we’re announcing the30 startups from the U.K., France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands who have been selected to receive awards from the Black Founders Fund. Their inspiring, fast-growing startups address global challenges like access to healthcare, financial inclusion, energy and education, in the most competitive industries, from hardware design and advertising to data and risk management. And it’s not only racial diversity that they represent: 40% of startups we selected are led by women.

Lasting change only happens when you engage everyone —  the corporations, the VCs, the angel investors, the founders themselves — and invite them to support each other. With less than 0.5% of venture capital (VC) funding going to Black-led startups, and only 38 Black founders receiving venture capital funding in the last 10 years, the Black Founders Fund in Europe is a third region, after the U.S. and Brazil, where Google for Startups is helping to level the playing field by backing Black founders who are disproportionately locked out of access to capital.  

We are so impressed by the founders’ experiences — the depth of their industry knowledge coupled with their valuable lived experiences of being Black leaders. This makes them uniquely positioned to build successful startups and create important solutions for our community. Backing Black founders not only means creating individual success stories, but also supporting job creation and wealth generation for decades to come. 

Meet a few of the founders:

  • Image shows Bruno Mendes Da Silver against a white background, sitting on a stool, looking into the camera and smiling.

    Bruno Mendes Da Silva, from France, is the founder of Heex. Heex Technologies provides AI-powered software and web services to development teams in data intensive fields such as autonomous driving. 

  • Photo showing Deborah Choir smiling looking at the camera against a wall of flowers and plants.

    Deborah Choi, of Germany, is the founder of Bosque. Bosque is the first tech-enabled, direct-to-consumer plant brand in Europe with digitized inventory, AR tech and on-demand access to vetted plant experts. 

  • Michael Musandu looks into the camera smiling.

    Michael Musandu, of the Netherlands, is the founder of Lalaland. Lalaland uses AI to create synthetic humans for fashion eCommerce brands to increase diversity in retail. 

  • Headshot of Nnamdi Emelifeonwu wearing a suit, looking into the camera and smiling.

     Nnamdi Emelifeonwu, of the U.K., is the founder of Define. Define is a legal technology company that optimizes the contract drafting and reviewing process for lawyers, serving the world's largest banks and consulting companies. 


  • Image showing a black and white photo of Nancy de Fays looking into the camera and smiling.

    Nancy de Fays, based in Belgium, is the founder of LINE. LINE builds powerful hardware and software tools for content creators.

  • Tolulope Ogunsina looks into the camera, using a Playbrush toothbrush, smiling.

    Tolulope Ogunsina of Austria is the founder of Playbrush. Playbrush is the innovation leader in oral care, growing smart toothbrush subscriptions to foster better mouth and body health. 


  • Two men stand against a wall that says "Google for Startups, Further, Faster, Together." One of them looks at his smartphone, smiling, while the other looks into the camera, smiling.

    Christian Facey and Wilfrid Obeng are the founders of AudioMob, based in the U.K. AudioMob provides non-intrusive audio ads within mobile games.