What Black Founders does

Black Founders is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered in San Francisco with a stated mission to increase the number of successful Black entrepreneurs in technology. It operates as a community and ecosystem-builder rather than a technology product company, with no proprietary software platform or AI capabilities disclosed. The organization runs three core programs: (1) networking and educational events in San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, and Austin; (2) HBCU Hackathons (HBCUHacks), a weekend coding program at historically black colleges and universities including Howard University, Morgan State University, and the Atlanta University Center Consortium; and (3) the 'Ideas Are Worthless' annual conference series, which connects entrepreneurs with investors, founders, and industry leaders.

The organization serves two primary beneficiary segments: Black tech entrepreneurs seeking mentorship, funding connections, and community, and HBCU students gaining first exposure to hackathon culture and tech industry hiring pipelines. Programming is delivered free of charge to participants. Its business model is sponsorship-dependent, with revenue derived entirely from corporate sponsorships and grants. The disclosed sponsor base spans venture capital (Andreessen Horowitz), Big Tech (Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, PayPal), legal services (Goodwin Procter, Orrick), telecommunications (AT&T, Comcast), foundations (Blackstone Charitable Foundation), and government (US Navy), organized into flagship, core, and minor tiers. Strategic partners with shared mission alignment include Black Girls Code, NewME Accelerator, Blacks in Tech, and Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Operating scale is small (1-10 employees), and there are no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or financial figures beyond the sponsor roster.

Name

Black Founders

Legal name

Black Founders

Website

https://blackfounders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Founders is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2011 that runs networking events, HBCU Hackathons, and the 'Ideas Are Worthless' conference to support Black tech entrepreneurs and HBCU students, funded entirely through corporate sponsorships and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Entrepreneurship Support

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship community building
• Tech entrepreneur events
• HBCU hackathon programs
• Nonprofit startup support
• Founder networking conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships and Grants: Black Founders operates as a 501c3 non-profit organization (Black Founders Startup Community) that relies on corporate sponsorships and partners to fund educational programs and conferences. Major sponsors include Andreessen Horowitz, Apple, AT&T, Autodesk, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, PayPal, and others.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Black Founders is a 501c3 non-profit community organization that operates free programs for Black tech entrepreneurs, including city-based networking and educational events, the HBCU Hackathons (HBCUHacks) program for students at historically black colleges and universities, and the annual "Ideas Are Worthless" conference series. The organization provides access to mentorship, investors, and professional networks, funded through corporate sponsorships and grants.

Product overview

Black Founders is a community organization (501c3 non-profit) that operates educational programs and conferences for Black entrepreneurs in technology. The organization offers three main programs: Events (networking and educational events in major cities), HBCU Hackathons (hackathon competitions for students at historically black colleges and universities), and the Ideas Are Worthless Conference (an annual entrepreneurship conference). These programs work together to fulfill the mission of increasing successful Black entrepreneurs in technology by providing community connection, skill development, and access to mentors and investors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Networking and Educational Events Networking and educational events hosted in San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, and Austin that connect Black tech entrepreneurs with co-founders and investors.
• HBCU Hackathons (HBCUHacks) Weekend hackathon program that gives students at historically black colleges and universities the opportunity to build mobile apps and web software while connecting with tech companies for hiring opportunities; open to all majors with no prior programming experience required.
• Ideas Are Worthless Conference Annual conference that connects, educates, and inspires entrepreneurs toward execution, featuring high-profile investors, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and engineers sharing insights into launching, building, and running startups; provides a platform for emerging companies, entrepreneurs, and investors to connect.

Quantifiable outcome

• HBCUs produce approximately 20% of all bachelor's degrees awarded to black students in engineering
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Black Girls CodecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization with shared mission of increasing black representation in tech. Both organizations work to support black entrepreneurs and tech professionals.
• Blacks in TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting black professionals in the technology industry.
• NewME AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccelerator partner supporting black entrepreneurs with startup development programs.
• TechWomenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting women in technology.
• BuildUpVCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting venture capital and startup ecosystem development.
• RailsBridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing programming education resources.
• Rainbow PUSH CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization with shared mission of economic empowerment in the black community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Blacks in Technology: Community and professional organization supporting Black professionals in the technology industry through events, meetups and online community. Directly comparable in audience and mission; listed as a Black Founders partner.
• AfroTech: Annual conference and year-round community platform for Black tech professionals and founders. Closely comparable to Black Founders' Ideas Are Worthless conference and broader mission of increasing Black representation in tech.
• Fearless Fund: Venture capital fund investing in early-stage companies led by women of color founders. Highly comparable in target demographic and mission focus, though operating model is investment-focused rather than community/event-focused.
• Pipeline Angels: Network changing the face of angel investing by training women and non-binary investors and funding underrepresented founders. Comparable in mission of diversifying the startup capital ecosystem and serving as a pipeline organization.
• All Raise: Nonprofit (now wound down) focused on increasing diversity in venture capital and supporting women and underrepresented founders. Highly comparable mission and programmatic approach to Black Founders, with overlapping corporate sponsor network.
• CODE2040: Nonprofit that creates pathways to technology careers and entrepreneurship for Black and Latino talent. Comparable in mission, programmatic approach (fellowships, hackathons) and corporate sponsor base.
• Black Girls Code: 501c3 nonprofit providing technology education and hackathon-style programming to Black girls, with a similar multi-city event model and corporate sponsor base. Listed as a strategic partner of Black Founders.
• NewME Accelerator: Accelerator and community program supporting Black and minority tech founders with mentorship and capital introductions. Directly comparable to Black Founders in target demographic and mission, and listed as an existing partner organization.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Large global accelerator network with dedicated diversity-focused programs and founder-development resources. Comparable as a startup-acceleration platform, though broader and better capitalized than Black Founders' community-event model.

Others

• Black Enterprise: Long-running media, events and data brand serving Black entrepreneurs, executives and professionals. Adjacent rather than direct — provides exposure, content and events to overlapping audiences without operating a founder-support nonprofit program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blackfounders
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlackFounders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Founders