To advance prosperity and opportunity in the Western Hemisphere, the U.S. Department of State-sponsored ten alumni of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program to grow their business ventures across a variety of sectors. Participants in the YLAI Americas Accelerator were selected for this opportunity through a competitive process managed by implementing partner IREX and venture capital firm Village Capital, which offered the entrepreneurs targeted support and mentorship over the course of three workshops. As a culmination of the activities, Lazarillo was peer-selected to receive a cash award to invest in their business as a part of the Americas Accelerator
Washington, D.C., (May 2nd, 2022) – Village Capital, in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, an investment vehicle of the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, announced today that applications have opened for a new health equity accelerator.
The program, Innovations in Health Equity, will be run with support from the California Health Care Foundation. Ten to twelve startups will be selected for the cohort, and the top four startups will receive grant funding of $50,000. Applications are open through May 31st, 2022.
Village Capital is seeking startups that are working to reduce health inequities for minority groups in the US, for both, patients and professionals. They are specifically looking for startups working to advance the following health care objectives:
The accelerator will run from July through October 2022, and involve three virtual week-long workshops, as well a culminating summit. The curriculum is focused on helping cohort members build financial, social and human capital; the cohort members will meet one-on-one with mentors including investors, peer entrepreneurs and industry experts from Johnson and Johnson and elsewhere.
Cohort members will also be connected with a one-on-one investment analyst coach to help them build a financial model, identify unit economics, and use financial metrics for their business.
All startups who apply to the program will automatically be invited to join Abaca, Village Capital’s online global network. Abaca provides a diagnostic tool that helps founders articulate how ready they are for investment or their next big expansion. The platform uses that diagnostic to match founders with relevant investors and other resources.
For more information, reach out to Elizabeth Nguyen at Village Capital (elizabeth.nguyen@vilcap.com)
Village Capital helps entrepreneurs bring big ideas from vision to scale. Our mission is to reinvent the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Our vision is a future where business creates equity and long-term prosperity. Since 2009, we have supported more than 1,000 early-stage entrepreneurs through our investment readiness programs. Our affiliated fund, VilCap Investments, has invested in more than 110 program graduates. Learn more here.
