Fast Forward Announces 2019 Accelerator Cohort

This summer, the Fast Forward Accelerator will host 20 rising entrepreneurs leading 9 solution-focused tech nonprofits. From shedding light on air inequality, to making test prep accessible and almost fun, to building digital bartering systems for informal economies in Latin America, the tech nonprofits in our sixth Accelerator cohort are solving an array of critical social problems. 

With a freshly revamped program focused on workshop-style trainings, these entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to see their impact soar. The enriching summer will focus on equipping these tech nonprofits with everything they need to scale by way of: 

• 3 months of curated training
• 3 demo days, one of which will be hosted by BlackRock in New York, where tech nonprofits pitch to 600+ philanthropists
• Mentorship from 100+ advisors from the tech and social sectors
• $25,000 in unrestricted funding
• The support of our Accelerator partners Google.org, BlackRock, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation, Vodafone Americas Foundation, Twilio.org, Okta, Bloomberg, PagerDuty, GitHub, CTIA Wireless Foundation, Amazon Web Services, and Twitter

Of the tech nonprofits in this year’s Accelerator, 90% have a woman co-founder, and 80% have a co-founder who is a person of color. This co-founder makeup far exceeds the tech sector norm, and echoes the findings of our tech nonprofit diversity report, created in partnership with AT&T.

Fast Forward’s 6th Accelerator cohort includes: 

• Almost Fun SAT ▻ App fusing pop culture with SAT prep to level the education playing field
• Ample Labs ▻ A chatbot helping people facing homelessness find meals, shelter, drop-ins and clothing
  
• CoachMe ▻ A mobile health coach for low-income Americans with chronic diseases
  
• Discriminology ▻ A school accountability platform day lighting racial equity data to spur action
  
• Gladeo ▻ A digital media platform that fosters career exploration for diverse young people
  
• Good Call ▻ 24/7 hotline providing free legal support to the arrested & their loved ones
  
• Hikma Health ▻ A personalized healthcare delivery platform for refugees
  
• OpenAQ ▻ An open-source platform leveraging open data to fight global air pollution
  
• QUIPU ▻ A digital marketplace for the informal economies of Latin America

Here’s what Fast Forward 2015 alumni and Executive Director of CareerVillage.org, Jared Chung, has to say about the Fast Forward Accelerator:

“Without Fast Forward, we wouldn’t be where we are today. They go above and beyond the norm. We’re routinely shocked to learn about the resources and opportunities they’ve unlocked for us. And they’re pushing the whole tech nonprofit field forward. They’re completely unrivaled – the absolute best at this.”

Outside of the Accelerator…

Fast Forward supports tech nonprofits from early to late stages through the Accelerate Good Global Summit, alumni programs, digital content, The Global Tech Nonprofit Community (an online community connecting anyone interested in the tech nonprofit sector), Volunteer Board, Directory, and partner funding opportunities.

Again, we want to extend our utmost thanks to our Accelerator partners for their sustaining support, which enables tech nonprofit impact to scale. We truly couldn’t do this without you Google.org, BlackRock, HPE Foundation, Vodafone Americas Foundation, Twilio.org, Okta, Bloomberg, PagerDuty, GitHub, CTIA Wireless Foundation, Amazon Web Services, and Twitter.

“What Fast Forward is doing to support these entrepreneurs from strategy to connections – it’s outstanding. I love seeing the differences in how folks like Atif from Tarjimly talk about their work before and after the Accelerator program. Fast Forward is taking one of the smartest approaches to scaling impact I’ve had the privilege of witnessing and opportunity to support.” – Meghan Nesbit, Director of Nonprofit Market Development, Twilio.org