Earlier this year, Google’s CEO expressed the company’s commitment to racial equity. One of the initiatives it created was the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. The fund provides Black founders with a share of $5 million in non-dilutive cash awards (i.e., Google has no ownership interest in the recipient companies). The grants were for $50,000 to $100,000. Each founder will also receive hands-on support from Google to help grow their company. Here are a few Atlanta companies that received awards:

• Clubba – Virtual after-school clubs for kids ages 7 to 13 led by college-student counselors
• Countalytics – Computer vision and machine learning to help clients save money by managing inventory more efficiently
• Kommute – Video messaging platform that helps teams communicate, collaborate, and connect remotely using the power of instantly shareable video
• MantisEdu – Immersive high-tech learning activities for students
• Musicbuk – Virtual education marketplace that gives students access to trusted, vetted, professional musicians for one-on-one music lessons

The full list of companies, with founder contact info, can be found here.

Congratulations to all the founders who received awards. And kudos to Google for this initiative and the impact it will have on the community. I’m excited for these founders. The sky is the limit!