London, UK - 13 June 2023 - Earlybird, a UK-based startup revolutionising the employability sector with its innovative voice-tech tools, is proud to announce that it has been selected for Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. This recognition is a testament to the groundbreaking solutions Earlybird is bringing to the market.

The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, now in its third year, seeks to address systemic racial inequality in venture capital funding by providing equity-free grants and mentoring to early-stage, Black-led high-growth businesses across Europe and Africa. The fund has played a pivotal role in levelling the playing field for underrepresented founders and driving economic opportunities and job creation. Google received over 4,000 applications and just 15 startups were selected for Google’s Black Founders’ Fund across the whole of Europe.

Claudine Adeyemi (pictured below), a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion, expressed her gratitude for receiving this prestigious award.

"I am deeply honoured to be selected as a recipient of the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Award. This recognition highlights the tremendous potential of Earlybird and the transformative impact our innovative solutions can have. With the support of Google for Startups, we are poised to take Earlybird to new heights and expand our reach to create meaningful change to employment support. To be part of a thriving community of like-minded, high-potential founders will enable us to foster valuable relationships and collaborate towards achieving our shared goals."

Earlybird's inclusion in this year's cohort is a testament to its disruptive technology and its potential to redefine employment support. Through its transformative voice-technology, Earlybird aims to empower frontline staff by capturing key insights about their programme participants, along the entire journey, enabling them to provide personalised support and deliver job outcomes much faster.

Matt Brittin, President of Google EMEA had the following to say about the announcement:

“When you back underrepresented founders, you build opportunity. Not just for the founders, but for the communities that will benefit from their ideas; their businesses and their employment."