(Boston, MA) May 16, 2022, IBM volunteers have signed on to mentor 52 curated, high-impact startups to help accelerate their businesses. Founders were chosen from historically underrepresented communities including Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), female and/or non-binary. The program is focused on mentoring entrepreneurs who are innovating with artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The startups in this cohort can be found here.

The collaboration between MassChallenge and IBM will enable underrepresented founders to grow and scale their business by leveraging the expertise of IBM mentors across AI and cybersecurity, combined with MassChallenge’s proven methodology.

Of the second cohort, 60% of startups are led by at least one founder who identifies as female or non-binary, while 85% of startups are led by at least one founder who identifies as BIPOC. The cohort features startups from 15 of the United States, plus the District of Columbia, as well as those from Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Some industries represented include Agriculture, Education, Energy, FinTech, Hardware & Robotics, Healthcare & Life Sciences, SportsTech, and Telecommunications.

About MassChallenge

MassChallenge is the global network for innovators. Headquartered in the United States with eight locations worldwide, it is the non-profit’s mission to help bold entrepreneurs disrupt the status quo and create sustainable change. Since launching in 2009, MassChallenge has run programs in 18 countries, supported more than 3,000 startups from around the world, and awarded over $17M in equity-free cash and prizes. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.