Southlake-based AllergenIQ named as 2022 founders of color semifinalist

Southlake-based AllergenIQ and its founder and CEO Dr. Nana Mireku have been named one of 16 semifinalists for Next Wave Impact’s third annual Founders of Color Showcase, according to a news release.

AllergenIQ was the only DFW company in the 2021 class for Dallas-based accelerator Health Wildcatters. The digital health platform is focused on allergy testing and management founded by Mireku, who is a pediatric allergist. AllergenIQ finished a stint in 2021 at the Think Lab accelerator at Pegasus Park, a partnership between TechFW, the UT Southwestern Office of Technology Development, and national life sciences nonprofit network LaunchBio. 

Up to seven semifinalists will advance to compete at the Founders of Color Showcase on May 16, in Atlantic City, NJ. During the event, the founders will gain exposure to an audience of investors, funds and angel groups that are accelerating capital opportunities for high-impact minority-founded startups.

The 2022 semifinalists are:

According to a report by Crunchbase, Black and Latinx founders secured just 2.4% of total U.S. venture capital raised between 2015 and August 2020. Morgan Stanley shared that investors report capitalizing on multicultural and women-owned businesses at 80% less than businesses overall.

"Data shows that the need to support minority-led startups is as strong as ever, which is why we are democratizing access to funding," Alicia Robb, founder of Next Wave Impact, said in the release. "In its third year, the Founders of Color Showcase is placing a spotlight on leading-edge startups so they can be discovered, championed and funded by values-aligned investors who want to widen the net of opportunity."

Last year's event spurred nearly $1 million in investments to BIPOC-led startups. Change: WATER Labs was named the most investable company in the 2021 Showcase and received $300,000 in seed investment. In addition, finalists Boddle Learning and DrugViu received investments of $100,000 each. Additional funding from angel investors and venture capitalists went to these companies as well as other Showcase semifinalists and finalists.