Amazon Web Services (Nasdaq: AMZN) chose four Denver founders for its next accelerator program, which will focus on bolstering women-led startups.
Founders of Denver-based Inclusive Journeys, Euphoria and Call Emmy are part of the cohort, which includes 25 startups across 12 states and Washington, D.C. They were selected from a pool of thousands of applicants because of the strength of their ideas and their technical readiness, said AWS, the cloud-computing arm of Amazon.
The founders will each receive cash grants of $125,000, as well as $100,000 in credits for the use of AWS services. They traveled to AWS headquarters in Seattle on Monday to start an intensive eight-week program, during which they'll participate in individually-curated training curriculums and receive mentoring and technical guidance. Founders will also have the chance to network with potential investors.
The cohort is part of a $30 million accelerator program AWS launched earlier this year to benefit underrepresented founders. AWS hosted its first cohort for Black founders in April. With this next cohort, AWS is focused on narrowing the gender funding gap, the company said.
Women-led businesses receive a disproportionately low amount of venture capital. According to Pitchbook, only 2% of funding deployed in 2021 went to companies founded by women. About 15% went to companies with both men and women on their founding teams.
"AWS is committed to... becoming a trusted partner as these women founders grow and accelerate their businesses," AWS said in a statement. "In the months and years ahead, the startups will have access to a virtual community, alumni events, curriculum, plus the opportunity to tap into ongoing support from program mentors and experts."
Crystal Egli and Parker McMullen Bushman, Inclusive Journeys
Crystal Egli and Parker McMullen Bushman launched a national, online guide in June that directs users to safe businesses that are inclusive of all races, genders and abilities.
The concept for the platform, called the Inclusive Guide, was modeled after the 1936 “Negro Motorist Green-Book,” which was a guide for Black travelers to identify businesses where they’d be relatively safe. Egli and McMullen Bushman want users to leave positive reviews in order to create a network of safety, and they also encourage honest, negative feedback.
Inclusive Journeys also partners with businesses to give them training and resources to become more inclusive, and the startup allows businesses to access data generated from the guide. Inclusive Journeys plans to charge businesses for those resources in the future, but they have so far been provided free of charge.
"Crystal Egli and I have come a long way bringing Inclusive Guide into the world," McMullen Bushman said in a LinkedIn post Tuesday. "We are so honored to be given this opportunity to increase our impact and grow our platform."
Kate Anthony, Euphoria
Software startup Euphoria, headquartered in Denver, provides four subscription-based mobile applications that aim to help transgender individuals navigate the difficult process of gender transition.
Euphoria offers a health-care navigator, a financial planner, a tracker for users' sense of self and an app that provides daily affirmations. The apps provide guidance about mental health, health insurance coverage, changing names and the financial aspects of hormone therapy and gender-confirmation surgery, among other issues.
Kate Anthony, a transgender woman and the startup's CEO and co-founder, was recognized in December on Newsweek's "America's Greatest Disruptors" list. She told Newsweek that as she was transitioning, she wished there was an app that could help.
"There wasn't anything at the time that helped synthesize all the information regarding transition, life in the U.S. as a trans person, or even just keeping track of all of my goals," Anthony said in the Newsweek interview.
Arezou Zarafshan, Call Emmy
Denver business leader Arezou Zarafshan founded Call Emmy in 2020 as an on-demand chore marketplace that connects busy families to local household service providers.
Zarafshan named the startup after her longtime house manager. Through the platform, users choose a service — including tasks like laundry, meal preparation or home organization — and book a vetted provider.
In May, Call Emmy announced it would expand into childcare services with its acquisition of Nanno, a nationwide platform to connect parents with childcare providers. Call Emmy integrated Nanno's technology and released an updated mobile application this summer.
While Call Emmy's childcare services are available across the nation, its platform for other services remains available only in the Denver area.
"Our services are meant to offer an alternative to weekends of laundry, household chores, and home organization, so that families can enjoy more time together or even have some me-time," Zarafshan said in a statement.
