The Way Out, a Milwaukee startup that connects employers with justice-involved individuals online, was among the 50 recipients of the inaugural Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund.
Google announced the recipients Monday at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in San Antonio, according to a press release. Each recipient will receive $100,000 in cash, $100,000 in Google Cloud credits, mentorship from Google employees and access to therapy.
The Way Out’s mobile app works to reduce Wisconsin’s high recidivism rates by connecting justice-involved job seekers with employment opportunities and providing support services during the process. It also tracks a candidate’s training, certifications and personality traits while being able to flag stressors like unstable housing to connect the person with real-time support.
Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund is a $5 million fund that provides U.S. Latino-led startups with non-equity cash rewards, the release said. The fund aims to address disparities in the Latino startup community, like Latino-led businesses only receiving 2% of total U.S. venture capital funding despite being the fastest-growing segment of U.S. small businesses.
“These Latino Founders Fund recipients have created amazing businesses that are already making a significant impact,” said Google for Startups’ Daniel Navarro in the release. “They are helping solve some of the country’s biggest problems, from providing accessible, personalized reproductive health support to helping college graduates get out of debt and creating a more equitable legal system for Americans.”
The Way Out, founded by Eli Rivera and Ruben Gaona, previously participated in Wisconsin startup accelerator gener8tor’s free four-week gAlpha program and in 2020 won $15,000 at the P5 Project & Milky Way Tech Hub Pitch Competition during Startup Wisconsin Week.
