St. Louis technology startup Provider Pool is getting a $100,000 capital infusion, thanks to Google’s Black Founders Fund.
Provider Pool is one of 50 startups nationwide that have been chosen for the 2021 cohort of Google’s Black Founders Fund. Each startup will receive $100,000 in nondilutive funding as part of a $5 million investment from Google, which unveiled its new cohort Tuesday.
Led by founder and CEO Janna Westbrook, Provider Pool has developed software to create a marketplace of health care professionals to match with job opportunities in hospitals and nursing homes. It also focuses on assisting nondegree health care workers seeking to enter the nursing profession. Westbrook launched the company based on her own experience working as a nurse.
In addition to the $100,000 investment, Provider Pool will be eligible to receive additional resources from Google including technical support, search ads from Google and Google Cloud credits.
“There could not be a more opportune time than now to connect with Google while solving the health care worker shortage,” Westbrook said. “This support will help us amplify the voices of those serving on the front lines while building tools to ignite the potential of the future health care workforce."
This year marks the second cohort of Google’s Black Founders Fund, which aims to combat the disparity in funding provided to Black startup founders. In 2020, the fund provided 76 startups with up to $100,000 in funding.
“The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund embodies our mission of helping underrepresented founders grow their businesses. We are excited to continue the fund and contribute funding to Black founders, with no strings attached. Black founders currently receive less than 1% of total VC funding,” Jewel Burks Solomon, head of Google for Startups US, said in a statement.
Locally, Provider Pool has been backed with funding and support from startup accelerator Capital Innovators, innovation hub BioSTL and nonprofit Arch Grants. In May, Arch Grants said it provided $100,000 to Provider Pool through its Growth Grants program, which is designed to provide follow-on capital to its portfolio companies.
