Manos Accelerator, Google partner for more Latino startups

Manos Accelerator launched last year with the goal of increasing the number of successful Latino technology startups in Silicon Valley. We chatted with the CEO Edward Avila.

Gretel Perera | March 31, 2014 | 7:04 pm

Manos Accelerator launched last year with the goal of increasing the number of successful Latino-owned technology startups in Silicon Valley. Manos has already completed its first class of seven Latino-owned startups and today the Accelerator announced a two-year extension of its partnership with Google for Entrepreneurs.

According to Manos, less than 1% of venture-backed startups are founded by Latinos, which is why they are focused on changing this number by developing and supporting the community of Latino entrepreneurs.

Today, Manos also announced the opening of the application process for its new “cohort,” or class, of entrepreneurs. They are receiving applications from early-stage startups from across the U.S. and Latin America to participate in their 12-week program that includes business development, mentorship, marketing plan development, work space and culminates in a Demo Day where participants present their product or service to venture capitalists and angel investors.

“Manos Accelerator is doing exceptional work to nurture and showcase startup talent in the Latino community from across the US and Latin America.” said Mary Grove, director of Google for Entrepreneurs. “We are excited to be part of their ongoing journey and help increase the number of Latino entrepreneurs in the global tech community.”

The application process for Manos Accelerator will be open from March 31 – April 30, 2014. The second cohort of startups will run from June through August 2014 and is accepting up to 10 companies to participate in the 12-week program.

In light of all these announcements, we recently had the opportunity to chat with Edward Avila, the CEO of Manos Accelerator, to learn a little more about the goals and vision of this Latino Accelerator program.

MW: What is Manos Accelerator?

GP: We are the first high-tech accelerator that is focused on developing early-stage startups. We are different to others in that we are focused on the development of Latino entrepreneurs.

MW: What are your goals for this year?

GP: The goal for this year is to have two cohorts – classes – one in June and the other in September. Our goal is to identify from 10 to 20 startups through the end of the year and put them through a twelve-week program. We are going to find these startups throughout the U.S. as well as Latin America and bring them into Silicon Valley and expose them to mentors, advisors, and the opportunity to do a demo in front of a room full of investors.

MW: Why is it important to find Latino startups?

GP: It’s important because there is an ecosystem that exists in Silicon Valley. I have been here all my life and I don’t see a lot of Latino entrepreneurs, a lot of Latino mentors, or even advisors, and we need to change that. I feel that we are at a point where Latinos are actually using technology, they are using smartphones, the Internet, but they are not part of the creation process. And that is what we are trying to do with Manos. We are trying to increase the number of entrepreneurs in the creation process.

[Image via Google+]

About Gretel Perera (5 Posts)

Gretel Perera is a public relations professional with more than 16 years of agency, corporate and international experience, with a specialty in Latin America and U.S. Hispanic markets. She currently serves as the Public Relations Manager for Latin America at Evernote. Gretel is originally from Venezuela and lives and works in Silicon Valley.


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