Design firm AvroKO and its sister agency, Brand Bureau, have announced the debut of Hospitable Bridge. The new accelerator studio is dedicated to funding and supporting female founders of color, who are making positive change in the hospitality world.
Hospitable Bridge will aim to provide women-led mentorship and $15,000–$50,000 in pre-seed investment for founders whose startups are still in the early stages of growth.
“With less than two percent of all venture funding going to women-owned businesses, and significantly less than that going to women-of-color-owned businesses, we saw an opportunity to leverage our hospitality knowledge and provide a platform and vehicle to champion, support, mentor, and fund female-founded and female-led business ventures whose missions are to innovate in a way that’s truly needle-moving for the hospitality industry,” says Kristina O’Neal, partner and cofounder of AvroKO and Brand Bureau. “The research shows that women-led startups have the power to generate 10 percent higher revenues., but are often overlooked at the VC level—Hospitable Bridge aims to change that and highlight the power that female entrepreneurs bring to the table.”
Hospitable Bridge plans to lend support to five companies each year. For 2021, the inaugural partnerships so far include Spaceez and Think Forward Society. Founded by Alpa Patel, Spaceez specializes in functional and affordable design for economy hoteliers. Think Forward Society is founded by Kiki Monique, and works to disseminate education and solutions related to race and social justice.
