Two Dallas Startups To Pitch in $2M Competition for Black Founders

Dallas' own Kanarys, Inc. and Zirtue are joining the three-day Rise of the Rest Virtual Tour: Equity Edition. This year's speakers include AOL co-founder Steve Case and NBA and NHL sports team owner Ted Leonsis.

On December 3, Kanarys, Inc., Zirtue, and three other startups will compete in Revolution’s 2020 Rise of the Rest pitch competition. The competition is for Black-founded companies, with $2,000,000 on the line.

Almost 500 Black startup founders nationwide applied for the competition, according to a statement, which also includes the opportunity to join Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab’s 5-month accelerator program and receive pitch meetings with over 100 venture capital firms.

The competition’s winner will receive $500,000 and two runners-up will receive $250,000 through investments from Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab. They will also receive an additional co-investment from OHUB’s affiliate 100 Black Angels & Allies Fund.

Kanarys, a technology platform that fosters collaboration between companies and employees on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and Zirtue, a fintech startup, will be competing alongside Chicago-based Abode and Rheaply, as well as Atlanta-based Lillii RNB Inc.

Steve Case’s Revolution will host the competition along with Opportunity Hub, 100 Black Angels & Allies, and Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab. There will also be two town hall sessions on building inclusive startup ecosystems and on entrepreneurship and HBCUs during the three-day event, with the $2M pitch competition rounding it out. Find more information on the event here.

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