Nex Cubed, a leader in early-stage innovation and startup acceleration, announced Franklin Templeton as the second Founding Partner for its HBCU Founder’s Program.
Diversity and inclusion are a key goal of the global investment firm with nearly 60% of Nex Cubed’s portfolio of companies being led by female and minority founders. It launched the HBCU Founder’s Program in an effort to support students and recent alumni at HBCUs in their pursuit of entrepreneurship.
Franklin Templeton will join AT&T as Founding Partners of the HBCU Founder’s Program. As a Founding Partner, Franklin Templeton will help inform the FinTech program offerings as well as provide hands-on support to the program members through its employees who will serve as mentors and advisors.
“It is fairly common knowledge that there is a lack of diversity in the VC space, and therefore the startup ecosystem, and a lot of work needs to be done in order to improve this,” commented Nex Cubed CEO, Marlon Evans. “Our HBCU Founder’s Program aims to close the racial disparity gap and provide not only monetary support for aspiring entrepreneurs, but also advisory support, mentorship, and networking opportunities. We’re proud to partner with organizations like Franklin Templeton who are committed to locking arms and achieving this goal.”
To date, more than 350 students and alumni from over 50 HBCUs have enrolled in the Nex Cubed program and participated in industry webinars and virtual ideation sessions. The events are led by corporate executives, successful entrepreneurs, and top-tier investors across FinTech, EdTech, Digital Health, and PropTech – key social determinants in desperate need of systemic reform that technology can help enable.
Learn more about Nex Cubed’s HBCU Founder’s Program here.
