Founders On The Yard

Howdy Bay Area VC friends. If any of you has some time on April 23rd between 2pm and 4pm, Founders On The Yard is having a Bay Area demo day. Founders on the Yard is a student-led accelerator program for entrepreneurs coming out of HBCUs. There will be a great group of startups presenting. RSVP here: https://luma.com/q1gl1390 For questions, please reach out to fotyinitiative@gmail.com

Excited to announce that Founders on the Yard Demo Day will officially take place on April 23 at Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley, one of the world’s largest and most active startup innovation platforms. We’ll be bringing a cohort of standout HBCU student and alumni founders to Silicon Valley to demo companies across AI-native SaaS, developer tools, agentic AI, fintech, healthcare technology, and more, and connect with the broader innovation ecosystem. If you’re an investor, operator, or ecosystem builder interested in engaging with early-stage founders building across AI and emerging technologies, we’d love to have you join us. 📍 Plug and Play Tech Center 📅 April 23, 2026 RSVP to attend: https://luma.com/q1gl1390 #HBCU #SiliconValley #Startups #Founders #PlugAndPlay #Innovation #FoundersOnTheYard #StudentFounders

Excited to announce that Founders On The Yard Demo Day will officially take place at Plug and Play Tech Center on April 23 in Silicon Valley, one of the world’s largest and most active startup innovation platforms! We’ll be bringing a cohort of standout HBCU student and alumni founders to demo companies across AI-native SaaS, developer tools, agentic AI, fintech, healthcare tech, and more to connect them with the broader innovation ecosystem. If you’re an investor, operator, or ecosystem builder interested in engaging with early-stage founders, we’d love to have you join us. 📍 Plug and Play Tech Center 📅 April 23, 2026 RSVP to attend: https://luma.com/q1gl1390 #HBCU #SiliconValley #Startups #Founders #PlugAndPlay #Innovation #FoundersOnTheYard #StudentFounders

🚨 Last call for HBCU student & alumni founders to apply to Founders on the Yard Demo Day 2026! The deadline is tonight at 11:59 PM EST. If you’re building a startup, join our 8-week virtual accelerator program from Feb 17 – Apr 17 and earn the chance to pitch to top investors and showcase your company in Silicon Valley. Apply here -> https://lnkd.in/e2AjeRqr

📣 Due to strong interest, our application deadline for Founders on The Yard's inaugural Demo Day cohort has been extended to February 6th at 11:59 PM. This is an incredible opportunity to showcase your startup in front of investors, mentors, and a supportive community dedicated to advancing HBCU entrepreneurship. If you're an HBCU founder hoping to grow, we encourage you to apply! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/ehXBnbS3 Questions? Feel free to reach out at fotyinitiative@gmail.com. #FoundersOnTheYard #FOTY #FOTYDemoDay #HBCUFounders #Founders #Entrepreneurship #Startups #DemoDay #Innovation #HBCU

🚀 Applications are still open for Founders on The Yard's inaugural Demo Day cohort! If you’re an HBCU student or alumnus building something larger than yourself, apply today → https://lnkd.in/eQG5Ub9x Our program spotlights top HBCU student and alumni founders by bringing selected teams to Silicon Valley to pitch in front of leading investors, operators, and ecosystem partners. We're building this with support from Microsoft for Startups, ViableEdu, HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI), Breakthrough Ventures, Venture for T.H.E.M., HBCU CONNECT, and Lovable. Selected founders for our cohort will gain access to: → Virtual accelerator programming and expert technical coaching, shaped with guidance from HBCU Founders Initiative → Microsoft Azure cloud resources and Azure AI infrastructure to build, test, and scale products → Product-building support through Lovable platform credits, enabling founders to test and iterate with cutting-edge technology → Go-to-market visibility and exposure to investors, operators, and venture leaders across Silicon Valley and beyond → A multi-day immersive experience, culminating in a public demo day hosted in Silicon Valley → Community-building and post-event support through a growing network of HBCU innovators, mentors, and partners Program Details: 📆 Pre-Accelerator Dates: February 17th - April 17th 📆 Demo Day Experience Dates: April 21st – 23rd, 2026 📍 Location: Silicon Valley, CA Eligibility: ✅ Free to Join ✅ Open to all HBCU Founders in any sector ✅ At Least 1 HBCU Founder per team ✅ Available for Demo Day in Silicon Valley on Apr 22nd Have any questions, interested in sponsoring, or getting involved? DM us on Instagram @foty.initiative or contact us at fotyinitiative@gmail.com. Don't miss out and apply today! #HBCU #FoundersOnTheYard #FOTY #Startups #Entrepreneurship #MicrosoftForStartups #Microsoft #HBCUFounders #BuiltwithMfS #Lovable #TechFounders #SiliconValley #Innovation #Technology #AI

Following up on our launch of Founders on The Yard, I wanted to share an exciting opportunity happening right now for students and builders across HBCUs. I’ve recently been selected as a Lovable Campus Leader for Howard University, and I’m excited to help builders across HBCU campuses use Lovable. To kick things off, Lovable is launching a campus-wide initiative that gives universities the chance to win free Lovable access for students and faculty. The three schools with the most support will receive Lovable for a full year, valued at $100,000 per school. This initiative is a natural way to build on that momentum and expand the resources currently available, not just for one group of founders, but for the broader HBCU community. For us, it also complements the work we’re doing with Founders on The Yard by helping create more support for builders, more tools to experiment with, and more ways for campuses to show up and be represented. We’re excited to collaborate with Lovable to offer perks and resources for founders in our cohort and the broader HBCU community. Three Steps to Participate: 1. Search or Nominate — Find your school in our database or nominate it if it's not listed yet. 2. Vote — Cast your vote to help your school climb the leaderboard. 3. Share — Spread the word to get more votes for your school. 👉 Vote here: https://lnkd.in/eeFZt6uC Voting runs through January 30th, 2026. And if you’re an HBCU founder building something right now, applications for Founders on the Yard are still open: 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ecuzCdqP Applications close on February 2nd, 2026. Excited to see HBCU campuses show up strong. #Lovable #HBCU #FoundersOnTheYard #StudentFounders #CampusLeader

Following up on our launch of Founders on The Yard, I wanted to share an exciting opportunity happening right now for students and builders across HBCUs. I’ve recently been selected as a Lovable Campus Leader for Howard University, and I’m excited to help builders across HBCU campuses use Lovable. To kick things off, Lovable is launching a campus-wide initiative that gives universities the chance to win free Lovable access for students and faculty. The three schools with the most support will receive Lovable for a full year, valued at $100,000 per school. This initiative is a natural way to build on that momentum and expand the resources currently available, not just for one group of founders, but for the broader HBCU community. For us, it also complements the work we’re doing with Founders on The Yard by helping create more support for builders, more tools to experiment with, and more ways for campuses to show up and be represented. We’re excited to collaborate with Lovable to offer perks and resources for founders in our cohort and the broader HBCU community. Three Steps to Participate: 1. Search or Nominate — Find your school in our database or nominate it if it's not listed yet. 2. Vote — Cast your vote to help your school climb the leaderboard. 3. Share — Spread the word to get more votes for your school. 👉 Vote here: https://lnkd.in/eeFZt6uC Voting runs through January 30th, 2026. And if you’re an HBCU founder building something right now, applications for Founders on the Yard are still open: 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ecuzCdqP Applications close on February 2nd, 2026. Excited to see HBCU campuses show up strong. #Lovable #HBCU #FoundersOnTheYard #StudentFounders #CampusLeader