Last year, Startup Runway celebrated a record 14 winners across 43 Finalists and 6 Showcases. But our new MD, Nwanyinma Dike noted, “we have hundreds more promising applications. There’s got to be a way to extend our impact to them.” 

So thanks to ongoing support from Valor and Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, we’re launching Startup Runway Relay, an online mentoring program for founders from overlooked backgrounds using our mentoring network to create maximum impact, while being very respectful of the time commitment of the mentors.

The first trial cohort of 20 companies and 5 mentors is starting now. 
Valor’s AI platform Vic handles engagements and reporting to both mentors and  founders. The plan is to start a new cohort every quarter with increasing numbers of companies and founders.

How it works

The company founder will share a quarterly goal/challenge and the mentors will (anonymously) engage with the founder on that goal by providing feedback. Our AI will handle all engagement and reporting back to both mentors and the founders. We’re planning on starting a new cohort every quarter with increasing numbers of companies and founders.

Want to mentor an outstanding founder and make a difference in 2024? Sign up below to mentor.