NEW YORK, September 24, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Braze (Nasdaq: BRZE), the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging?, is opening applications for the fifth cohort of its Tech for an Equitable Future product grant program and announcing its first-ever partnership for the program with BET+, a premium streaming entertainment service. Applications are being accepted for the Tech for an Equitable Future product grant program now through Jan. 17, 2025.
The Tech for an Equitable Future program offers 20 companies with underrepresented founders, including Black and women entrepreneurs, with 12 months of free access to Braze technology and supporting resources that enable business growth and scalability. As a specialty streamer with thousands of weekly subscriber touchpoints on TV and film content, BET+’s subscriber acquisition and retention efforts are a best-in-class model for small and early-stage businesses to establish more robust customer engagement strategies.
Through this new partnership, BET+ will also provide select participants of the program with mentorship, access to a branding masterclass, free email advertising, and more. BET+, a Braze customer, will mentor five companies from the Tech for an Equitable Future program, assisting them with Braze use cases and overall customer engagement strategies. The streaming service will also lead participants in a live Masterclass workshop focused on brand marketing, and provide these five selected companies with free features in BET+ subscriber email campaigns.
"We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Braze through its Tech for an Equitable Future program – which mirrors our brand values around community impact and empowerment," said Jason Harvey, EVP and General Manager of BET+. "We are embarking on our fifth anniversary as a streaming platform and for nearly all that time, Braze has been a valued partner. We embrace the opportunity to contribute BET+ thought-leadership to the fifth program cohort of Tech for an Equitable future, and to further support a community of under-resourced founders."
In 2023, Black-founded startups received less than 0.5% of the $140.4 billion in venture funding all U.S.-based startups received, and companies founded solely by women garnered just 2.2% of the total capital invested in VC-backed startups in the U.S. last year. These figures underscore the disparity faced by Black and female entrepreneurs in attaining equitable access to foundational funding. Today, Braze provides a total of 31 early-stage startups with free or discounted access to its comprehensive customer engagement platform, including 16 women-founded businesses, totalling more than $900,000 in annualized product value donated in FY’25 alone as of September 1, 2024.
"It’s been rewarding to be a part of the evolution and expansion of our Tech for an Equitable Future program, which aims to level the playing field for marginalized founders," said Rod McLeod, VP of Social Impact at Braze. "Braze remains committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we’re excited to partner with BET+ in an effort to help catalyze business growth by fostering a more inclusive and equitable future."
Grant Details and Process:
To be eligible for the grant program, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
Companies located in APAC, EMEA, or North America with underrepresented-founders, such as those with Black and women founders.
Bootstrapped business or less than $30M in VC funding;
Have fewer than 100 employees; and
Have compatible SDK and appropriate Engineering/Marketing resources
Braze offers technology that allows recipients to capture, analyze and act on customer data to engage their customers across channels and create personalized experiences. For the 20 businesses selected to participate, the program will offer:
A free Braze Core package, which includes platform access, access to our SDKs and APIs, and a comprehensive messaging package (see full details here)
Onboarding services and over 25 hours of educational content to get you up and running
Access to a dedicated Customer Success Manager
Free Braze certifications
Access to digital community spaces to network with fellow founders in the program
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the performance of and expected benefits from Braze, its products and programs, including the Tech For an Equitable Future Grant Program. These forward-looking statements are based on the current assumptions, expectations and beliefs of Braze, and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Further information on potential factors that could affect Braze results are included in Braze’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2024, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 6, 2024, and the other public filings of Braze with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the views of Braze only as of the date of this press release, and Braze assumes no obligation, and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
About BET+:
BET+ is the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience, with exclusive originals and thousands of TV episodes and movies from the best Black creators. A joint venture between BET and Tyler Perry Studios, BET+ allows users to stream Black culture including hit movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, award shows, and specials, all in one place, commercial-free. The new service from BET Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global, is the official home of Tyler Perry’s film, TV and stage works. The ad-free subscription video-on-demand service also provides users with access to original content including Emmy-nominated The Ms. Pat Show from Lee Daniels, Martin: The Reunion, hit unscripted series The Impact Atlanta and College Hill: Celebrity Edition, and exclusive originals from Carl Weber including The Family Business and The Black Hamptons to name a few. Visit BET.Plus to learn more and follow @BETPlus on social to join the conversation and get the latest.
About Braze
Braze is the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging.? Braze allows any marketer to collect and take action on any amount of data from any source, so they can creatively engage with customers in real time, across channels from one platform. From cross-channel messaging and journey orchestration to Al-powered experimentation and optimization, Braze enables companies to build and maintain absolutely engaging relationships with their customers that foster growth and loyalty. The company has been recognized as a 2024 U.S. News Best Technology Companies to Work For, is a 2023 UK Best Workplace for Women by Great Place to Work, and was named a Leader by Gartner? in the 2023 Magic Quadrant? for Multichannel Marketing Hubs and in The Forrester Wave?: Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs, Q1 2023. Braze is headquartered in New York with 10+ offices across North America, Europe, and APAC. Learn more at braze.com.
