Rev1 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant Fund

Helping women and entrepreneurs of color build tech-enabled, high-growth businesses in Central Ohio.

The DE&I Grant Fund provides up to $100,000 to support salary and benefits for underserved Founders for up to 1 year. These grants help to build a pipeline of founders able to dedicate time and focus on building their business.

Companies with diverse teams are 75% more likely to exceed financial targets*

Who is Eligible?

Companies located in the Columbus region with a diverse founder (women or underserved minority).
Companies should be at the pre-seed stage, building a tech-enabled business with high-growth potential.
Companies must be an active Rev1 client or have attended Rev1’s Customer Learning Lab market validation bootcamp.

Supported Companies

Zed Digital

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Skelo Wear

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Color Coded Labs

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Equitek

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Fleri

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The 2023 Cohort application process opens July 1st!

  • July 1: Application opens
  • July 31: All applications due
  • All applicants notified of application status and scores. Top five scoring applications will be invited to pitch to the Grant Committee.

How to Apply?

 Eligible applicants will be invited to apply via email. Emails will go out mid-June. 

All applications will be reviewed and scored by the Grant Committee.
All companies notified of the results: top five scoring applications will be invited to present to the Grant Committee.
All companies will have the option of working with a team of Rev1 mentors to prepare their pitches.

Special Thanks to Our Partners

Grant Committee Members

Deonna Barnett

Advisory Partner

Learn more about Deonna Barnett
Kristy Campbell

Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer

Learn more about Kristy Campbell
Dionnica Gaston

Managing Director, Talent

Learn more about Dionnica Gaston
Melinda Gloriosa

Managing Director, Investments

Learn more about Melinda Gloriosa
Alicia Oddi

Managing Director, Entrepreneur & Inclusion Programs

Learn more about Alicia Oddi
Riley Shelton

Investment Analyst

Learn more about Riley Shelton

*Source: Purdue