Venture Noire partners with Remote Year to expand accelerator program

Remote Year, a travel platform that helps customers live, work and learn around the world, is partnering with the nonprofit Venture Noire, which supports founders and entrepreneurs of color. 

Remote Year, a subsidiary of Selina since October 2020, will help Venture Noire expand its eight-week accelerator program, In the Black, internationally. 

The first international cohort will bring 15 to 20 U.S.-based founders to Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa in the third quarter of this year. This cohort will focus on Black and minority founders of startups related to travel and hospitality and the future of work.

“We believe that the rise in remote work is here to stay and has already shifted the ways in which businesses fundamentally operate and adapt. With this partnership, we're putting the best and brightest minds internationally to creating solutions for the future of work,” says Keenan Beasley, founder of Venture Noire.

“By expanding internationally we're also able to bring even more diverse founders and entrepreneurs into our community to network, impact and empower.”

Remote Year will coordinate cultural immersion activities in South Africa including private accommodations, coworking space, and access to local experiences and social impact projects. 

“Remote Year is built on the belief that travel and remote work leads to innovation, exploration and personal and professional growth,” said Tue Le, vice president of brand, product and community at Remote Year.

“Partnering with Venture Noire is a natural fit for us because we share not only those same beliefs, but also a deep commitment to using our platforms to solve global inequities and create a tangible benefit for Black and minority business owners, the local community, and the global economy. We are excited to launch this program as the first in a series over the next few years and to be a part of these entrepreneurs' transformational journeys particularly on a continent that has given birth to so many Black entrepreneurs and businesses.”