Envolve USA, the U.S.-based sister organization of Envolve Greece, is now Founder Forward. Since their inception in 2015, the focus has been on advancing equity and access in the entrepreneurship ecosystem for under-resourced and underfunded BIPOC and female entrepreneurs. The new name, Founder Forward, and logo better reflect the organization’s mission to support and propel the growth of diverse entrepreneurs.
While Envolve Greece and Founder Forward have unique missions and initiatives specific to their regions of the world, both are committed to developing and supporting entrepreneurs in order to create a thriving entrepreneurial environment where all are welcome to grow and succeed. As philanthropic initiatives supported by Libra Philanthropies, they will continue to share best practices and collaborate to reach their goals.
Envolve USA originated as the American Entrepreneurship Award (AEA), launched by Libra Group in 2015 in response to a call-to-action from President Obama’s MBK Alliance, which encouraged leaders and organizations to address opportunity gaps in underserved communities. AEA was also inspired by the success of the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award (HEA), which later became Envolve Award Greece, launched by Libra Group in 2012 to spur economic growth in Greece after the financial crisis of the early 2000s. In 2018, Libra Group brought both initiatives under the umbrella of Envolve Entrepreneurship.
