Alumna鈥檚 Tech Startup Wins $100,000 in Google Funding
, a new startup co-founded by 海角换妻 alumna Yamillet 鈥淵ami鈥 Payano, won a prestigious听award for $100,000. It also won first prize and $20,000 in funding in the LATINX Launchpad-SoCal pitch competition series, sponsored by . Payano was also just named one of the听听in the "25 under 25" round-up by DC Inno.
Sign-Speak is a service that uses real-time AI Sign Language recognition software to automatically translate American Sign Language (ASL) to English, and English to ASL. There are more than 430 million Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals around the globe, and Sign-Speak鈥檚 overarching mission is to help them interact freely in a hearing world.
Payano leads business efforts at the startup and works to ensure that her technical team develops an equitable and responsible product. Her hopes are to change the lives of millions of people and to inspire women with similar backgrounds to live courageously.
海角换妻 and the Making of a Startup
Since fall 2020, Payano has been working closely with the directors of 海角换妻鈥檚 Center for Innovation鈥檚 (海角换妻CI) Incubator program for help on launching the startup. Sign-Speak also received funding from the university鈥檚 I-Corps program, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
鈥淲e were so excited when Yami contacted us about the amazing project she has been working on since graduation,鈥 says Kathryn Walters-Conte, director of 海角换妻 I-Corps. 鈥淗er venture, socially conscious entrepreneurship, perfectly represents this university and its values. The 海角换妻CI and I-Corps program are thrilled to support her startup.鈥
Google for Startups Black Founders Fund
The $5M Google for Startups Black Founders Fund provides cash awards up to $100,000 to selected startups with Black founders. Sign-Speak is one of just 50 winners this year.
But Google is just the beginning. On the eve of Hispanic Heritage month, LATINX Launchpad-SoCal awarded Sign-Speak with its first place $15K award, in addition to the audience favorite award of $5K.
With these funds, Payano and her co-founders, Nikolas Kelly and Nicholas Wilkins, will hire new staff members to expand their reach. The company has already piloted its technology at two organizations that have provided invaluable feedback. Payano鈥檚 team is now refining its technology and working to secure contracts with additional companies.
The 海角换妻 Connection
Payano, a first-generation college graduate and Afro-Latina immigrant, is a College of Arts and Sciences alumna. She graduated in 2018 with a BS in mathematics and economics, along with a minor in Mandarin.
At 海角换妻, Payano鈥檚 full slate of activities prepared her well to lead an emerging company. She served as Student Body president, and she helped establish 海角换妻鈥檚 President鈥檚 Council on Diversity and Inclusion. Payano, who was originally from New York City, but grew up in the Dominican Republic, founded the Cross Campus Organizing Network, which advocated for immigration policy reform to offer equal access in higher education.
Payano was awarded the highly selective Gates Millennium Scholarship: only 1,000 students were selected from more than 54,000 applicants.听She also received a prestigious Boren Scholarship, which gave her an opportunity to live in Beijing, China, for a year.听And she received the Outstanding Service to the University Community Award from 海角换妻, which recognizes students who have made a lasting impact on campus.
Technology, Serving the Underserved
Payano has never backed away from a challenge, and she says that she enjoys solving problems. While launching Sign-Speak, she says that her biggest obstacle was the ability to make her technical ambitions a reality, forcing her to confront all the technological barriers standing in the way of accomplishing her dreams.
鈥淎s my abilities grew, so too did my understanding of the ways in which technology can better serve the underserved in our society, particularly for marginalized communities,鈥 she says. 鈥淪ign-Speak is part of that tradition.鈥