The Global Ecosystem Supporting Women Innovators and Investors

250+ VCs, accelerators, angel networks, conferences, platforms, and communities supporting women innovators and investors

Joshua Henderson
Been There Run That
5 min readOct 23, 2018

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There is a new version of this list available here.

Last updated February 1, 2019 (out of date)

I’ve spent over a decade playing an active part in the venture ecosystem as the Vice President of Springboard Enterprises, a global network of women innovators transforming industries. In that time I’ve seen many organizations in this space come and go, but far more have come than gone since my last update to this list in early 2017. The world is finally waking up to the fact that there is big money to be made in finding and funding companies led by diverse teams.

If you’re part of a woman-led company, I hope this list makes your life easier by pointing you to valuable resources and human capital you didn’t already know about.

If you’re in this ecosystem and I’ve either misrepresented what you do or failed to include you, I’m sorry. Please comment and let me know so I can correct my error immediately.

Note: Organizations overlooked in the January 2017 edition and March 2015 edition of this list are included below in bold font

Accelerators for Women-Led Companies

  1. Ad Astra Ventures
  2. Althea-Imperial Programme
  3. Atto Accelerator
  4. Backstage Accelerator
  5. The Big Push
  6. The Circular Board
  7. Colliders Pre-Accelerator
  8. DivInc (DivInc)
  9. Equita
  10. F-Lane
  11. Female Founders Accelerator
  12. Female Founders Competition by Microsoft
  13. FounderGym
  14. HearstLab
  15. Hera Labs
  16. Hillman
  17. MassNextGen
  18. MergeLane (Elizabeth Kraus)
  19. Monarq Incubator
  20. Multicultural Innovation Lab
  21. mystartupXX
  22. NYC Immersion Program by FD Global Connections
  23. The Pinkubator
  24. Project Entrepreneur
  25. Prosper
  26. Ready Set Raise
  27. The Refinery
  28. Sephora Stands
  29. SheStarts by Blue Chilli
  30. SOAR
  31. Springboard Enterprises (Springboard Enterprises)
  32. TechDiversity Accelerator
  33. Upstart
  34. WiSTEM by 1871
  35. Women Who Dare
  36. Women Innovating Now Lab
  37. Women on the Move
  38. Women’s Startup Lab

Others with demonstrated awareness of the need for diversity of thought: 500 Women, American Underground, Founders Institute, Ignite Accelerator, Make in L.A., NewMe Accelerator, as well as Design Technologies produced accelerators ABCT, ELabNYC, and Next Milestone

Co-Working for Women-Led Companies

  1. Blooms London
  2. EvolveHer (Chicago)
  3. HeraHub (Multiple Locations, Hera Hub)
  4. One Roof Melbourne
  5. The Hivery (Mill Valley, CA)
  6. The Riveter (Multiple Locations)
  7. The Ventura (Australia)
  8. WeAct (Los Altos)
  9. WMN (Tel Aviv)
  10. The Wing (New York City)

Networks of Entrepreneurial Women

  1. accelerateHER
  2. Ada’s List
  3. Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs
  4. Alley to the Valley
  5. Astia
  6. Athena League
  7. BEACON DC
  8. Black Women Talk Tech
  9. Blooming Founders (Blooming Founders)
  10. C-Sweetener
  11. Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network
  12. digitalundivided (digitalundivided)
  13. Ellevate Network (Ellevate Network)
  14. EnrichHER
  15. Female Equity
  16. Female Founders (Europe)
  17. Female Founders Alliance
  18. Global Invest Her
  19. Hautepreneurs
  20. LandIt (Landit)
  21. Lesbians Who Tech
  22. Pepperlane (Pepperlane)
  23. Philly Women in Tech
  24. SheEOs
  25. SheWorx (SheWorx By Lisa Wang)
  26. SoGal (SoGal Ventures)
  27. The Fourth Floor
  28. The Startup Ladies
  29. StartupChicks
  30. TechWomen Canada
  31. theBoardList (theBoardlist)
  32. TheNextWomen
  33. UPWARD Women
  34. the Vinetta Project
  35. WE Venture
  36. WE@Yale
  37. WEST
  38. Women@Austin
  39. Women 2.0 (Women 2.0)
  40. Women Founders Network
  41. Women in Bio
  42. Women in Tech by ICON
  43. Women Led
  44. Women Presidents’ Organization
  45. Women Tech Founders
  46. Women Who Startup
  47. Women Who Tech
  48. Yazamiyot

Organizations Dedicated to Diversity in Venture

  1. AllRaise (AllRaise.org)
  2. Black Girl Ventures
  3. BLCK VC
  4. Diversity.VC (Diversity VC)
  5. Female Founders
  6. Founders for Change
  7. iNTENT Manifesto
  8. Israeli Power in Diversity Initiative
  9. Project Include
  10. The Billion Dollar Fund for Women
  11. VC Include
  12. Women.VC

Networks of Women Investors

  1. #Angels (#ANGELS)
  2. AllBright (UK, AllBright)
  3. ArcAngels (New Zealand)
  4. Astia Angels
  5. Beehive Holdings
  6. BELLE Capital (Lauren Flanagan)
  7. Broadway Angels
  8. Golden Seeds (Golden Seeds)
  9. Hera Fund
  10. Investing Women Angels (Scotland)
  11. The JumpFund
  12. New Voices Fund
  13. Next Act Fund
  14. Scale Investors (Australia)
  15. SheEO (SheEO World)
  16. Sofia Fund
  17. Topstone Angels
  18. We Angels Network (Chile)
  19. WE Capital
  20. Women’s Capital Connection
  21. WOMENA (Womena)
  22. X-Squared Angels

Investor Training Programs/Networks

  1. 37 Angels (37 Angels)
  2. Angel Academe (Angel Academe)
  3. Female Funders
  4. Kauffman Fellows
  5. Pipeline Angels (Pipeline Angels)
  6. Portfolia (Portfolia by Trish Costello)
  7. We Are Enough
  8. Women First Enterprise by the Angel Resource Institute
  9. Women in Venture

Investors Targeting Women-Led/Diverse Companies

  1. 1843 Capital
  2. The 22 Fund
  3. Amplifyher Ventures
  4. Backstage Capital (Arlan)
  5. BBG Ventures (Susan Lyne and Nisha Dua)
  6. BDC Capital Women in Technology (WIT) Fund
  7. Bootstrap Capital
  8. BRAVA Investments
  9. Bumble Fund
  10. Chloe Capital (Chloe Capital)
  11. Cleo Capital
  12. Cross Culture Ventures
  13. CTA Fund
  14. Female Founders Fund (Female Founders Fund)
  15. Gingerbread Capital
  16. Gotham Gal Ventures
  17. Halogen Ventures
  18. Harlem Capital (Harlem Capital Partners)
  19. The Helm
  20. Impact NH Fund
  21. Intel Capital Diversity Fund
  22. InvestHer Ventures
  23. JANE.vc
  24. Jump Canon
  25. JumpStart Focus Fund
  26. Karmijn Kapitaal
  27. Launch with GS
  28. LDR Ventures
  29. Luna Cap Ventures
  30. Merian Ventures
  31. New Age Capital (New Age Capital)
  32. Next Wave Impact
  33. Pique Ventures
  34. Pivotal Ventures
  35. Plum Alley (Plum Alley)
  36. Red Capital Partners
  37. Reign Ventures
  38. Reinventure Capital
  39. Rethink Impact
  40. Shatter Fund
  41. SoGal Ventures (SoGal Ventures)
  42. Springboard Growth Capital (Kay Koplovitz)
  43. Sybilla Masters Fund
  44. Texas Women Ventures
  45. The Billion Dollar Fund for Women’s Fund Partners
  46. True Wealth Ventures (Sara T Brand)
  47. Victress Capital (Victress Capital)
  48. WE Fund
  49. Women’s Venture Capital Fund
  50. Canadian Government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund and Women Entrepreneurship Fund
  51. WXR Fund (The WXR Venture Fund)
  52. XFactor Ventures (XFactor Ventures)
  53. XXelerate Fund

VC Funds Led by Female Partners

  1. 11.2 Capital
  2. Aligned Partners
  3. Aspect Ventures (Aspect Ventures)
  4. Astarte Ventures
  5. BackingMinds (BackingMinds)
  6. Bloomberg Beta
  7. Boston Seed
  8. Breakout Ventures
  9. Brilliant Ventures
  10. Converge (Converge)
  11. Cowboy Ventures (Cowboy Ventures)
  12. Day One Ventures
  13. Define Ventures ( Lynne Chou-O’Keefe)
  14. Fika Ventures
  15. Forerunner Ventures (Forerunner Ventures)
  16. Glasswing Ventures
  17. Hustle Fund
  18. Illuminate Ventures (Cindy Padnos)
  19. Impact America Fund
  20. Katalyst Ventures
  21. Longevity Fund
  22. Magnetic Ventures
  23. MILA Capital
  24. Moderne Ventures
  25. Reach Capital (Reach Capital)
  26. Relentless Venture Fund
  27. Rivet Ventures
  28. Spero Ventures (Spero Ventures)
  29. Starvest Partners
  30. Supernode Ventures (Supernode Ventures)
  31. Urban Innovation Fund
  32. Valor Ventures
  33. Westlake Village BioPartners

Crowdfunding for Women-Led Companies

  1. Arya Women (Turkey)
  2. AWE Ventures
  3. iFundWomen (iFundWomen)
  4. TheNextWomen Crowd Fund(Europe, The Next Women)

Tech, Services, Content for Women-Led Companies

  1. Hello Alice (Alice)
  2. Connecting Founders
  3. Diversify Tech
  4. Femstreet
  5. Hastartuptiot
  6. Let’s Get to 51%
  7. Piloting Your Life — a Podcast by Terri Mead
  8. Project W by Davis Wright Tremaine
  9. The GUILD (The GUILD)
  10. The Pink Ceiling
  11. The Point 25 Initiative
  12. The State of Women (Women INVESTING)
  13. Stride Ventures
  14. Ventureneer (Geri Stengel)
  15. Virago
  16. Wingpact
  17. Women’s Business Development Center

Conferences for Entrepreneurial Women

  1. Black Women Raise
  2. Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards
  3. Female Founders Conference
  4. Female Founders Program at The Montgomery Summit
  5. Ladies Who Launch
  6. Million Dollar Women Summit
  7. SERENDIPITY by The GUILD
  8. Women @ Republic (Republic)
  9. Women Entrepreneurs Festival
  10. Women Who Tech

Developing Women Tech Talent

  1. allWomen
  2. Baot by Extend
  3. Bella Minds
  4. Black Girls Code
  5. Code First: Girls
  6. CODE2040 (Code2040)
  7. Girl Develop It (Girl Develop It | GDI)
  8. Girls Who Code (Girls Who Code)
  9. Hackbright Academy (Hackbright Academy)
  10. mBolden
  11. PowerToFly (PowerToFly)
  12. Queen B
  13. Rails Girls TLV
  14. She Codes
  15. TechGirlz (TechGirlz)
  16. Venture for America (Venture For America)
  17. Women In Product
  18. Women Who Code (Women Who Code)

Developing Young Women Entrepreneurs

  1. GirlMade

I’m the VP @ Springboard, a venture catalyst and premier global network of women innovators transforming industries. Follow me at @joshuahenderson or joshuahenderson.com and find Springboard at sb.co. If you enjoyed this article, please click below to recommend it.

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Joshua Henderson
Been There Run That

1000% committed to helping women innovators transform industries, cure diseases, and build scalable businesses