The Global Ecosystem Supporting Women Innovators and Investors

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

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Last updated February 1, 2019 (out of date)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.