Top 25 Accelerators for Female Entrepreneurs in North America 2025
In 2025, the entrepreneurial landscape in North America is rich with support systems designed specifically to empower female founders. As female-led startups continue to rise, accelerators and incubators tailored to women entrepreneurs offer invaluable resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities. Below is a curated list of the top 25 accelerators for female entrepreneurs in North America for 2025.
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1. HearstLab
Description: HearstLab focuses on early-stage, women-founded, and women-led startups in North America, investing in a diverse range of businesses. Focus: Early-stage women-led startups in North America.
Investment: Up to $500,000.
Stage: Early Revenue, Prototype.
Location: USA.
Other: Targets companies with potential for growth and scale. Learn more about HearstLab
2. Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab
Description: This accelerator supports companies founded by multicultural and women-led startups, providing resources, mentorship, and investment opportunities. Focus: Multicultural and women-led startups.
Investment Stage: Convertible Note, Early Stage Venture, Seed Venture.
Diversity Investments: 23
Location: New York, New York, United States.
Type: Accelerator.
3. MergeLane
Description: MergeLane targets women-led startups with virtual mentoring, coaching, and a curriculum addressing challenges unique to women leaders. Focus: Women-led startups.
Format: Virtual mentoring, personal coaching, and curriculum.
Location: Boulder, Colorado, with some virtual components.
Program Length: 12-week program.
Other: Supports a diverse startup community.
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4. WMNtech Leaders
Description: A 4-month accelerator designed to connect women with resources in capital, community, and technology, created by 1871 and Ms. Tech. Focus: Women-led tech startups.
Program Length: 4 months.
Resources: Connections to capital, community, and technology.
Location: Chicago, Illinois.
Other: Built around peer-to-peer learning and fundraising strategies.
5. Female Founder Program by the Founder Institute
Description: A collaboration between the Founder Institute and WomenTech Network, offering mentorship and a support network for early-stage female entrepreneurs. Focus: Early-stage women entrepreneurs.
Mentorship: Access to over 100 mentors and industry experts.
Network: Local and global support network.
Format: Virtual and hybrid programs in multiple locations.
Other: Helps build innovative businesses.
6. Expert Dojo
Description: Focuses on businesses led by people of color and women, offering a two-month remote program to introduce startups to investors and partners. Focus: Businesses led by people of color and/or women.
Program Length: 2 months.
Format: Remote program for international applicants.
Networking: Introduction to investors and strategic partners.
Location: Not specified.
7. Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders
Description: A 10-week accelerator for high-potential, Seed to Series A tech startups led by women. Focus: Women-led AI startups in Europe and Israel at the Seed to Series A stage.
Program Length: 10-week.
Format: Hybrid program, combining remote and in-person sessions.
Resources: Mentorship, technical support, and workshops.
Location: U.S. and Canada.
8. US Women in Tech Accelerator
Description: Designed to address funding inequities faced by women, this accelerator provides both financial and social capital. Focus: Tech-based or tech-enabled startups led by women.
Grant: Two startups receive a $25,000 grant.
Eligibility: Must be a US-based, for-profit business with fewer than ten employees.
Mentorship: Mentoring and networking opportunities with investors, partners, and leaders.
Program: Includes financial analysis, milestone development, and peer-to-peer learning.
9. Aviatra Accelerators
Description: Offers classes, coaching, community, and resources to help women entrepreneurs in Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Greater Dayton. Focus: Women entrepreneurs in the mentioned regions.
Resources: Classes, coaching, community, and other resources.
Nonprofit: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Impact: Educated over 5,000 women, created over 15,000 jobs, and granted over $1,000,000 in loans.
Other: Offers events, programs, and community for women entrepreneurs.
10. Elevate Women+ Entrepreneur Incubator
Description: Designed to help women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs fundraise and scale their tech businesses. Focus: Women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs in tech.
Investment: Up to $100,000 in cash prize.
Format: An 8-week virtual program.
Resources: Investment readiness skills and investor networking.
Location: Canada.
Navigating the startup ecosystem can be challenging, but these accelerators offer significant support to female entrepreneurs, helping them realize their potential and scale their ventures. Explore these programs to find the one that aligns best with your entrepreneurial goals.
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FAQ
Q: What accelerator is best for early-stage women-led startups in North America?
A: HearstLab invests up to $500,000 in early-stage women-led startups. Learn more about HearstLab.
Q: Which accelerator program provides significant mentorship for multicultural and women-led startups?
A: Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab offers convertible note investments and mentoring. Explore Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab.
Q: What accelerator focuses on virtual mentoring for women-led startups?
A: MergeLane offers a 12-week virtual program with mentoring and personal coaching. Discover MergeLane.
Q: Which accelerator is designed for women-led tech startups in Chicago?
A: WMNtech Leaders is a 4-month program providing resources and community in Chicago. Learn about WMNtech Leaders.
Q: What program collaborates with the WomenTech Network to support early-stage female entrepreneurs?
A: Female Founder Program by the Founder Institute offers access to over 100 mentors and networking opportunities. Find out more about the Female Founder Program.
Q: Which accelerator caters to people of color and women-led businesses with a remote program?
A: Expert Dojo runs a 2-month remote program introducing startups to investors and strategic partners. Learn more about Expert Dojo.
Q: What program supports high-potential women-led AI startups in the U.S. and Canada?
A: Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders offers a 10-week hybrid program with mentorship and technical support. Discover Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders.
Q: Which accelerator addresses funding inequities for women-led tech startups in the U.S.?
A: US Women in Tech Accelerator addresses these inequities by providing grants and mentorship. Learn more about US Women in Tech Accelerator.
Q: What accelerator supports women entrepreneurs in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Greater Dayton regions?
A: Aviatra Accelerators provides classes, coaching, and community support for women entrepreneurs in these regions. Explore Aviatra Accelerators.
Q: Which incubator focuses on women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs scaling their tech businesses in Canada?
A: Elevate Women+ Entrepreneur Incubator is an 8-week virtual program helping with investment readiness and networking. Discover Elevate Women+ Entrepreneur Incubator.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
