The Incubator will culminate with a Demo Day Pitch Competition, judged by Corporate Executives, awarding cash seed funding to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. One participant of the incubator program will receive a paid internship for summer 2023.

Upon program completion, graduates will continue their engagement with WBENC via programs such as NextGen, the Collegiate Accelerator Program and continued participation in the Women of Color Program.

Testimonials From Other HBCUs

2021 Howard University Incubator Pitch winner, Mia Thornton, chief executive officer of MainSail Technologies, and the 2021 N.C. A&T Incubator Pitch Winner, Katelyn M. Williams, Founder & CEO of The Curly Scientist, both participated in the WBENC Collegiate Accelerator program. As part of the Collegiate Accelerator program, they had the opportunity to showcase their businesses during a live pitch competition at the 2022 WBENC National Conference in Atlanta, June 7-9, and participate in the two-month Collegiate Accelerator program.

Eligibility

• Women of Color female student entrepreneur
• Applicant must be enrolled at Florida A&M University or a recent graduate within the last 12 months of the University.
• Have a business idea or early-stage venture
• Ability to participate in all scheduled classes held in Eastern Standard Time. Accepted applicants will be required to attend the entire incubator, inability to attend the entire incubator will result in not being accepted.
• Completion of the online application, including an essay stating the desire to attend the incubator and how the program would enable you for future growth and success and resume.
• Applicants are selected on first come, first serve based on their comprehensive application, no one element is weighted more.

Contact aawasom@wbenc.org for more information.

WOC Incubator Cohort FAQs

• Who should consider applying for this Incubator?
  • Aspiring Entrepreneur: Students with a business idea looking to develop it into a thriving business.
  • Early-Stage Entrepreneur: Students who have already launched their business idea but would like to learn how to scale it to new heights.
• Who is eligible to apply for the Incubator?
  • The WOC Incubator at FAMU is open to all individuals who are students at FAMU, regardless of major or class standing.
• How many participants are typically in each cohort?
  • The cohort size ranges from 30 to 60 entrepreneurs.
• Who will teach the sessions during the Incubator?
  • The sessions will be facilitated by accomplished women-owned business owners who are subject matter experts in each topic.
• Where will the sessions be held?
  • Sessions for the WOC Incubator at FAMU will be conducted in a hybrid format, combining virtual sessions via Zoom Meetings with in-person sessions hosted on the FAMU campus.
• When are the sessions scheduled to take place?
  • WOC Incubator at FAMU sessions will be held on Fridays from 12 to 2 PM EST, starting on Friday, October 4th. Please see the class schedule section of this page for more information.