Premier Incubator Program for Women of Color Entrepreneurs at HBCUs

The WBENC Women of Color Incubator is a premier program designed for Black female student entrepreneurs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This incubator provides the next generation of Black women entrepreneurs with the resources, community and support they need to strengthen their idea and grow their early-stage ventures.

Students accepted into the incubator will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with subject matter experts from some of the most successful women-owned businesses and America’s largest Fortune 500 companies. 

The Incubator culminates with a Pitch Competition awarding thousands of dollars in seed capital and the opportunity to receive an all-expenses paid trip to attend WBENC’s National Conference & Business Fair in New Orleans, LA, for FREE to access a network of 4,000+ attendees.

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.

The Incubator at WOC Incubator at University of Maryland Eastern Shore will culminate with a Pitch Competition awarding seed funding prize packages:

Pitch Competition Award: $5,000
Business Innovation Award: $3,000
Audience Choice Award: $1,000

Class Schedule

Session 1: Mon, Sep 30, 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST

  • Incubator Kickoff | On UMES Campus

Session 2: Mon, Oct 7, 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST

  • Refining Ideas & Opportunities | Virtual via Zoom

Session 3: Mon, Oct 14, 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST

  • Creating Prototypes & Experiments | Virtual via Zoom

Session 4: Mon, Oct 21, 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST

  • Understanding Revenues & Expenses | On UMES Campus

Session 5: Mon, Oct 28, 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST

  • Preparing for Effective Launch | On UMES Campus

Session 6: Mon, Nov 4, 5:00 – 7:00 PM EST

  • Perfecting Your Pitch | On UMES Campus

Session 7: Mon, Nov 18, 5:00 – 8:00 PM EST

  • Incubator Pitch Competition | On UMES Campus

Applications Open July 1, 2024

Program Dates

September 30 – November 18

Location

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Campus

 

Women of Color Program Founding Sponsors:
Program Details

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 in addition to an all-expenses paid trip to future WBENC events across the nation.

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

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.

The incubator gave me to tools to get my business up and running with confidence. From the speakers to the activities, I gained so much more insight into the world of entrepreneurship.
Katelyn M. Williams
The Curly Scientist, 2021 NC A&T Incubator 1st place awardee
Katelyn M. Williams
The featured speakers and member leadership provided a remarkable learning experience for individuals at various places in their entrepreneurial journey. 
Mia Thornton
Mainsail, 2021 Howard Incubator 1st place awardee
Mia Thornton
Why Participate

Black female student entrepreneurs or recent graduates accepted into the WOC Incubator will learn how to test the viability of their ideas and discover how to transform their idea to a minimum viable product. Participants will engage in entrepreneurship curriculum taught by subject matter experts from some of the most successful women-owned businesses and America’s largest Fortune 500 companies. The Incubator will culminate with a Pitch Competition awarding a thousand dollars in seed capital and the opportunity to attend WBENC’s National Conference & Business Fair in Denver, CO for FREE to access a network of 4,000+ attendees.

Eligibility

  • Women of Color female student entrepreneur
  • Applicant must be enrolled at University of Maryland Eastern Shore or a recent graduate within the last 12 months of the University. We are also opening this incubator to students at Salisbury 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 UMES is open to all individuals who are students at UMES, 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 UMES will be conducted in a hybrid format, combining virtual sessions via Zoom Meetings with in-person sessions hosted on the UMES campus.
  • When are the sessions scheduled to take place?
    • WOC Incubator at UMES sessions will be held on Mondays from 5 to 7 PM ET, starting on Monday, September 30th. Please see the class schedule section of this page for more information.
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