The team at Ladies Who Launch is excited to announce that applications for the 2021 Launch Program are open NOW through April 11th!
LWL’s mission is to empower a global community of early-stage women and non-binary entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses by providing access to the best educational resources, the most accessible capital opportunities and the support of knowing LWL has your back through the success and failures of launching your business.
Through this program, selected women, femme, and non-binary entrepreneurs will receive an immediate cash grant between $2,000 – $25,000 USD. But the funding is just the beginning. Being accepted into the Launch Program means being a part of a 6-month long program dedicated to supporting our recipients throughout these challenging times and helping your business get back on track. To learn more about the application process, criteria, and recipients of the 2020 Program, head HERE.
In 2020, we were blown away after receiving ~2,000 applications from women all over the United States. From those applications, we selected 11 incredible women business owners who showed tenacity, innovation, and a determination to keep their companies going. You can learn more about the inspiring recipients of the 2020 Launch Program 2020 RECIPIENT tab and hearing what they had to say about the program below.
In partnership with White House Black Market and Le Grand Courtage, we continue with our goal of supporting women in keeping their businesses alive and thriving through 2021 by providing cash and mentorship to help them navigate this next year.
From data collected from our first round of Launch Program applications as well as new research that has emerged, it is clear that there are several industries that have suffered more deeply from the effects of the pandemic. For this round of the Launch Program we will be focusing on businesses primarily in the Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods, Beauty, Health & Wellness, and Bar & Restaurant industries.
At LWL, we are committed to setting up our community for success, particularly those who may have been overlooked in the past. We must address this inequity and plan to do this by committing 70% or more of our admission to the Launch Program to diverse founders. We have always aimed to break down barriers to entry and give women in entrepreneurship the same unfair advantages that are afforded to their straight-cis-white male peers. It is time for a change and we are dedicated to focusing our efforts on giving BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and diverse founders an equitable chance at that unfair advantage.
You can learn more and apply for the Launch Program now through midnight PST on April 11th!