Applications Open for 2026 US Women in Tech Accelerator

Village Capital, a global venture firm based in Washington, DC and the Foundation of the global bank Standard Chartered have opened applications for their 2026 US Women in Tech Accelerator. The program is aimed at helping early-stage, women-led technology startups scale their businesses and prepare for fundraising, and virtually all programming is online. This means businesses located anywhere in the US - including eligible Women in tech founders in the Midwest - may apply.

According to the accelerator's website, the four-month program will run from April to July 2026, and gives selected founders investment-readiness training, personalized development plans, mentorship from industry advisors, and virtual workshops. At the program’s conclusion, participating entrepreneurs will peer-select two startups to receive $25,000 in grant funding.

Applications are open until January 2026 and organizers say the program will prioritize founders from historically marginalized communities and target solutions that increase access to affordable healthcare and wellness, quality education and professional development, financial resilience and wealth-building, and essential services that support economic mobility for underserved communities.

There are longstanding disparities in venture capital funding for women and marginalized founders. Research and industry reports on women in tech have repeatedly cited interest in STEM fields in late high school as indicators, and shown that female founded startups receive 28% of all funding. Additionally, all-women founding teams receive a tiny share of venture capital dollars, often cited at roughly 2–3% over multi-decade periods. Meanwhile - citing data from Crunchbase - the site peopleofcolorintech.com shared that “in 2024 Black-founded startups received just 0.48% of total US venture capital, down from 1.3% in 2021 and 0.5% in 2023.” Organizers have framed the accelerator as one effort among many to help founders overcome structural barriers to capital and growth. 

All applicants will be able to use Abaca, Village Capital’s free web app that includes tools such as a “Capital Explorer” for identifying suitable funding options and a milestone planner to track investment readiness.

Village Capital has worked with roughly 1,800 startups since being founded in 2009 and says its network has raised billions in investment. The Standard Chartered Foundation is the bank’s philanthropic arm, focused on youth employability and entrepreneurship, particularly for women and people with disabilities. “Through this program, early-stage founders receive practical resources, expert advice and mentorship to help them build and scale their businesses, which supports sustainable growth and facilitates longer-term success,” said Mandy DeFilippo, CEO of Standard Chartered US & Americas, in their statement.

The US Women in Tech Accelerator is the second cohort of this particular program and forms part of a broader set of youth and entrepreneurship programs the partners run in the Americas. Organizers say the program is intended to build both business capacity and leadership among early-stage women entrepreneurs.

DETAILS:

- Program period: April–July 2026

- Application deadline: January 16, 2026

- Financial award: Two peer-selected startups to receive $25,000 each

- Eligibility and full program details are available through Village Capital’s application portal

The accelerator aims to narrow the resource gap for women founders, though experts note that grant programs and accelerators are only one piece of a larger effort needed to change investment patterns across the venture ecosystem.