FourthWave, a business accelerator program for female entrepreneurs, is taking applications for its 2024 session — offering leaders who want to scale their companies modules ranging from leadership and financing to corporation rules and marketing.
FourthWave alumnae from the previous five cohorts have gone on to raise more than $100 million in venture capital, said Cheryl Beninga, co-founder of FourthWave.
The online application is due June 8 for the 16-week 2024 session, which will also include one-on-one mentorship support from successful women entrepreneurs, Beninga said. She said the program is likely to fill up.
Entrepreneurs who have gone through the program include the founders of local startups Elve Inc., 3D OPS, Flexia Pilates, Hamama, Emtrain, HomeZada and Foodom.
The program runs August through mid-November and concludes in the fall with pitch-coaching from venture capitalists and expert storytellers, Beninga said. One of the goals of the program is to help get women entrepreneurs positioned to raise funding for their companies.
Now in its sixth session, the program usually has 12 to 15 entrepreneurs involved, and usually about half of them are from the Sacramento region.
Participants pay $400 to go through the program, which Beninga said is a nominal fee to increase participation by making sure people who apply have skin in the game.
The FourthWave program is supported by the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at California State University Sacramento, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the city of Sacramento, among others. The program is run virtually, which allows it to work with women across the country. There will be some in-person events in Sacramento.
