Mia Thornton - 1st place pitch competition winner at the 2021 Women of Color Incubator

There are 13 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., representing 42% of all businesses.

Yet there is still significant disparity in revenue and capital between these business and others.

WBENC is helping bridge that gap — through access to opportunities, programs that accelerate growth, and campaigns to influence consumer buying behaviors.

The WBENC Women of Color Incubator is a six-week program designed for Black Women Student Entrepreneurs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Women of Color 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. 

Mia Thornton was the 1st place pitch competition winner in the 2021 Women of Color Incubator, co-sponsored by the Howard University Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership. She has received a cash prize of $2,500 and will be automatically accepted into the WBENCs premier Collegiate Accelerator this year. WBENC shares various resources and opportunities with the students in the program, one of which is a  Women of Color Grant, Powered by Cummins. Mia was chosen as the 1st place winner of the grant and awarded $10,000! 

 

What Mia has to say about her win

The WBENC Women of Color Incubator offered me and the other female entrepreneurs in my cohort the rich opportunity to define our value propositions, to be meaningfully challenged, and to develop practical strategies for socializing our brands. The feedback from the professional experts we benefited from will undoubtedly be cornerstones for future success! So, as I move forward with my ambition to make Mainsail Technologies LLC one of the leading Value Added Software Resellers in the country, I do so cherishing all of the entities that have poured into me, including the Howard University Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership and the WBENC.