Women Founders Network Fast Pitch
Women Founders Network
$25,000 (per track) + $5,000 finalist
Annual pitch competition awarding $25K per track plus a $5K finalist grant to women-led US businesses.
Women Founders Network hosts an annual Fast Pitch competition for US-based businesses with a woman founder, co-founder, or CEO and women majority ownership. The competition offers two tracks (Tech/Tech-enabled and Consumer/CPG/Other Non-tech), with each first-place winner receiving a $25,000 cash grant and one finalist receiving a $5,000 cash grant. Finalists also receive pitch coaching, mentorship, professional services, and investor connections.
- Funding type
- Award
- Level
- Foundation
- Amount range
- $5,000 – $25,000
- Realistic amount
- $25,000 for a track winner; $5,000 for the finalist-voted grantee
- Deadline
- 2026 applications closed; 2027 cycle expected
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
Who qualifies
- Founder/Co-Founder/CEO must be a woman or the business must be majority-owned by a woman
- Business must be based in the United States
- Must attend in person and participate in the annual Fast Pitch Event on October 21 in Los Angeles, CA
- Must have raised no more than $750K in outside funding, including personal cash funds
- Pre-revenue plans welcome (need to show customer interest such as sign-ups, surveys, LOIs)
- Cannot be nonprofit, Life Sciences, or cannabis/CBD companies
Who is not eligible
- Nonprofit organizations
- Life Sciences companies
- Cannabis/CBD companies
- Businesses not majority women-owned or led by a woman CEO/founder
- Businesses that have raised more than $750K in outside funding
- Businesses unable to attend the in-person Fast Pitch event in Los Angeles
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Business operations and growth
- Product development
- Marketing and sales
- Hiring and team expansion
Ineligible expenses
- Personal expenses
How to apply
-
1
Confirm eligibility
Verify your business is US-based, majority women-owned or led by a woman, has raised no more than $750K, and is not in an excluded industry.
~0.5 hrs
-
2
Apply during open window
Submit the online application when the annual competition opens (2026 window closed; monitor for 2027 dates).
~2 hrs
-
3
Participate in finalist programming
Selected finalists receive pitch coaching, financial mentoring, professional services, and practice pitch events leading up to the Fast Pitch event.
~20 hrs
-
4
Pitch at annual Fast Pitch event
Attend and pitch in person in Los Angeles on the event date; winners receive cash grants and ongoing alumni support.
~8 hrs
The competition is as much about investor readiness as cash; finalists gain significant pitch coaching and investor exposure. Pre-revenue applicants should come with strong customer validation (LOIs, waitlists, surveys).
Deadline & timing
Annual competition; 2026 applications are closed. Watch womenfoundersnetwork.org for 2027 dates.
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Required documents
- Application form
- Pitch deck
- Financial information
- Customer validation evidence (for pre-revenue applicants)
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Alternatives computed from the live GrantCompass catalog on August 25, 2026 — all 183 open grant programs · filter the database.
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