Village Capital, in collaboration with Standard Chartered US, has announced the launch of the US Women in Tech Accelerator, a new initiative designed to address systemic inequities in funding and support for women-identifying startup founders. The three-year program aims to help women-led, tech-enabled startups scale their impact, create jobs, and drive economic mobility across the United States.
The accelerator program, which runs from March to July, is part of Standard Chartered’s Futuremakers initiative and is funded by the Standard Chartered Foundation. Already successful in other regions, the program will now expand its efforts in the U.S. to support women entrepreneurs in tech, equipping them with the resources, expertise, and capital they need to scale their businesses.
The move comes in response to the significant funding gap faced by women founders. Despite growing awareness of this issue, all-women founding teams have historically received only an average of 2.4% of venture capital funding over the past 30 years, a disparity that hinders innovation and economic growth. The US Women in Tech Accelerator aims to break down these barriers by unlocking financial and social capital for women-led startups.
“We believe that equitable access to funding and resources is essential to fostering innovation and driving meaningful impact,” said Sonia Rossetti, Regional Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing at Standard Chartered. “Through the US Women in Tech Accelerator, and in partnership with Village Capital, we are addressing the systemic challenges women founders face, creating pathways for them to scale their ideas, transform their communities, and realize their full potential.”
Kelly Bryant, US Regional Director at Village Capital, emphasized the broader goals of the partnership: “This initiative goes beyond funding; it’s about equipping women leaders with the tools, mentorship, and resources they need to drive meaningful change in their communities. Together, we aim to break down barriers to access and create a more inclusive and equitable innovation ecosystem in the United States.”
About Village Capital
Village Capital is reshaping the landscape of early-stage funding by supporting entrepreneurs working on solutions to urgent social, economic, and environmental challenges. Through its unique approach, Village Capital provides critical social and financial capital to startups, helping them maximize both business and impact growth.
Since its founding in 2009, Village Capital has supported nearly 1,800 startups, helping them raise over $5 billion in investment capital. The organization has also made over 150 investments through its affiliated funds, including Vilcap Investments, which has invested in 110 peer-selected companies. Village Capital also operates Abaca, a web app that helps entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs’ support organizations, and capital providers assess financial capital suitability and expand access to funding.
About Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group with a presence in 52 of the world’s most dynamic markets. The bank’s purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through diversity, with a heritage and values encapsulated in its brand promise: here for good.
With a history in the US dating back to 1902, Standard Chartered operates across nine locations in the Americas. The bank focuses on financial institutions and select corporations, playing a pivotal role in facilitating trade and investment flows between the Americas, Asia, Africa, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.