WE Americas Accelerator

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Women-owned enterprises are leading economic development in emerging markets. With the WEAmericas Accelerator Program, the growth potential is even greater.

Delivered by Thunderbird School of Global Management, WEAmericas Accelerator is an innovative, three-year U.S. Department of State Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs program designed to drive the advancement of women-owned businesses in Central America.

Building Skills. Bridging Gaps.

Through the WEAmericas Accelerator program, Thunderbird will bring together three cohorts of promising women entrepreneurs for an intensive, interactive business training program that features:

Face-to-face business and management courses designed by Thunderbird’s world-renowned faculty and delivered in Spanish
Professional mentoring by local Central American business owners and former WEAmericas alumnae
Site visits to regional businesses for observation, networking and idea sharing
Financial stipends to pursue local networking and training that will provide opportunities to expand into new markets
A capstone event linking entrepreneurs and capital, including the opportunity to present to potential investors

Interested participants, mentors and investors can: Learn More

Developing business in developing countries.

WEAmericas targets women throughout Central America, including Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama whose entrepreneurial efforts show the most opportunity for personal, social and cultural impact.

WEAmericas Accelerator

Part of a broader mission

The WEAmericas Accelerator Program is part of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs’ Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Americas (WEAmericas) initiative. The broader parent program is dedicated to supporting businesswomen in the Western Hemisphere by:

Reducing barriers
Increasing opportunities for women to start and grow small- and medium-size enterprises
Improving access to markets and capital
Delivering opportunities for skills and capacity building
Identifying leadership opportunities

The WEAmericas Accelerator program has allowed to better visualize the future of my business and to develop the strategies to take it to its maximum potential"

- María Suriano Shii, owner of Mashii and Thunderbird WEAmericas participant