WEAmericas Accelerator

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.

Three cohorts of promising female entrepreneurs participate in the 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

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.

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