The first class of female entrepreneurs has graduated from the TX Women Owned Incubator Program.

Selected late last year, six early-stage startup founders took part in the multi-month program, put on by Texas Woman’s University’s Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership and local coworking space The Slate. The incubator is designed specifically for helping women-owned businesses get off the ground.

Participants were given training in topics like business planning, customer acquisition, finances, and marketing strategy. Incubator facilitator and advisor Holly Burrow, the co-director and local leader of Founders Institute, said she wanted graduates to leave with the ability to effectively communicate what they are building. Participants also got dedicated workspace at The Slate in Dallas.

Participants in TWU’s TX Woman Owned Incubator Program. [Photo: TWU}

“Women, myself included, often struggle to put what they are building at the center of a conversation, but to grow a business, we must be able to speak to why and how we are building it and ask for the support of every listener,” Burrow said in a statement. “I wanted each of the cohort members to emerge from the program with a strong message to share with the world about what they are building and why they are the best choice to build it.”

Kicking off a new class

The university said that due to the success of the inaugural cohort, it’s planning to welcome a new batch. Available to North Texas businesses that are majority owned and controlled by a woman, applications for the upcoming incubator program will open this fall. The next program kicks off in January 2023.

The TX Women Owned Incubator Program is just one of a number of initiatives Texas Woman’s University offers to boost female entrepreneurship in the region. In 2020, TWU’s Center for Women Entrepreneurship teamed up with Denton coworking space Stoke to launch the AccelerateHer incubator program. TWU followed that up last March by partnering with TechFW on its SmartStart incubator program. The university also has grant programs for female entrepreneurs and female veterans.

“It’s very easy to feel isolated as a founder, but the environment created by the small cohort led to deeper relationships between the women and many instances of support away from our sessions together,” Burrow said.

Meet the grads

Participants in TWU’s TX Woman-Owned Incubator Program with The Slate Co-Founder Jodie Hastings and Incubator facilitator and advisor Holly Burrow. [Photo: TWU]

Check out the inaugural class of the TX Women-Owned Incubator Program below.

• We’re Simply Organized (Wylie)—an online community created by Angie Aranda that provides tips and techniques for “creating clutter-free spaces.”
• Surgical Sherpa (The Colony)—Created by Maria del Carmen Uceda, Surgical Sherpa is a concierge service helping patients find the most affordable surgical options and advocating for them along the way.
• Lovellfaye (Coppell)—a custom dress design business by Lovell Cox.
• Diaper Concierge (Dallas)—a diaper vending machine concept launched by Erin England meant for high-traffic areas.
• Dinner Reinvented (Dallas)—a recipe site and food blog by local chef Roni Proter Kelly.
• Legacy Incubator (Dallas)—a stealthy company founded by attorney Ifeyinwa “Ify” Seales.

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