FourthWave Names 12 Women-Led Tech Startups to 2024 Accelerator Program

Sacramento, CA, August 20, 204 - FourthWave, Inc., a leading non-profit accelerator for women-led tech businesses, today announced the company’s 2024 accelerator program cohort. This year’s class draws from women entrepreneurs from across the country, including eight leaders from California and six from Florida, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. The 16-week program provides founders with one-on-one mentorship, leadership development and preparation for funding.

Since FourthWave’s Sacramento launch in 2017, 58 women from over 50 startups have successfully completed the program and have raised over $150 million in venture funding. In the first quarter of 2024, Elve, a FourthWave program alumni and a leader in innovative millimeter wave amplifier technology, received $15 million in a Series A funding round. And in July 2024, Novocuff, another FourthWave alumni and a medical device company dedicated to improving pregnancy outcomes and reducing the risk of preterm birth, received $26 million in a Series A funding round.

“At FourthWave, we envision a world where women receive an equal amount of venture capital as men. In order to get closer to creating equity in funding, we created a unique and cutting-edge leadership training program that includes 1:1 business mentorship and help with fundraising and pitch development for our cohort members,” said Cheryl Beninga, Co-Founder of FourthWave.

“Our 2024 cohort is an incredible group of women tackling some of the most important issues of our time, including unlocking immunotherapies for breast cancer, advancing water purification for industrial and municipal wastewater systems, utilizing AI to power solutions for STEM and ELA instruction, combating chronic absenteeism in K-12, helping high-risk patients with pelvic health issues, and leveling the playing field for small business lending,” said Beninga.

The 12 companies and their founders selected for FourthWave’s 2024 accelerator program are:

• Shweta Gandhi of Strived, an education technology company focused on the development of AI-powered data tools for turning complex educational data into clear insights for tailored instruction, particularly in STEM and ELA, Davis, California.

• Ladan Ghobad of ENERtune, a cleantech company that developed an automated calibration tool that helps predict energy savings in building retrofits with higher accuracy and lower budget, Sacramento, California.

• Heather Rankow and Ashley Keyes of Rely, a real estate technology company that provides landlords with direct access to verified renters so that they can directly search for renters, mitigating their risk, decreasing vacancy time, and increasing profits, Berkeley, California.

• Rebecca Nguyen of ValleyMatch, a dating service for those looking for long-term monogamous relationships that don't have time to filter out bots, scammers, and casual daters, Elk Grove, California.

• Nyeisha DeWitt and Mani Growl of Wizearly, an education technology company that is developing next-generation attendance management solutions designed to combat chronic absenteeism in K-12, Oakland, California.

• Dominique Brun of DominoFX Group, an online marketplace that provides innovative lending products, access to programs for small businesses nationwide, and matches founders to the right funders, Sacramento, California.

• Penny Lane, Stefany James and Kylene Landenberger of Nexstera Tech, a climate tech company specializing in pin-pointing lithium battery risks in waste streams through AI-driven radar technology, San Luis Obispo, California.

• McCall Brinskele of Mense, a period care company with a mission to provide comfortable, safe, and most importantly, working solutions for people with periods, San Luis Obispo, California.

• Dr. Amy Yee of Cha Therapeutics, a medical research and technology company that seeks to unlock the potential of immunotherapies in breast and other cancers, Sacramento, California and Boston, MA.

• Kerstin Recker and Helen Grimshaw of PeliHealth, a medical health technology company that is aiming to be the first AI-driven platform to help prevent, treat, and identify high-risk patients with pelvic health issues, Miami, Florida.

• Sue Mecham of NALA Membranes, a cleantech company advancing water purification through the development of a new class of game-changing chlorine-tolerant membranes for reverse osmosis industrial and municipal wastewater systems, Morrisville, North Carolina.

• Tonya Turrell of The Launchpad, the provider of the first and only B2B technology matchmaking marketplace that connects technology buyers to technology sellers who are precisely aligned, Orlando, Florida.

Applications for the 2025 FourthWave Accelerator Program will open in May 2025. More about the program and how to apply for next year can be found at www.fourthwave.io.

About FourthWave

FourthWave is a non-profit accelerator for women-led technology businesses founded in 2017 by Nancy Perlman, Cheryl Beninga and Tracy Saville. Headquartered in Sacramento – the fifth best city in the U.S. for women entrepreneurs according to SmartAsset. FourthWave formed a strategic partnership with the Carlsen Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Sacramento State in 2020. The FourthWave accelerator program provides founders with mentorship, leadership development and preparation for funding.

FourthWave is committed to changing the narrative around gender equity and believes a core part of the story is seen through an economic lens. Investing in women is one of the most effective ways to reduce inequality and increase economic growth. FourthWave envisions a world in which women receive 50% of venture capital funding.