FourthWave program elevates female-led innovation and entrepreneurship

Day by day, women are surging into entrepreneurship and startups. BusinessWire writes, “Women entrepreneurs grew by 48% year-over-year, outpacing their male counterparts by 22%.”

Women dominate the national startup scene, launching companies at three times the rate of men, yet only attract about 4% of venture capital investments. That is why FourthWave was born in 2016, modeled with a pilot program in Los Angeles. After receiving a grant from the Sacramento mayor’s RAILS Fund, FourthWave launched its inaugural Sacramento program in 2017.

“FourthWave is charting a new course in business culture with innovative curriculum designed to facilitate our entrepreneurs’ growth as impactful, conscious leaders,” said Nancy Perlman, founder of FourthWave.

The organization is focused on providing access to funding, mentorship, and leadership development for female founders. In 2020, FourthWave stepped into a strategic partnership with the Carlsen Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Sacramento State to jointly administer its annual accelerator program. 

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. This paradigm has proven to be true domestically and internationally, in economies of every scale. FourthWave envisions a world where women receive at least 50% of investment funds.

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