Where Atlanta’s investment in women becomes economic return.

A decade of proof that when you invest in women, everyone wins.

Who We Are

Dr. Tope Mitchell, Executive Director

Dr. Tope Mitchell leads WEI with a vision for what women’s entrepreneurship can look like when cities truly invest in it. A strategist, connector, and champion for women founders, she brings the leadership and institutional relationships that keep WEI at the forefront of economic development in Atlanta.

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Dr. Dawn Sizemore, Program Manager

Dr. Dawn Sizemore is the architect of the WEI founder experience. Through her barrier-informed approach to curriculum and program design, she ensures every cohort member gets not just education — but the right education, at the right time, in the right environment to grow.

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Our Approach

We meet women where they are, and help them go further.

WEI’s approach is rooted in one core belief: barriers are real, and programs that ignore them don’t work. Every element of our model — from curriculum design to mentorship matching — is built around the actual challenges women founders face, not a generic entrepreneurship playbook.

Over nine months, cohort members move through a structured experience that builds business acumen, leadership confidence, strategic relationships, and financial readiness — in that order, with intention. No fluff. No filler. Just the work that moves the needle.

01.

Our Mission

To equip women entrepreneurs in Atlanta with the education, mentorship, capital access, and community needed to build scalable, sustainable businesses that strengthen our city’s economy.

02.

Our Vision

A thriving, continuous ecosystem where every woman entrepreneur in Atlanta has access to the resources, relationships, and support she needs to succeed — at every stage of her journey.

03.

Our Story

Founded in 2015, WEI has grown from a bold mayoral initiative into the nation’s only municipally-funded accelerator for women founders — seven cohorts, 150+ alumnae, and a legacy that keeps compounding.

Our Board Members

Dr. Eloisa Klementich 

President & CEO, Invest Atlanta

Candace Mitchell 

CEO, Myavana 

Grace Fricks

Founder & Advisor, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) 

Jamine Moton

CEO, Skylar Security (WEI Alumna)

Jasmine Crowe‑Houston

CEO, Goodr

Jewel Burks Solomon

Managing Partner, Collab Capital

Lara Hodgson

CEO, NOW Account 

Stefanie Diaz

Investor, Strategist

Terri‑Nichelle Bradley

CEO, Brown Toy Box (WEI Alumna)

WEI is more than a program.

It’s an Ecosystem.

What began as a 9-month accelerator has grown into something far bigger — a living, connected community of women founders, mentors, partners, and advocates who show up for each other long after graduation. WEI is evolving to meet women entrepreneurs wherever they are in their journey, with continuous access to resources, relationships, and opportunity. Because building a business doesn’t have a finish line — and neither do we.