Women Founders Network Fast Pitch

Who qualifies

• Founder/Co-Founder/CEO must be a woman or the business must be majority-owned by a woman
• Business must be based in the United States
• Must attend in person and participate in the annual Fast Pitch Event in October in Los Angeles, CA
• Must have raised no more than $750K in outside funding, including personal cash funds
• Pre-revenue plans welcome (need to show customer interest such as sign-ups, surveys, LOIs)
• Cannot be nonprofit, Life Sciences, or cannabis/CBD companies

Who is not eligible

• Nonprofit organizations
• Life Sciences companies
• Cannabis/CBD companies
• Businesses not majority women-owned or led by a woman CEO/founder
• Businesses that have raised more than $750K in outside funding
• Businesses unable to attend the in-person Fast Pitch event in Los Angeles

Is the Women Founders Network Fast Pitch legit?

Yes. Women Founders Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, launched in 2013, that gives $55,000 in cash grants through its Fast Pitch competition. The latest winners it has posted are from 2020.

• Who runs it: Women Founders Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
• Since: 2013
• What winners get: $55,000 in cash grants, including $25,000 to the winner of each track

Sources: womenfoundersnetwork.org · page 2. Last checked at the funder on October 18, 2026.

Past Women Founders Network Fast Pitch winners

Winners it has published (2020):

• Kate Dilligan, Cooler Heads · 8th Annual Fast Pitch, Oct 27, 2020 (1st place, $25,000 + $5,000 Junior Judges award)
• Reetu Gupta, Cirkled In · 8th Annual Fast Pitch, 2020 (2nd place, $7,500)
• Celine Tien, Flowly · 8th Annual Fast Pitch, 2020 (3rd place, $5,000)

Names as published by Women Founders Network (source). GrantCompass is not affiliated with Women Founders Network.

Does your funding count toward the Fast Pitch $750K limit?

Investor money and your own cash count toward the Women Founders Network $750,000 limit; research grants and other non-dilutive grants do not. Add investor money to your own cash, leave grants out, and compare the total with $750,000. The rules say an applicant “must have raised no more than $750K in outside funding, including personal cash funds,” and a footnote adds that “research grants or other non-recourse, non-dilutive grants do not count towards the $750K maximum.”

Two more rules that rule people out

• The trip: finalists must pitch in person in Los Angeles in October, and Women Founders Network says “travel expenses are the responsibility of the applicant.”
• The industry: it does not accept nonprofit, Life Sciences or cannabis/CBD companies. Pre-revenue is fine if you can show customer interest, such as sign-ups, surveys or letters of intent.

Over the limit, or can’t make the trip? See which grants you qualify for.

What it covers

How to apply

1. 1

   Confirm eligibility

   Verify your business is US-based, majority women-owned or led by a woman, has raised no more than $750K, and is not in an excluded industry.

   ~30 min

2. 2

   Apply during open window

   Submit the online application when the annual competition opens (2026 window closed; the funder says 2027 applications will be accepted April 1 to May 31, 2027).

   ~2 hrs

3. 3

   Participate in finalist programming

   Selected finalists receive pitch coaching, financial mentoring, professional services, and practice pitch events leading up to the Fast Pitch event.

   ~20 hrs

4. 4

   Pitch at annual Fast Pitch event

   Attend and pitch in person in Los Angeles on the event date; winners receive cash grants and ongoing alumni support.

   ~8 hrs

How the Fast Pitch competition runs each year

Women Founders Network Fast Pitch runs once a year: applications open in spring, 10 finalists are chosen, the finalists get coaching, and then they pitch in person in Los Angeles in October for $55,000 in cash grants. Women Founders Network says applications for the 2027 competition will be accepted April 1 to May 31, 2027. It does not publish a semifinal round or the date finalists are told.

1. 1

   Apply online

   April 1 to May 31, 2027, per Women Founders Network. You enter one track.

2. 2

   Ten finalists are named

   Across both tracks; the 2026 finalist list has 10 companies. A past finalist quoted by the funder says investors who review applications can still fund companies outside the top 10.

3. 3

   Finalist programming

   A one-on-one pitch coach, a financial mentor, practice pitch events and professional services awards.

4. 4

   The Fast Pitch Event

   Finalists pitch in person at UCLA in October, with investors in the room.

What it pays: cash and in-kind

Which track to enter

Tech/Tech-enabled is for a “B2B or B2C company that relies on significant development of technology to deliver the product or service.” Consumer/CPG/Other Non-tech covers “any product sold to consumers as physical units or consumer focused media/content, e-commerce sites, or services provided to consumers.” A simple test: if the product could not exist without technology your team built, enter Tech. A snack brand with an online store is Consumer.

Deadline & timing

Annual competition; 2026 applications are closed. Women Founders Network says applications for the 2027 competition will be accepted April 1 to May 31, 2027.

Required documents

• Application form
• Pitch deck
• Financial information
• Customer validation evidence (for pre-revenue applicants)

Women’s pitch competitions like Fast Pitch

Women Founders Network Fast Pitch is the one to enter early: it accepts pre-revenue companies that have raised up to $750,000, while the Enthuse Foundation, Cartier and Black Girl Ventures competitions all want revenue first.

Not the Women Founders Grant. The Women Founders Grant is a separate $5,000 monthly grant run by Women Founders Grant LLC of Eastchester, New York, with a $25 application fee and no pitch. Fast Pitch is Women Founders Network’s yearly live competition in Los Angeles.

Which one fits you

• No revenue yet: Fast Pitch is the only one of the four that welcomes you, if you can show customer interest.
• A food, beverage or CPG brand with $100K or more in sales: enter Enthuse, and the Fast Pitch Consumer track as well.
• An established impact business with a team of five or more: Cartier pays the most, and its fundraising ceiling is $2M rather than $750K.

More options beyond pitch nights: the best small business grants for women, ranked by amount.

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