From Dani Pascarella in Startup Accelerators Hold The Keys To Gender Equity In Tech (Forbes):

"We not only need accelerators to accept more women, we also need more organizations that support female founders throughout their entrepreneurial journey. ... If accelerators accept more women-led companies and female founders have access to organizations that support them at each stage, then ‘what could be’ is more gender equity in technology."

Furthermore. The World Bank Group reports that a growing body of evidence backs how investing in women can have exponential impact in transforming local and global markets.

FF-START is designed to help female founders take their startups to the next level. From Business Model Validation to Investment Readiness, FF-START provides early-stage women entrepreneurs with a step-by-step methodology to rapidly and systematically validate their business model, and to understand the fundraising process while putting in place the elements they need to get their venture ready for funding and investor capital. We want women-led startups to attract as much investor capital as necessary, so we take no equity from participants to help them maintain as much ownership in their companies as possible. Instead, we charge a small fee to ensure accessibility and accountability, and offer them the opportunity to continue incubating their startup at Impact Hub Houston -- or to graduate into other locally- and nationally-recognized accelerator programs -- to help them continue getting the support they need as they progress to later stages.

You can play an important role in impacting Houston's economy by helping women entrepreneurs access the education, community and support they need to validate their ideas and launch high-potential businesses. Invest in emerging female founders: Contribute to ff-start!