2026 BGV Emerging Leaders Fellowship Cohort 2
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About the 2026 Emerging Leaders Fellowship (ELF) 2.0
Black Girl Ventures’ Emerging Leaders Fellowship (ELF) 2.0 is a reimagined 12-week accelerator for revenue-generating founders ready to scale. This program positions small businesses as a powerful engine for absorbing today’s talent while providing a transparent pipeline from capacity building to capital acquisition.
Through this program, founders can walk away with over $40,000 in total capital and support to transform from "solo-operators" into tech-savvy CEOs with the infrastructure to hire.
The Capital: Direct Funding & Pitch Prizes
We combine leadership development and workforce strategy with capital activation.
- Guaranteed Stipend: Each Fellow receives a $5,000 stipend.
- Detroit Cohort Virtual Pitch Prizes: Compete for local funding at the end of the 12 weeks:
- 1st Place: $15,000
- 2nd Place: $10,000
- 3rd Place: $5,000
- Crowd Favorite: $2,500
Crowdfunding Revenue: You will execute a 7-day crowdfunding campaign on the Raisify platform to secure additional market-validated capital.
The National Pitch Finale: The top three winners from the Virtual Crowdfunding Pitch advance to the national stage to compete for an additional prize pool:
- 1st Place: $15,000
- 2nd Place: $10,000
- 3rd Place: $5,000
- Crowd Favorite: $2,500
The 12-Week Roadmap to Scale
Our curriculum focuses on AI integration and operational efficiency to free up human capacity for hiring.
- Phase 1: Core Curriculum (Weeks 1-6): Master OKRs, Market Strategy, and AI to automate manual tasks.
- Phase 2: Activation & Visibility (Weeks 7-9): Transition to competition with Pitch Training, Pitch Practice, and a Recording Day for your 3-minute investor pitch.
- Phase 3: Vtrial Competition, Crowdfunding & Audit (Weeks 10-12): Complete Crowdfunding Training and launch your 7-day campaign alongside a Live Virtual Pitch Competition.
The Finale & Travel Benefits
The top three Cohort winners will advance to the national Pitch Finale. BGV covers all travel and lodging costs for the six finalists, ensuring geography is never a barrier to your national visibility.
Ideal Founder Profile
- Location: To be considered, founders must be based in Austin, LA & NY.
- Ownership: Must identify as an under-resourced entrepreneur with at least 51% ownership.
- Traction: Business must be revenue-generating and in operation for at least two years.
- Scaling Potential: Ready to move from a "solo-operator" to a CEO with the capacity to hire fractional or full-time talent.
- Commitment: Ability to commit to 12 hours per month and participate in both virtual and in-person pitching.
Important Dates
- Applications Open: April 6th, 2026
- Applications Close: May 6th, 2026
- Program Kick-off: June 6th, 2026
- Sessions: Every Wednesday from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST.
Format: All weekly sessions are virtual via Zoom