Earlier this summer Hypepotamus reported that WEI (the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative) was relaunching its efforts to provide training, mentorship, and access to capital for Atlanta-based businesses.
We finally know which female founders are joining WEI’s new cohort. In its seventh iteration, WEI will support 15 founders through a nine-month accelerator that focuses on “business development support, strategic guidance, and the collaborative environment needed to scale their ventures and grow sustainable businesses,” according to a press release.
Meet The New WEI Cohort
The latest cohort represents “the strength, diversity, and innovation that defines Atlanta’s entrepreneurial landscape,” said Jen Bonnett, Vice President of Tech and Entrepreneurship at Invest Atlanta.
Since its inception in 2016, WEI has supported more than 90 businesses. The program’s graduates have gone on to create 1,000 jobs for Atlantans, generate $42 million in annual revenues, and garnered over $8 million in capital investments.
This new cohort is made up of:
- Cathy Huyghe, co-founder of Enolytics: Bringing “big data to the wine industry”
- Chrissa McFarlane, founder and CEO of HealthTech platform Patientory
- Kashi Sehgal, founder and CEO of hyper local food distributor Retaaza
- Tara Hamberger, founder and CEO of RootedCarePlus, text-base support for caregivers
- Loren Mount-O’Brien, founder and CEO of social recommendations app Mirour (previously Lutely)
- Ceal Hoskie-Starks, founder and CEO of wellness company Ready to Live Soap Therapy
- Nyah Chapman, founder and CEO of LUXE AI, which provides hyper‑personalized recommendations across travel, dining, and experiences
- Charreah Jackson, founder of education consulting agency Shine Army
- Brooke Terrell, CEO of WBT Therapy Works
- Janai Walters, co-founder and CEO of e-procurement platform inSIDEkonnect
- Desiree Booker Sharpe, founder of AI-Powered vendor intelligence startup SAVVIX
- Chlorey Campbell, President at The Baby Pantry, a nonprofit for underprivileged children
- Talita Meira, co-founder and CEO of Luksai, a platform for knowledge-based businesses.
- Eunice Shelley, founder and CEO of CineSPARQ
- Jessica Myers, Pocket Sound Bath
Those selected entrepreneurs will dedicate around 20 hours a month to complete the WEI program.
“WEI is another way we are building a stronger cornerstone of our mission to build a more inclusive economy in Atlanta,” said Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, in a press statement. “By supporting women entrepreneurs at the earliest and most critical stages of their business journey, we are investing in job creation, economic resilience, and generational wealth that benefits our entire city.
