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Feb 26, 2021 | Washington DC

Washington D.C. Startup Resource List: 475+ Accelerators, Incubators, Investors, and more

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Washington DC is becoming one of the best places to build a startup, but most of the early-stage entrepreneurs we speak to aren't aware of the local tech resources that are available to help them.

With applications for the Washington DC Founder Institute now open, we're excited to release the Washington DC Startup Resource Guide, which is currently in Draft v1 below! It was developed by the Washington DC Founder Institute and local leaders:  Brian Bassett Director, Simple Thread), and Hank Yuan, CEO and Founder of Creative Iris and Michele Wright.

This is just a draft, and while we spent many hours on this research, more input is needed. Please leave your comments on this collaborative Google document to help us complete the list. There are definitely omissions on this current version. 

Are you looking to build a startup in Washington DC? Then apply to the Washington DC Founder Institute today!

Text version included below, for ease of searching:

Startup Stages

There is no one right way to build a technology company, but for the sake of simplicity we have outlined a basic, common, sequential framework.

1. Idea Stage

This is where new entrepreneurs get inspired, learn best practices, develop skills, validate ideas, and begin to build their team and product.

A. Inspire

  • Washington DC Startup Media: Centralized local information, listings, and news. (i.e. startup blogs/ publications/ lists/ FB groups/ newsletters)
    1. Capitol Startup
    2. DC Inno
    3. Potomac Tech Wire
    4. Startup Digest Washington DC
    5. Technical.ly DC
  • Inspirational Washington DC Startup Events: Open, inclusive startup events that often focus on ideation. (i.e. Startup Weekend, idea fairs, and inspirational meetups)
    1. Black Women Talk Tech DC Meetup
    2. DC Startup Week
    3. Girls In Tech Washington DC
    4. Global Entrepreneurship Week
    5. SATELLITE 2021
    6. Startup Weekend DC
    7. Tech in Motion: Washington DC
    8. Technical.ly DC Events
    9. Techqueria
    10. The State of Innovation
    11. The Tech Bodega
    12. VetsinTech DC
    13. Women Empower X
    14. Women Who Code DC

B. Educate

  • Best Practices: Beginner knowledge-sharing tech events. (i.e. beginner events that serve to educate more than inspire).
    1. 1 Million Cups
    2. Agile Training Meetup Group
    3. AR/VR for Training & Education DC
    4. BlackTechMatters
    5. Breaking into Data DC
    6. CXO Tech Forum Meetup
    7. DC Emerging Technologies
    8. DC Food Tech Meetup Group
    9. DC Media Makers
    10. DC Tech Meetup Group
    11. DCCH Entrepreneurship Lab
    12. ENGINE
    13. Fashion Meets Tech
    14. Internet of Things DC
    15. MIT Enterprise Forum
    16. Startup Founder 101 DC
    17. Startup Grind DC
    18. Startups Central
    19. Suego 
    20. Tech Talk DC
    21. Washington DC Scrum User Group
    22. Women Techmakers of DC
    23. WoSEC DC: Women of Security
  • Training & Feedback: Skill & Idea development events and startup bootcamps for entrepeneurs. (Includes comprehensive training programs, like Founder Institute, General Assembly, Lean Startup Machine, code camps, etc)
    1. .NET DC User Group
    2. Agile Coaching DC
    3. Cloud Native DC
    4. Coding Dojo
    5. Coding and Technology Classes
    6. Data Innovation DC
    7. DC JavaScript Workshops
    8. DC Lean Startup Circle
    9. DC MD VA Ventures
    10. DC Metro FinTech
    11. DC Technology Startups Meetup
    12. DC Women in Agile
    13. DC Women's Business Center
    14. Deep Learning Adventures
    15. Expert DOJO Meetups
    16. Flatiron School
    17. Flatiron School DC Meetup
    18. Founder Institute
    19. GDG DC
    20. General Assembly
    21. General Assembly DC Meetups
    22. GW Boot Camps
    23. Health 2.0 Washington DC
    24. Impact Project
    25. Ladies' Tech XXchange
    26. Lean Startup Academy
    27. Lean Startup Machine
    28. Nucamp
    29. Operation Code: DC
    30. Product School Washington DC
    31. ProductCamp DC
    32. ProductTank Washington DC
    33. SCORE
    34. Startup DC
    35. Startup and Entrepreneurship
    36. Startup Leadership Program
    37. Startup Tech Entrepreneur Ventures MasterMinds DC
    38. Tech Duels: Washington DC
    39. The Black Upstart
    40. The Creative Lab DC Meetups
    41. The Data Incubator
    42. Thinkful
    43. Thinkful DC Meetups
    44. Washington DC AI Developers Group
    45. Washington DC Business and Tech Industry Meetup
    46. Washington DC Startup: Idea to IPO
    47. Y Combinator Startup School

C. Validate

  • Team Formation: Events for Finding Co-founders in Washington DC.  (i.e. tech networking events or other resources that facilitate early-stage recruitment and cofounder matching)
    1. #DC Tech Meetup
    2. CoFoundersLab
    3. CONNECTpreneur
    4. DC Metro Association Nonprofit Tech Network
    5. DC Sports Tech
    6. DC Startup Community
    7. DC Startup and Tech Mixer
    8. Disability Startup Network
    9. Ellevate Network
    10. Entrepreneurs' Organization
    11. eWomenNetwork
    12. Founder2be
    13. Founders Nation
    14. Founders Network
    15. Indian Startups Network
    16. IT Professionals, Mobile Apps Dev/Others for DC Networking
    17. NetParty DC
    18. Talented Tech Freelancers
    19. Washington Startup Ecosystem by StartupBlink
  • Build First Product: Hackathons & product events in Washington DC.
    1. Action Design DC
    2. Capital Hack
    3. DC Code & Coffee
    4. DC Coders
    5. DC Hardware Startup
    6. DC Legal Hackers
    7. DC Robotics Group
    8. DC Web Design, Development, Tech, and Media Authority
    9. Fab Lab DC
    10. Full-Stack DC
    11. GWU Maker Spaces
    12. HacDC
    13. Hackathon: Innovate the Future of the Built Environment
    14. Hacker News DC
    15. Hacks/Hackers DC
    16. Space Apps Challenge
    17. SpacyCoders Meetup
    18. The Fabrication Lab at DC Public Library
    19. UXDC
    20. Washington DC - Cognitive, AI & Data Science Meetup

2. Launch Stage

In this stage, entrepreneurs establish and formalize the company, develop the product, get feedback from customers, and prepare for the next step.

A. Start

  • Establish: Washington DC law firms & banks for startups
    1. Amplify Law
    2. Baker Botts
    3. Bank of America
    4. Barnes & Thornburg
    5. BB&T Bank
    6. Capital One Bank
    7. Chase
    8. Citi
    9. City National Bank
    10. Cogent Law
    11. Cooley LLP
    12. Dentons
    13. DLA Piper
    14. EagleBank
    15. First National Bank
    16. Graf Business Law
    17. HSBC
    18. Industrial Bank
    19. Kimberly Shin Law Firm PLLC
    20. Law Office of KS Kader, PLLC
    21. M&T Bank
    22. National Capital Bank
    23. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
    24. PNC
    25. Premier Bank
    26. Presidential Bank
    27. Rosten Law
    28. Sandy Spring Bank
    29. Shulman Rogers
    30. SunTrust Bank
    31. TD Bank
    32. TRIUMPH Law
    33. United Bank
    34. Wells Fargo Bank
    35. WilmerHale
  • Washington DC Workspaces: Co-working and flexible workspaces for startups in Washington DC.
      1. 1776
      2. AdvantEdge Workspaces
      3. BUREAU
      4. Carr Workplaces
      5. Convene
      6. cove
      7. CoworkCafe
      8. District Offices
      9. Flex Office Space
      10. H St Greenhouse
      11. Hera Hub
      12. Industrious Office
      13. Locale
      14. MakeOffices
      15. Metro Offices
      16. Mindspace
      17. Open Gov Hub
      18. Premier Workspaces
      19. Servcorp
      20. Spaces
      21. The HIVE 2.0
      22. The Yard
      23. Two Birds
      24. WeWork

B. Develop

  • Formalize: Washington DC accounting, development and HR tools for early-stage startups.  
    1. 3Advance
    2. AMB Small Business Accounting Services
    3. Artisan Talent
    4. CFO Services Group
    5. ChopDawg
    6. Creative Options
    7. Enovational
    8. Little Fish Accounting
    9. Lucas Group
    10. Marcum
    11. MassLight
    12. MindFinders
    13. Mobomo
    14. Myrick CPA
    15. new target, inc
    16. TorchLight Hire
    17. Web Guru DC
    18. Wendroff & Associates
  • Washington DC Incubators: Groups that prepare companies for seed investment and provide advanced mentorship. (i.e. advanced knowledge sharing, later stage events and resources)
    1. 5G First Responder Lab
    2. 1776
    3. 1863 Pipeline
    4. AU Entrepreneurship Incubator
    5. BGV Connect Incubator
    6. DC Fashion Foundation Incubator
    7. FedTech
    8. Georgetown Entrepreneurship Summer Launch Incubator
    9. Global Development Incubator
    10. Halcyon House
    11. Inclusive Innovation Incubator
    12. KIC DC
    13. KiwiTech Startup Program
    14. NASA iTech
    15. PeaceTech Lab

C. Launch

  • Washington DC Seed Accelerators: Seed funding mentor programs (Techstars-style programs that provide funding)
    1. 1863 Acceler8
    2. Agora Partnerships Accelerator
    3. CivStart
    4. Dcode
    5. FedTech
    6. Georgetown Startup Accelerator
    7. GW Summer Startup Accelerator
    8. PeaceTech Accelerator
    9. Rise of the Rest
    10. SEED SPOT
    11. Smart City Works
    12. Springboard Accelerator
    13. Startups Ignite Startup Venture Accelerator
    14. STEM to Market Accelerator
    15. Street Entrepreneurs
    16. Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator
    17. The Hatchery by AARP
    18. Union Kitchen Accelerator
    19. US Ignite Startup Accelerator Program
    20. Village Capital Accelerator Programs
    21. Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator
  • Pitch & Demo Events: Tech events that showcase Washington DC startups for investment.
    1. BigIdea CONNECTpreneur
    2. Black Girl Ventures Pitch Competition
    3. CivStart Demo Day
    4. DC Startup Week Pitch Competition
    5. Deep Tech Investor Panel + Startup Pitches
    6. Founder Institute Startup Demo and Graduation Ceremony
    7. Founder Showcase February 2021: Pre-Seed Startup Pitch & Networking Event
    8. Georgetown Entrepreneurship Challenge
    9. GWSSA Showcase and Demo Day
    10. KiwiTech Events
    11. Pitch George Competition
    12. SEED SPOT DC Impact Accelerator Demo Day
    13. Startup Challenge
    14. Startupalooza™ - DC's Angel Pitching Network
    15. Techstars Future of Longevity Accelerator Demo Day
    16. Women Empower X Female Founders Pitch Competition

3. Growth Stage

Here, a startup proves their utility, receives recognition, and scales up. This usually requires funding, angels, VCs, and ways to connect them to startups.

A. Recognition

  • Washington DC Investor Networking:  Events and groups that connect professional investors with founders.
    1. Angel Investment Network
    2. Angel Venture Forum DC
    3. Citrine Angels
    4. Georgetown Angel Investor Network
    5. Halcyon Angels
    6. Keiretsu Forum
    7. MEDA Angels
    8. MIT Alumni Angels of DC
    9. New Dominion Angels
    10. Pipeline Angels
    11. TiE DC
    12. Washington DC ArchAngels
  • Major Media: Mainstream local business press that often showcase local startups.
    1. ABC 7
    2. CBS 9
    3. DC Business Daily
    4. FOX 5
    5. NBC 4
    6. The Washington Post
    7. The Washington Times
    8. Washington Business Journal
    9. WTOP

B. Funding

  • Washington DC Angel Investors: Seed-stage investors and micro-vcs.
    1. Aaron Berkey
    2. Carla Valdes
    3. Collin Gutman
    4. Dan Mindus
    5. David Stevenson
    6. Elana Fine
    7. Evan Burfield
    8. Haroon Mokhtarzada
    9. Jennifer O'Daniel
    10. John Fanguy
    11. Jonathan Rice
    12. Joshua Bogart
    13. Matt Cutts
    14. Neal Gupta
    15. Oleg Naydonov
    16. Penny Lee
    17. Peter Barris
    18. Raj Bhaskar
    19. Raj DasGupta
    20. Rashad Moore
    21. Sean Glass
    22. Shawn Carpenter
    23. Terry Hsiao
    24. Tien Wong
    25. Wendee Wolfson
  • Washington DC Venture Capitalists: Series A and beyond
    1. Accolade Partners
    2. Anzu Partners
    3. Arborview Capital
    4. Arlington Capital Partners
    5. Balius Partners
    6. Black Girl Ventures
    7. Boulder Ventures
    8. Camber Creek
    9. Core Capital Partners
    10. DC Community Ventures
    11. DC Ventures
    12. Dcode Capital
    13. Diamond Ventures
    14. Fenway Summer Ventures
    15. Georgetown Capital Partners
    16. GP Ventures
    17. Lavrock Ventures
    18. Middle Bridge Partners
    19. Middleland Capital
    20. NaviMed Capital
    21. NEA
    22. Next Billion Ventures
    23. Nextlaw Ventures
    24. Paladin Capital Group
    25. Potomac Equity Partners
    26. PROOF.VC
    27. Quona Capital
    28. Rethink Impact
    29. Revolution
    30. Sands Capital Ventures
    31. SineWave Ventures
    32. TDF Ventures
    33. Temerity Capital Partners
    34. Updata Partners
    35. Venture Philanthropy Partners
    36. Village Capital
    37. Vital Venture Capital
    38. WE Capital
    39. Working Lab Capital
    40. Zeal Capital Partners

C. Growth

  • Infrastructure: Office space, HR, local business insurance. (i.e. office space/ HR/ insurance providers for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)
    1. 42Floors
    2. Alliance Insurance Services
    3. Crystal Insurance Agency
    4. Erie Insurance
    5. hatch IT
    6. Instant Offices
    7. LiquidSpace
    8. LoopNet
    9. Mondo
    10. Nationwide Insurance
    11. OfficeList
    12. Pie Insurance
    13. Progressive
    14. Regus
    15. Sparks Group
    16. State Farm
    17. Technical Staffing Specialists
    18. Technology Executive Group
  • Expansion: Washington DC Growth accelerators and consultants. (i.e. programs and business consultants for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)
    1. Accenture
    2. Alvarez & Marsal
    3. Ankura
    4. Bain & Company
    5. Booz Allen Hamilton
    6. Boston Consulting Group
    7. Deloitte
    8. Ernst & Young
    9. FTI Consulting
    10. Gallup
    11. Grant Thornton
    12. Guidehouse
    13. Kearney
    14. KPMG
    15. McKinsey & Company
    16. New Signature
    17. North Highland
    18. Oliver Wyman
    19. PwC
    20. Slalom
    21. Tata Consultancy Services
    22. Vera Solutions
    23. Willis Towers Watson

4. Washington DC Startup Success Stories

Successful homegrown companies that have raised significant institutional funding, employ a large workforce, or have achieved liquidity.

  1. Aledade
  2. Arcadia
  3. Axios
  4. Babyscripts
  5. CareerGig
  6. Caveonix
  7. CloudBolt
  8. Digi.me
  9. FiscalNote
  10. Hurdle
  11. ID.me
  12. LivingSocial
  13. Loop
  14. Mana Therapeutics
  15. Mapbox
  16. MicroStrategy
  17. MotoRefi
  18. Optoro
  19. Senseonics
  20. Shift5
  21. Stacklet
  22. Sweetgreen
  23. Synoptos
  24. Vox Media
  25. Zoobean



Supporters

To facilitate the steps, every ecosystem needs strong supporters.

1. Washington DC Startup Leaders

Successful local founders who lead the ecosystem & frequently mentor newbies.

  1. Aaron Saunders
  2. Brian Bassett
  3. Anita Gupta
  4. Colleen Wong
  5. Cory Lawrence
  6. Daniel Castro
  7. Evan Burfield
  8. Hank Yuan
  9. Jason Towns
  10. Jeff Reid
  11. Jonathan Ortmans
  12. Juliana Cardona Mejia
  13. Jung Moon
  14. Kezia Williams
  15. Lex McCusker
  16. Liz Sara
  17. Masha Sharma
  18. Michael Goldstein
  19. Michelle Wright
  20. Mike Ducker
  21. Mike Malloy
  22. Nate Andorsky
  23. Nick Chagin
  24. Peter Justen
  25. Sally Allain
  26. Scott Case
  27. Scott Stein
  28. Stephanie Asher
  29. Steven A. Rodriguez
  30. Tien Wong

2. Washington DC Government Startup Resources

Public organizations that facilitate local economic development

  1. CivStart
  2. DC Chamber of Commerce
  3. DC Department of Small and Local Business Development
  4. DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
  5. DC Smart City Initiative
  6. Dcode
  7. FedTech
  8. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency 
  9. United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  10. US Chamber of Commerce
  11. US Small Business Administration
  12. Washington DC Economic Partnership

3. Talent

Major local business or tech universities and employers that attract and retain local talent.

  • Local Washington DC Tech Universities (universities with prominent technical or business programs)
    1. American University
    2. Catholic University of America
    3. Gallaudet University
    4. George Washington University
    5. Georgetown University
    6. Howard University
    7. Marymount University
    8. Trinity Washington University
    9. University of the District of Columbia
  • Washington DC Tech Employers
    1. Alarm.com
    2. Amazon.com
    3. Appian
    4. Blackboard
    5. Cisco
    6. Cvent
    7. Dell Technologies
    8. DXC Technology
    9. Facebook
    10. Google
    11. IBM
    12. Intel
    13. Microsoft
    14. Motorola Solutions
    15. Oracle
    16. Salesforce
    17. Samsung
    18. Siemens

 

*  *  *

Learn more about the Startup Ecosystem Canvas here, and leave us your thoughts on the Washington DC Canvas on this collaborative Google document (This is just a draft, and more input is needed!)

Are you looking to build a startup in Washington DC? Then apply to the Washington DC Founder Institute today

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