WE Innovate

WE Innovate

Supports women founders with a focused programme of mentorship and investor readiness for startup growth.

WE Innovate is Imperial College London's annual six-month female entrepreneurship accelerator, delivered by the Imperial Enterprise Lab, supporting the next generation of women entrepreneurs in developing early-stage ventures through mentorship, masterclasses, and pitch competition. The 2026 cycle is currently in delivery: Phase 1 commenced January 22, 2026; Phase 2 began March 25, 2026; the Grand Final is scheduled for late May 2026. Applications for the 2027 cycle are expected to open in September 2026, based on the prior year's pattern of a September 15 open date and November 17 close date.

The programme progresses through three phases. Phase 1 accepts 25 teams for eight weeks of masterclasses and coaching. Phase 2 narrows to 10 teams for pitch coaching and investor networking. Phase 3 selects 5 finalist teams for final pitch preparation before the Grand Final. The equity-free prize pool is £30,000, distributed at the discretion of the judging panel. Special awards include the Engineers in Business Award and the Lauren Dennis in Memoriam Award. The team lead must be legally recognized as female under the UK Equality Act 2010 and must be a current Imperial student, postgraduate, Early Career Researcher, or alumnus who graduated no earlier than October 2023.

Previous team leads from WE Innovate or the Althea-Imperial Programme are ineligible to reapply; unsuccessful prior applicants may reapply. The programme is sector-agnostic, accepting ventures from any industry. Applicants seeking the 2027 cycle should monitor the Imperial Enterprise Lab programme page from August 2026 onward for confirmed open dates, as the 2027 call details have not yet been published at the time of this record.