Propel Your Business Forward with the
KS WELI Founder Program

The Kendra Scott Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (KS WELI) Founder Program is dedicated to empowering the next generation of creative and courageous early-stage founders. This semester-long program offers personalized mentorship from experienced business leaders, expert-led workshops tailored to your entrepreneurial journey, and opportunities to connect and collaborate with like-minded founders.

Participants can benefit from founder spotlights to showcase their expertise and build brand awareness, potential funding to accelerate their growth, and access to networking opportunities, speaking engagements, and pitch competitions.

Support Our KS WELI Founders

Interest & Nomination Form

Mentor Program: Elevate Your Growth with Expert Guidance

The KS WELI Founder Program connects you with a matched mentor – a seasoned entrepreneurial leader – for personalized guidance tailored to your specific business needs.

This invaluable support will help you:

Overcome obstacles
Make strategic decisions
Achieve your growth goals
Provide accountability

Core Groups: Empower Your Journey with a Powerful Network

The KS WELI Founder Program places you within a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. In addition to receiving dedicated 1:1 mentorship, you'll gain access to Core Groups, KS WELI’s peer-to-peer mentor and accountability groups. Core Groups are a 12-week program within the KS WELI Founder Program with two tracks: Ideation & Business Formation and Scaling Your Business.

Core Groups provide:

A Sounding Board
Fresh Perspectives
Motivation and Accountability

Founder Workshops: Get Real-World Tools for Success

Led by industry experts, our Founder Workshops provide focused knowledge and hard skills directly related to the needs of each Founder Program Cohort. This ensures the workshops are relevant and address the specific challenges founders face at different stages of their entrepreneurial journey.

Past Workshops Have Included:

How to Build a Pitch Deck and Fundraise
Intro to PR: How to Master the Art of Storytelling
Business Basics: Formation, Branding, and Trademarks
How to Find your Brand Story and Craft a Brand Strategy
Creating Funding Opportunities for Women

KS WELI Founder Program Impact

$0K

In Scholarships

Startups Supported

Founders Empowered

The Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (KS WELI) is pleased to announce our partnership with the Jessica Vollman Foundation (JVF). Named after Jessica Vollman, who passed away in 2020, her family started the JVF to honor her legacy.

As a UT alumna and passionate leader for women in business, Jessica was on a personal mission to empower entrepreneurs through globalization by making education more accessible.

As a proud UT Alum, Jessica discovered KS WELI when it first launched in Fall 2020. Aligned with KS WELI’s mission to “empower women to lead,” Jessica’s family believes she would have been involved with championing the next generation of courageous and creative leaders today. Honoring the legacy of Jessica, JVF has partnered with KS WELI to offer grants and sponsorship opportunities to leaders who are a part of KS WELI’s Founder Program.