The Atlanta Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, the nation’s only city-funded incubator for women business owners, has extended the application process for choosing its next 15-member group of promising women entrepreneurs.

Building on the success of its first class, WEI will accept applications through Sept. 22 from women entrepreneurs in the city of Atlanta. The 15-month program – running Jan. 2018 through March 2019 – fosters growth and sustainability through business education, financial literacy, access to mentors and consultants, and peer-to-peer networking.

WEI participants are chosen by a selection committee in a competitive process, which evaluates applicants according to the following criteria:

The business must be 100 percent woman-owned and the owner must reside in and/or be licensed to do business within the City of Atlanta;

Valid, up-to-date business license must be on file with the City of Atlanta;

Proof of profit generated by the business’s operations;

Three or fewer people (including the founder) employed at the business;

A business model favorable to sharing a collaborative, shared workspace environment;

Submission of completed application, per its requirements; and

Willingness to participate in pitch interview(s), in-person, with the Selection Committee.

The 15 businesses selected will be housed in a workspace in downtown Atlanta’s iconic Flatiron Building, the city’s oldest standing skyscraper for 15 months.

More than 100 applications were received for the first cohort of WEI, with 83 women entrepreneurs successfully completing the application process for consideration for the 15 available spaces.

Information: www.weiatlanta.com or via email at info@weiatlanta.com.