Startup Maine Week, May 19-22: Startup Maine is the backbone of Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, fueling innovation, connection, and economic growth. As a convener for founders, tech talent, investors, and startup supporters, we provide the interactive infrastructure that allows entrepreneurship to thrive. More information here.
Boston Globe Tech Innovation Summit Pitch Contest: Ready to put your tech startup in the spotlight? In partnership with Pegasus Tech Ventures, Boston’s best and brightest startups will pitch live to an audience and judging committee for a chance to qualify for the Startup World Cup in San Francisco this October. Applications are due May 27. More information here.
Techstars Startup Weekend Boston, May 30 – June 1: What do you do during these 3 days? Gain valuable insights on transforming your concept from an initial sketch to a fully-fledged startup. From pitching your idea, scrutinizing business models, identifying your target audience, to marketing your product – they cover it all! By the culmination of the 3-day event, you’ll craft an MVP and showcase it. More information here.
Registration for Take the Floor pitch contests is now open. Three rounds of contests lead up to a final, where three entrepreneurs share $10,000 in investments to implement their idea. Take the Floor was created to support innovative ideas from early-stage entrepreneurs and provide the opportunity to access start-up capital to those who compete and win! Please remember that projects submitted must be Franklin County-based as this event is designed to support entrepreneurs wishing to do business in Franklin County. Deadline to apply is May 31. More information here.
C10 Labs / LabCentral AI BioHub ’25 Cohort: The program provides a new way of thinking about, building, accelerating, and scaling Biotech/AI ventures that allow founders to focus on things that matter most. They are primarily looking for early stage ventures, either individuals or teams who have been speaking to potential customers and have made some progress on their product ideas, but may not have any funding or revenue yet. The participants in the program will have access to both C10 Labs and LabCentral resources such as access to mentors/advisors in biotechnology and AI, shared wet lab equipment, shared computer infrastructure, fractional AI engineers, and more. Applications are due June 1. More information here.
Applications are open for the Board-Ready Bootcamp from MassTLC! This high-impact program is designed to prepare tech leaders for a successful board journey. This carefully crafted program with a lens of inclusivity will provide you with the tools and insights necessary to either begin or advance your board career. Applications are due June 1. More information here.
Techstars Boston Accelerator: With over a decade in the books, our program leverages the vast expertise of the Boston ecosystem to accelerate the growth of disruptive and cutting edge innovations especially in the areas of healthtech, sustainability/climate, proptech/built environment, future of work, and AI/ML by providing founders with unparalleled access to top mentors, investors and experts in our community. Applications are due June 11. More information here.
The TiE Women Program 2025 is an incredible opportunity for women founders to showcase their innovative business ideas on a global stage. Whether you are in the early stages of launching your startup or have an established business looking to scale, this competition offers a platform to gain visibility, network with industry leaders & investors, and access mentorship. Application deadline is June 15. More information here.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and VentureWell have come together to support and expand the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, a competition that recognizes undergraduate excellence in biomedical design and innovation. DEBUT challenges teams of students in undergraduate biomedical education to solve real-world problems in healthcare. Prizes of up to $20,000 will be awarded. Applications are due June 18. More information here.
Santander’s Cultivate Small Business helps early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain businesses in the food industry, with a focus on historically underserved founders in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. The program is completely free for eligible entrepreneurs and provides a 12 week food-focused curriculum, mentorship, and capital grants. Applications are due June 30. More information here.
The Access to Success Accelerator is for startups building solutions that help people with disabilities, including hardware, software or service-based innovations. To be eligible, you must have a minimal viable product, must have validated the problem, and must demonstrate co-creation with the disability community. Applications are due June 30. More information here.
EForAll Roxbury Fall 2025 Business Accelerator: The Accelerator is a free, 12-week program offered twice a year in EforAll communities. It provides immersive business training, mentorship and access to an extended professional network. Anyone with a dream to start or grow a business is encouraged to apply. Applications are due July 16. More information here.
EForAll Berkshire County Fall 2025 Business Accelerator: The Accelerator is a free, 12-week program offered twice a year in EforAll communities. It provides immersive business training, mentorship and access to an extended professional network. Anyone with a dream to start or grow a business is encouraged to apply. Applications are due July 16. More information here.
EForAll Cape Cod Fall 2025 Business Accelerator: The Accelerator is a free, 12-week program offered twice a year in EforAll communities. It provides immersive business training, mentorship and access to an extended professional network. Anyone with a dream to start or grow a business is encouraged to apply. Applications are due July 16. More information here.
BOOST is an intensive 8 week program designed to ignite growth and equip pioneering built world startups with the right tools to transform the industry. BOOST surrounds founders with design, engineering, and construction experts, successful built world entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and leading academics. Startups will be launched into the built environment with direct access to jobsites, unparalleled operational knowledge, and an influential network of industry leaders. Applications are due August 19. More information here.
Startup Boston Week: Get ready to join the entire New England startup community for an unforgettable week from September 8th to 12th. This isn’t just another event – it’s where over 7,000 innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from all walks of life come together to ignite ideas, share knowledge, and shape the future. More information here.
Cape Cod Fall 2025 Blue Economy Pitch Contest: EforAll Pitch Contests are lively two-hour events that offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a friendly audience and receive valuable feedback from experienced judges. Business ideas across a wide range of industries are encouraged! A total of four cash prizes will be given out (1st place @ $1000, 2nd @ $750, 3rd place @ $500 as well as a $500 Fan Favorite prize). Deadline to apply: October 6. More information here.
ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready Program: The SCALEUP Program is ARPA-E’s early commercialization program designed to help teams turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality. During the SCALEUP Ready program, ARPA-E experts will provide guidance to awardees as they establish their business model, supply chain, and sales channels. Applications are now accepted on a rolling basis. More information here.
Accelerate Your Impact: Massachusetts Small Business Coaching Program: Boston Impact Initiative (BII) and Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) have partnered to offer entrepreneurs and small business owners coaching and resources to build sustainable and socially impactful businesses. More information here.
FinTech Sandbox is a nonprofit which enables financial technology entrepreneurs to build robust products by providing access to critical data, development tools and a curated network of customers, entirely for free. FinTech Sandbox is open to all startups innovating in financial services that can use financial data products we offer for product development and testing. The spirit of the program is to offer data to start-ups that could not otherwise afford it. More information here.
Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. As one of the largest pre-seed investors in the world, they funded over 3,200 companies that have gone on to have a market cap of $79B+. Each company receives up to $120,000 in funding, and access to the worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship, and over $4M of perks. Applications are open year-round and will be considered on a rolling basis. Your application will be valid for 12 months from the date of application. More information here.
Through its 2030 Fund, MassCEC invests at the earliest stages of company development across the climatetech landscape. With a focus on tough tech and underserved sectors, MassCEC investments aim to advance clean technology, fill funding gaps, create green jobs, and leverage private capital throughout the Commonwealth. More information here.
P&G Ventures is an early stage startup studio within Procter & Gamble that partners with entrepreneurs to accelerate billion dollar ideas that improve consumers’ lives. Focus areas include nontoxic home and garden, women’s health, anti-aging, daily wellness, and cleaning/sanitizing. More information here.
IFundWomen Boston is a crowdfunding ecosystem designed to help the women-led startups, small businesses, nonprofits, side hustles, and passion projects of Boston raise funds to launch and grow. Join iFundWomen if you are a Boston-area women-led startup to fundraise for your business and get your ideas launched. More information here.
AmplifyMass supports academic researchers and companies who need cost-share or adders for federal/non federal prime awards. AmplifyMass provides up to $300,000 for academic or company projects pursuing cost-share or adders for federal or non-federal prime awards (such as awards from ARPA-E, NSF, DOE, and USABC), or up to $100,000 for academic projects that are not tied directly to a prime grant. The program supports projects that aim to commercialize or substantially de-risk an innovation that falls within MassCEC’s mission. More information here.