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The Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) flagship program is an advanced educational, training, and networking program for owners or co-owners of brick-and-mortar food or beverage businesses in the United States. Each cohort comprises 20 participants. WEL alumnae form a strong and broad community, with regular opportunities to connect with each other and the Foundation. JBF invests in this group of established women entrepreneurs to ensure the success and increase of women-owned businesses and foster a growing network of female entrepreneurs across the country.
The 11-week virtual program gives business owners the opportunity to expand as a leader, evaluate and optimize their business model and internal systems, identify improvements, and create a long-term strategy for growth and success.
Through an extensive curriculum, participants work to refine and articulate their goals and vision for their business(es), identify solutions to improve operations and internal processes, develop sustainable strategies to scale and increase revenue, improve their leadership skills, and create a network of support with each other and the broader WEL community. The program includes sessions on leadership, negotiating, business and financial models, identifying funding sources, marketing solutions, internal communications, and more.
JBF has contracted Cornell as its education partner for WEL. The program’s virtual sessions are led by Cornell faculty from across the university, JBF staff, industry professionals, and other subject matter experts.
Cornell University, one of the original members of the Ivy League, is recognized as one of the world’s leading academic institutions. The WEL program taps into the broad network of Cornell University faculty across its schools including the Hotel School, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell Tech, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, College of Engineering, and College of Computing and Information Science.
Visit the JBF Impact page to learn about all of the training programs, events, and resources that JBF offers to the industry.
“WEL boosted my confidence and opened my eyes to the struggles and management strategies we were all facing! [I] felt it gave me the tools to become a better leader in my community and in my industry. It also reminded me of my value and purpose.”
“[Because of WEL], I have a much better grasp of our financials and can discuss our numbers with confidence. I am also better at working on my business rather than in the business which kept my focus in the weeds instead of on the future.”
“The opportunity to share time and space with 19 other women, listen to their origin stories, how they overcame obstacles, and their plans was inspiring and information in a way that no conference, trade publication or show, or the latest book could ever provide.”
To qualify for WEL, you must be:
21 years of age or older
A woman or nonbinary individual
Reside within the United States and territories
A current owner or co-owner of one or more food or beverage businesses with a brick-and-mortar location
Have a minimum of $1M in annual revenue (from one or multiple businesses)
Committed to mandatory attendance to each session, as outlined in the application
Committed to active engagement with cohort
Committed to filling out mandatory JBF follow-up surveys
Please note that we do not accept two applicants from the same business (partners, coworkers, etc.).
Applicants who have not participated in a JBF program over the last 12 months might be prioritized.
Examples of past participants' businesses
Sample cohort #1
Number of businesses: range from 1-8 (average: 2)
Average annual revenue: over $3.3M
Years in business: range from 1-46 (average: 10)
Number of total employees: range from 9-360 (average: 65)
Sample cohort #2
Number of businesses: range from 1-7 (average: 2)
Average annual revenue: over $2.5M
Years in business: range from 2-26 (average: 11)
Number of total employees: range from 8-200 (average: 50)
2025 Fall Cohort Applications Open – Monday, May 12 at 6:00 A.M. PT
Applications Close – Friday, June 6 at 11:59 P.M. PT
All Applicants Notified – Friday, August 1
2025 Fall Cohort Program Kickoff – Monday, September 8
2025 Fall Cohort Program Graduation – Monday, December 1 AND Tuesday, December 2
The WEL program takes place virtually with 11 weeks of schedule programming held every Monday from 2 to 4 P.M. ET with optional sessions on Thursdays from 1 to 2 P.M. ET. View a sample curriculum here.
A maximum of 20 applicants will be selected for each cohort. A committee consisting of industry leaders, WEL alumnae, and James Beard Foundation staff will review all applications.
The WEL program currently has 206 alumnae that own more than 360 businesses across 40 states and employ over 6,500 people.
Alumnae noted that the biggest takeaways of the program are confidence, self-empowerment, concrete skills (finance, communication, negotiation), and connection.
87 percent of alumnae feel that WEL gave them a confidence as a business owner.
76 percent of alumnae feel that WEL gives them a support network.
50 percent of WEL alumnae pursued new funding after completing the program and 79 percent reported success in raising funding for their businesses, raising a total of $12.1M.
After participating in the program, alumnae reported that through WEL they gained experience and skills to articulate goals and values, felt self-empowered, were able to identify challenges, and make long-term business plans.
Over 80 percent of alumnae remain in communication with their cohort and 100 percent are in contact with members of other cohorts.
WEL Alumnae Share Their Most Valuable Insights and Impactful Business Shifts
More on: 5 Top Takeaways From JBF’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) Program
