The DC Tech Guide to Startup Mentoring Resources

Written by WDCEP on February 3, 2016

With National Mentoring Month taking place this past January, the Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) highlights how the DC tech community benefits from Washington, DC’s incredible network of hopeful, promising, and successful entrepreneurs all year long.

Washington, DC is one of the fastest growing startup cities in the US.

Mentoring is extraordinarily helpful for people of all ages and stages of their careers – becoming a mentor yourself can actually help boost your career. Since early 2014, WDCEP has grown one of DC’s top mentor programs for tech-based startups, AccelerateDC, and has been able to study the impact mentoring has on individuals entering the startup world.

Washington, DC features an abundance of formal and informal mentoring opportunities and events for the tech community, which help to cultivate a dynamic and engaged community that fosters new entrepreneurs. DC was recently named as having the eighth fastest-growing startup scene in the country, demonstrating the extensive network of people and resources available in the area.

Washington, DC’s Top Tech Mentoring and Networking Resources

The DC tech community is a community of the nation’s most driven and generous individuals that make this city an ideal place to build and grow a successful startup. Among this network of top tech gurus are a series of mentor groups, coworking and shared work spaces, events, Meetups, incubators, and free speaker series that might lead you to a community of supporters and even a mentor.

1. AccelerateDC Venture Mentoring Service

For the past three years, Accelerate DC has provided venture mentoring to early stage tech-based companies in the Washington, DC area. With more than 100 mentors and nearly 50 venture companies, AccelerateDC has created pathways for entrepreneurs.

Mentor programs provide a sounding board of unbiased feedback.

“Services like AccelerateDC are really valuable because they provide help, give guidance, and save you time and money,” says AccelerateDC mentor, Gary Evans.

AccelerateDC mentors help entrepreneurs like Emmanuel Azih, a venture company in AccelerateDC, “keep track of what’s important and where you should spend most of your time [when starting a company]. It’s a sounding board that provides you with unbiased feedback.”

To become an AccelerateDC mentor or venture member, please contact us.

2. WDCEP Resources

As part of our overall mission, we provide a number of events and online resources for those looking to get more involved in the community.

Entrepreneur Road Map Speaker Series
DC Doing Business Guide
Map of Coworking and Shared Office Spaces in DC
AccelerateDC Boost Your Startup Speaker Series
AccelerateDC In The Trenches Speaker Series

To keep up with future news and events from WDCEP, make sure to sign up for our newsletter on our website.

3. Additional DC Tech Resources

In addition to our resources, there are a number of other tech-focused groups, events, and programs where you may find the perfect mentorship opportunity. Here are a few of the most popular in the area.

Know of other great ways to participate in formal or informal tech entrepreneurship mentoring in DC? Please let us know. It is our mission at WDCEP to connect innovators with the resources and guidance they need to help enter the DC business market.