28K
people we've connected
1,829
supported companies
$1.58B
in funding raised
$5.8B
in economic value
We Believe
We believe empowering LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs can unlock untapped business and economic value and become an essential driver of inclusivity and social progress.
We will not rest until every entrepreneur can thrive on a level playing field.
We know politics, cultural mores and quite frankly, ignorance put LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs at a significant disadvantage, leading to massive underrepresentation.
Who We Serve
At StartOut, our mission is to increase opportunity and success for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs.
Our core programs are focused on LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and allies looking to build high-growth, scalable businesses—companies with the potential to grow rapidly, reach broad markets, and attract outside investment. Whether you’re already scaling, actively working toward growth or just getting started, StartOut offers the resources, community and connections to help you accelerate your impact.
What We Offer
Centered on its unparalleled community, StartOut provides programs tailored to uplift LGBTQ+ founders through curated access to resources, expert support, and engagement to accelerate their ideas and businesses to grow, innovate, obtain financing, and create jobs.
Join 26K StartOut members and connect with peer founders, investors, and business professionals to accelerate your growth.
To encourage allies and organizations to support our community, we are delivering the quantitative case why support not only matters, but benefits society at large.
We connect our members with knowledgable and accomplished industry professionals and mentors. They are dedicated to helping your business grow.
We developed a powerful online portal that connects founders with accredited investors, and developed our own accelerator program specifically designed to help your business gain traction, backing and confidence.
Get Involved
Become A Volunteer
You don’t have to be an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur to join the StartOut community. We provide those who support our mission with multiple ways to volunteer, whether it’s through mentorship or by joining our Programming Board.
Together We Can Make A Difference
Community Partnerships allow us to work with mission-aligned organizations to further each others’ missions. We do this in many different ways including cross-promotion, event collaboration, and founder sourcing.
Diversify Your Deal Flow
We support our founder members by connecting them with investors like you who are interested in deal-flow opportunities within our community.
Support StartOut
With your support, you can help us build economic empowerment within the community and become an essential driver of social progress.
Our Sponsors
Join StartOut
Since 2009, StartOut has built a community of over 26,000 members. Every year, we provide support to over 700 individual founders. We connect them to expertise, peers, community, and capital. This powerful combination of financial support, skills development, and community contributes to helping fuel innovation, wealth generation and equal access to economic opportunity. Join our growing community today.