Growth Lab

Build boldly with expert guidance that meets you where you are.

119

graduated companies

$933M

in funding raised

4,536

new jobs

Ready to Scale? We’ve Got Your Back.

Join StartOut’s five-month virtual accelerator designed to fast-track your growth with expert support every step of the way. As a Growth Lab founder, you’ll receive:

  • Strategic guidance from our Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), a seasoned founder with decades of experience dedicated to helping you make smarter, faster decisions.
  • 1:1 mentorship from an experienced founder in your industry, our Graduates in Residence (GIR), who have been where you are and know how to help
  • Curated workshops with top experts covering a broad range of topics, including fundraising, storytelling, sales, legal, HR, refining your tech stack, and more.
  • A personalized 18-month growth plan tailored to your business goals, with clear milestones across revenue, fundraising, and team building.
  • Pro bono legal guidance and financial advice from our lead sponsors

Applications for the next cohort open on May 18th

This isn’t just an accelerator. It’s a launchpad. You’ll compress years of growth into months, with the right mentors and community in your corner, and a clear path to scale.

How To Apply

  • Create an account with StartOut or login to your founder profile if you already have one
  • Complete the Founder’s application if you haven't already
  • Answer Growth Lab-specific questions: At the end of the application (Page 6), respond to the questions related to the Growth Lab Application.
  • Submit your application: Click ‘submit’ on Page 7.

Your 18-Month Plan

The centerpiece of Growth Lab is a polished, actionable 18-month business plan that guides your next stage of scale. Over the course of the program, you will:

  • Define your growth strategy
  • Develop a plan to successfully raise capital
  • Align your product milestones with market traction
  • Establish KPIs and measurable targets

By graduation, you’ll have a structured, investor-ready plan that communicates your company’s next chapter and helps you execute it.

Where Growth Meets Belonging

Learn and grow alongside fellow LGBTQ+ and allied founders who champion your success, challenge your thinking, and celebrate your progress every step of the way.

This is where community becomes a strategic advantage:

  • Peer learning with founders on a shared path
  • Cohort connection through curated sessions and events
  • A lasting network of mentors, alumni, and allies

Which One Is Best For Me?

Growth Lab Accelerator Spark Lab Incubator
Annual Revenue/Funding: > $200,000 in ARR and/or raise Annual Revenue/ Funding: > $50,000 in ARR and/or raise
Stage: Seed- Series A Stage: Angel/ Pre-Seed
Focus: Scaling & capital raising  Focus: Strengthening a scalable business model
Key Criteria: Expanding customer base & Market Expansion Key Criteria: MVP developed, initial market demand demonstrated
Deliverable: 18-Month Business Plan Deliverable: 5-Month Business Plan

Meet Your Mentors

Head of Growth Lab & Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Maca Baigorria

Senior Program Manager

Jake Hannigan

What We Expect

  • A commitment from your company’s founder(s) to participate in the entire 5-month program while working full time on your startup company.
  • A spirit of collaboration, volunteerism, and joy in giving back to your peers and others who contribute to your success.
  • Commitment to make the most of your tenure at SGL.
  • Mandatory attendance at monthly Lunch & Learn events.

What Makes an Ideal Candidate

  • Company or a subsidiary is registered in the US
  • Product or service is established in the marketplace
  • Generating revenue
  • Preferably businesses with 9 months of runway
  • High-growth companies with a path to scalability

Companies Not Suited for the Growth Lab

  • Consulting services
  • Cannabis-related, sex-tech, or firearm companies
  • Brick-and-mortar businesses
  • Pre-MVP
  • Non-profit organizations
  • A company where the founder is not working full-time in the business

Thank You to Our Growth Lab Sponsor

Cohort Companies

Program Founders

In 2017, StartOut Director, Andres Wydler, and law partner, Tom Gaynor, discussed the idea of combining the best practices of an accelerator program with the community-based model of StartOut. Scribbling their initial ideas on a napkin, they wanted to support LGBTQ+ founders in scaling their businesses through a cohort-based approach. 

They brought their idea to Peter Sisson, a serial entrepreneur, who helped build out the GrowthLab’s very first curriculum. Tom’s law firm, DLA Piper, provided the space and equipment. Peter became StartOut’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) to manage the program. Together, they launched StartOut GrowthLab’s first cohort.

Tom Gaynor

Partner at DLA Piper

Andres Wydler

Former Executive Director of StartOut

Peter Sisson

StartOut Growth Lab Founding EIR

Join StartOut

Since 2009, StartOut has built a community of over 18,000 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.

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