WBENC

What WBENC does

WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1997 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It is the largest third-party certifier of women-owned businesses in the United States, issuing the gold-standard certification that validates a business is at least 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by women. WBENC distributes certification and programs through a network of 14 Regional Partner Organizations covering all U.S. states, supported by WBENCLink2.0, a proprietary online platform that manages applications, certification records, certificates, and corporate member contacts.

WBENC's product portfolio extends well beyond certification to include 30+ professional development programs: the LIFT Financial Center of Excellence (capital access and financial education, funded in part by a $300K Fifth Third Foundation grant), WBENCPitch Academy, MatchMaker programs connecting WBEs to corporate procurement, executive education including a WBENC-Tuck Capstone with Dartmouth, WeIGNITE, NextGen, FutureGen, Women of Color, Women & Pride (LGBTQ+), and an Asian American Community Resource Group. The Women Owned Logo, co-developed with WEConnect International in 2015, is a registered trademark extending WBENC's brand across 60+ countries in partnership with Walmart.

Revenue is generated from three primary streams: certification and recertification fees from over 21,000 WBEs, annual corporate and government membership dues from 550+ members (including Walmart, UPS, JPMorgan Chase, and AIG), and event registration and sponsorship revenue anchored by the annual National Conference (2026 in Salt Lake City). The organization reported 11-50 employees as of the data window. Following Pamela Prince-Eason's departure in 2025 after a 14-year tenure that doubled WBE certifications and nearly doubled corporate membership, Nedra Dickson was appointed Interim President & CEO.

Name

WBENC

Legal name

Women's Business Enterprise National Council

Website

https://wbenc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBENC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the largest U.S. certifier of women-owned businesses, providing gold-standard certification through 14 Regional Partner Organizations to over 21,000 WBEs and 550+ corporate and government members, complemented by 30+ professional development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: Fees charged to women-owned businesses for certification and recertification through WBENC's network of Regional Partner Organizations.
2. Corporate Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from corporations and government entities committed to supplier diversity and working with women-owned businesses.
3. Event Registration and Sponsorship: Revenue from the annual National Conference, regional events, and sponsorship opportunities for corporations engaging with women-owned businesses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WBENC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that administers the nation's leading certification for women-owned businesses, validating that a business is at least 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by women. Certification is delivered through WBENCLink2.0 and a network of 14 Regional Partner Organizations, and is paired with corporate/government membership, executive education, networking events (including the annual National Conference), and the Women Owned Logo consumer-facing initiative run jointly with WEConnect International.

Product overview

WBENC offers a portfolio of certification, programs, and events to support women-owned businesses. The core offering is WBENC Certification—the gold standard for validating women-owned businesses—administered through the WBENCLink2.0 online platform. The organization provides over 30 professional development programs including LIFT Financial Center of Excellence, Executive Education, WBENCPitch Academy, WeIGNITE, Women of Color Program, Collegiate Accelerator, NextGen, and FutureGen. The Women Owned Logo initiative, run jointly with WEConnect International, enables consumer-facing branding for certified businesses. The annual WBENC National Conference and MatchMaker programs provide networking and procurement opportunities. Together, these offerings form a comprehensive ecosystem for women entrepreneur development, certification, and business growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women Owned: An initiative from WBENC and WEConnect International to create a movement of support for Women Owned businesses.
• LIFT Financial Center of Excellence

Products and services

• WBENC Certification The gold-standard certification validating that a business is at least 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by women. Accepted by thousands of corporations, many states, cities, and government entities for supplier diversity procurement.
• WOSB Certification Federal contracting certification for women-owned small businesses administered through WBENC, enabling participation in WOSB federal contracting set-aside programs.
• WBENCLink2.0 Proprietary online certification system enabling businesses to start applications, manage certification records, download certificates, connect with corporate member contacts, and access logos and resources.
• Corporate and Government Membership Annual membership program for corporations and government entities committed to supplier diversity, providing access to vetted certified women-owned businesses, MatchMaker programs, and recognition opportunities.
• LIFT Financial Center of Excellence Program providing financial education, coaching, networking, and funding opportunities for women entrepreneurs through the LIFT (Leadership, Investment, Funding, and Training) initiative.
• Executive Education Program (including WBENC-Tuck Capstone) Tailored executive education programs designed to help women-owned businesses scale and accelerate growth, including the WBENC-Tuck Capstone program delivered with Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.
• WBENCPitch Academy Program helping women entrepreneurs define their story and pitch effectively to potential investors and corporate partners.
• Women Owned Logo Initiative Joint initiative with WEConnect International that provides a globally recognized logo for products from certified women-owned businesses, enabling consumer-facing branding in 60+ countries.
• WBENC National Conference Annual national conference (2026 edition June 15-18 in Salt Lake City, Utah) providing networking, business development, and procurement opportunities for women-owned businesses and corporate members.
• MatchMaker Program Program connecting women-owned businesses with corporate procurement professionals and purchasing decision-makers from major corporations and government entities for business development.
• WBE Stars Award Program Annual award program recognizing 14 exemplary women business leaders — one selected by each of WBENC's 14 Regional Partner Organizations — for excellence, community commitment, and impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 21,000 certified women-owned businesses in the WBENC network
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• WEConnect InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal partnership to operate the Women Owned initiative, driving money into the hands of women business owners by connecting them with large corporate, multilateral, and government buyers in over 135 countries. WEConnect identifies, educates, registers, and certifies businesses in over 60 countries.
• 14 Regional Partner Organizations (RPOs)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWBENC works with 14 RPOs authorized to administer the WBENC Certification across the United States. RPOs include WBEC-Pacific, WBEC-West, WBCS, WBEA, WBDC-Midwest, GWBC, GLWBC, WBEC-ORV, WBEC Metro NY, WBEC Greater DMV, WBEC East, WBEC Florida, WBEC South, and Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE).
• National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partner collaborating on supplier diversity initiatives and inclusive business development.
• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partner working to advance economic opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.
• U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partner supporting Hispanic and women-owned business development.
• Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of women entrepreneurs, strengthening their impact on public policy, creating economic opportunities, and forging alliances with other business organizations.
• U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partner supporting Asian American and women-owned business development.
• Denny'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenny's partners with WBENC as one of eight organizations in its Hungry for Education Scholarship Program, awarding scholarships to students demonstrating academic achievement and community impact.
• WalmartmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWalmart collaborated with WBENC and WEConnect International to develop the Women-Owned logo initiative in 2015. The logo has grown into a globally recognized symbol used across multiple countries and platforms to highlight products from certified women-owned businesses.
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partner organization advocating for women business owners.
• Women in ManufacturingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOU partner supporting women-owned businesses in the manufacturing sector.
• Institute for Supply ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffinity partner supporting supply chain diversity initiatives.
• National Association of Women in ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffinity partner supporting women-owned construction businesses.
• ConnectCommminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner publishing ConnectComm Magazine and U.S. Veterans Magazine with special promotions for WBENC network.
• Enterprising WomenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner publication serving women business owners.
• MBE MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner publication focused on minority business enterprises.
• Women's Enterprise USAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner publication serving women business owners.
• LEADFORWARDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner focused on diversity and professional leadership content.
• Pamela Prince-EasonmajorOthersFormer President & CEO (2011-2025) honored through the WBENC Legacy Fund established in her honor to support the ongoing mission of WBENC and women's economic empowerment.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SCORE: Large nonprofit supported by the SBA that provides mentorship, education, and resources to small business owners. Broader in scope than WBENC but overlaps in business development programming for entrepreneurs.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: The largest business federation in the U.S., representing broad corporate interests including supplier diversity. Operates as a much larger, more general-purpose counterpart in the membership-based business advocacy space.

Direct peers

• U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC): National Hispanic business chamber that certifies Hispanic-owned businesses and represents them to corporate procurement programs. Comparable chamber-based certification and supplier-diversity advocacy model.
• WEConnect International: Global partner organization that certifies women-owned businesses outside the U.S. and co-manages the Women Owned Logo with WBENC. Closely aligned mission, certification model, and corporate buyer network.
• U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC): Certifies Asian American-owned businesses and connects them with corporate supplier diversity programs. Operates as a parallel diversity chamber with comparable certification and event/conference business lines.
• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC): The premier certifier of minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) in the U.S. Operates an analogous RPO-style network model certifying diverse suppliers and connecting them with corporate procurement opportunities—WBENC's most structurally comparable counterpart.
• National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC): Certifies LGBT-owned business enterprises (LGBTBEs) and connects them with corporate and government buyers using a similar RPO-affiliate distribution structure. Comparable supplier-diversity certification model.

Emerging players

• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): Member-based advocacy organization for women business owners. Overlaps with WBENC's mission of advancing women entrepreneurs but focuses on advocacy/networking rather than supplier-diversity certification.
• Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP): National nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of women entrepreneurs on public policy. Complementary to WBENC's mission with overlap in policy and corporate engagement.
• Women Presidents Organization (WPO): Membership organization for women-owned businesses that have reached significant revenue scale, providing peer learning and corporate connections. Comparable membership structure but targets the upper end of the WBE market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WBENCNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/wbenc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbenc
• Instagraminstagram.com/wbenc
• Xx.com/WBENCLive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WBENC