Maryland Women's Business Center

What Maryland Women's Business Center does

Maryland Women's Business Center (MWBC) is an SBA-certified nonprofit organization founded in November 2010 as a program of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI). It serves women entrepreneurs across Maryland's Capital Region—Montgomery, Prince George's, and Frederick Counties—through three physical offices and virtual programming. The organization provides entrepreneurial training, one-on-one and group business counseling, assistance with certifications (MBE, 8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB), government contracting guidance, peer networking, and facilitated access to capital. In FY23, MWBC educated 1,569 attendees through 107 workshops, delivered 1,300+ counseling sessions, supported 650+ small businesses, and helped clients access over $6.5 million in capital.

MWBC's service delivery is anchored on the GrowthWheel technology platform: GrowthWheel Online serves as a cloud-based advising portal for documenting counseling engagements, while GrowthWheel Academy functions as a learning management system for workshop registration, event scheduling, and on-demand courses. Core offerings include the Founders Rising accelerator (launched February 2026 for displaced federal workers transitioning to entrepreneurship), MWBC Shop Local (a retail business incubator at Bowie Town Center, opened April 2025), the Childcare Business Development Program, and the fee-based Elements of Entrepreneurship 4-part webinar series ($25 per course / $80 bundle). Signature events include EmpowHER Conference, Coffee & Connections, Connect & Cultivate, and Speed Meet virtual networking.

The organization operates primarily on a grant-funded, freemium model. Its FY26 SBA Cooperative Agreement totals $827,531 in program cost (36% federal share / 64% non-federal match), supplemented by donations, corporate sponsorships (Verizon, Truist), and county/city government contributions (Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick counties and municipalities). Most services are free; only the Elements of Entrepreneurship series carries direct fees. MWBC is one of only 106 SBA-certified WBCs nationally and has earned National WBC of Excellence designation in both 2025 and 2026.

Name

Maryland Women's Business Center

Legal name

Maryland Women's Business Center

Website

https://marylandwbc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maryland Women's Business Center is an SBA-certified nonprofit providing entrepreneurial training, one-on-one counseling, certification support, and capital access for women entrepreneurs across Maryland's Capital Region through three offices and the GrowthWheel platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific) (EDAMAKAA), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Women business center
• Entrepreneur training programs
• Small business counseling
• Government contracting assistance
• Business development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Funding (SBA Cooperative Agreement): MWBC receives federal funding through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. In FY26, federal share was $300,000 (36%) with $527,531 non-federal match (64%), totaling $827,531 in program cost.
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual donors and corporate sponsors contribute tax-deductible donations to support MWBC programs and services. Many services are provided free of charge to clients.
3. Workshop and Training Fees: Individual courses cost $25 each. The 4-part Elements of Entrepreneurship series is available as a bundle for 20% off ($80 total). Most other workshops and events are free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maryland Women's Business Center (MWBC) provides entrepreneurial training, one-on-one business counseling, peer group support, and resource access to women entrepreneurs across Maryland's Capital Region. The organization operates as an SBA-certified Women's Business Center delivering its services through three physical office locations plus the GrowthWheel Academy virtual training platform, with most services offered free of charge. Core offerings include specialized accelerator and incubator programs such as Founders Rising and MWBC Shop Local, alongside 100+ annual workshops covering topics like government contracting and financial resilience.

Product overview

Maryland Women's Business Center (MWBC) offers a comprehensive ecosystem of programs and services for women entrepreneurs in Maryland's Capital Region. The organization operates three physical locations (Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Frederick County) and provides both in-person and digital services through the GrowthWheel technology platform. Core offerings include the Founders Rising accelerator for federal workers transitioning to entrepreneurship, the MWBC Shop Local retail incubator at Bowie Town Center, the Childcare Business Development Program, and the Elements of Entrepreneurship 4-part webinar series. Business counseling services are delivered through GrowthWheel Online, while training and events are managed via GrowthWheel Academy. Signature events include EmpowHER Conference, Coffee & Connections networking, Connect & Cultivate, and Speed Meet virtual networking. MWBC also provides access to capital resources, government contracting support, and over 100 workshops and training programs annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Founders Rising An 8-week business accelerator equipping aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs with foundational knowledge, expert coaching, and leadership mindset needed to build successful businesses, specifically designed to support individuals transitioning from federal careers to entrepreneurship.
• MWBC Shop Local A retail business incubator that supports women entrepreneurs with launching and growing sustainable retail businesses by combining program-based and space-based models to provide technical assistance, mentorship, and access to capital through shared retail space.
• Childcare Business Development Program A specialized program providing tools, information, and training to family childcare providers, center directors, and owners to help them start and grow childcare businesses.
• Elements of Entrepreneurship A 4-part webinar series demystifying the process of taking a business from ideation to launch to growth, covering business foundation, business blueprint, launch, and development strategies through moderated training, interactive discussions, and assignments; $25 per course or $80 for the bundle (20% discount).
• Business Counseling One-on-one and group business counseling services provided by experienced business consultants to help entrepreneurs navigate the business process at any stage; documented via the GrowthWheel Online advising portal.
• Workshops and Seminars Over 100 workshops and training programs annually covering topics such as finance, marketing, government contracting, and business operations; delivered in-person and virtually through the GrowthWheel Academy platform.
• Government Procurement Program Specialized training and support services helping small businesses learn how to do business with government agencies at local, state, and federal levels, including support for SBA 8(a) and MBE certifications.
• WEgrow Maryland Financial Resilience & Growth Program A financial resilience and growth program offered as part of MWBC's portfolio of over 100 workshops and training programs, focused on building business financial capability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,569 entrepreneurs educated through 107 workshops in FY23
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREDI is the parent nonprofit organization that launched MWBC (originally Rockville Women's Business Center in 2010). MWBC operates as a program of REDI and receives organizational support, infrastructure, and strategic guidance.
• Montgomery County GovernmentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMontgomery County provides funding and program sponsorship, including support for the childcare business development program initiated in 2012.
• Prince George's County GovernmentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrince George's County provides funding and sponsorship support for MWBC operations and Shop Local retail incubator at Bowie Town Center.
• City of RockvillemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity of Rockville provides funding and sponsorship support for MWBC programs serving local entrepreneurs.
• City of BowiemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity of Bowie partners with MWBC to host Shop Local Bowie retail incubator at Bowie Town Center, supporting community-based economic development.
• City of FrederickmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity of Frederick provides funding and economic development partnership support for MWBC services in Frederick County.
• Frederick County Office of Economic DevelopmentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrederick County Office of Economic Development partners with MWBC to support women entrepreneurs in the county through Coffee & Connections events and business counseling.
• Howard County Economic Development AuthorityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHoward County economic development organization partners with MWBC to serve entrepreneurs in the county region.
• GrowthWheelcoreTechnology or IntegrationGrowthWheel provides MWBC with its advising portal (GrowthWheel Online) and training portal (GrowthWheel Academy) technology platforms for client management, counseling documentation, and training delivery.
• Women's Business Center of Northern VirginiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWBC partners with the Women's Business Center of Northern Virginia for co-hosted webinars and events, including SBA programs sessions and trademark training.
• Bowie Business Innovation Center (Bowie BIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMWBC assisted Bowie BIC in becoming designated as the only business incubator on an HBCU campus in Maryland, which developed the first SBA 8(a) accelerator program.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women's Business Center of Northern Virginia: Fellow SBA-certified Women's Business Center serving the D.C. metro region. Directly comparable: same SBA funding model, same women-focused counseling/workshop portfolio, and explicitly a co-marketing partner of MWBC for joint webinars and SBA programming.
• Maryland Small Business Development Center (Maryland SBDC): Maryland's statewide SBA resource partner network delivering one-on-one business counseling, training, and capital access to small businesses. Directly comparable because it serves the same Maryland SMB client base, shares the SBA funding umbrella, and competes for the same counseling and workshop demand.
• Women's Business Development Council (WBDC): SBA-affiliated Women's Business Center serving Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. Comparable as a multi-office WBC combining business counseling, training, and capital access for women entrepreneurs — a near-identical service mix to MWBC, differing mainly by geography.
• Center for Women & Enterprise: Multi-region Women's Business Center serving the Northeast with training, counseling, and access-to-capital programming for women entrepreneurs. Directly comparable service portfolio — training, counseling, MBE/WBE certifications, and government contracting assistance — with national program partnerships.
• Women's Initiative for Self-Employment (WISE): California-headquartered WBC providing self-employment and small-business training and microloan facilitation for low-income women entrepreneurs. Compares to MWBC's elements-of-entrepreneurship and capital-access programming, though it layers microloans on top.

Broad incumbents

• SCORE: National SBA resource partner delivering free business mentoring and workshops across the U.S. via a volunteer model. Comparable because SCORE chapters in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties offer nearly identical free counseling and workshop services, and SCORE draws from the same SBA-coordinated client referrals.
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): National membership and advocacy organization representing women business owners across all stages. Comparable as a women-business ecosystem player, though it differs in being advocacy/membership-led rather than a direct service-delivery center like MWBC.

Regional players

• Bowie Business Innovation Center (Bowie BIC): Maryland-based small-business incubator located on an HBCU campus in Bowie — explicitly named as an MWBC partner. Comparable because it operates in the same Prince George's County market, delivers business incubation and SBA 8(a) accelerator programming, and shares client referrals with MWBC.

Emerging players

• Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP): National nonpartisan organization advocating for women-owned businesses on procurement and contracting policy, with affiliated training programs. Comparable because it operates at the intersection of women-business training and government contracting — a key MWBC service lane (Government Procurement Program).

Others

• Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI): MWBC's parent nonprofit organization and the 2010 founding sponsor of Rockville Women's Business Center. Operates overlapping economic development programming and provides organizational infrastructure (HR, fundraising, operations) to MWBC — directly comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marylandwbc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClpl_Jc75mf_jfXloXuEjSw
• Facebookfacebook.com/mdwbc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/4848444
• Instagraminstagram.com/maryland.wbc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Maryland Women's Business Center