Ready, Set, Raise
Ready, Set, Raise is a free four-week pitching and fundraising accelerator for US-based female founders, operated by VC fund Graham & Walker, LLC under the Female Founders Alliance community of 5,000+ founders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ready, Set, Raise does
Ready, Set, Raise is a four-week pitching and fundraising accelerator program designed for female founders, operated as part of the Female Founders Alliance (FFA). The FFA began in 2017 as a small peer-support group of female entrepreneurs and has since grown to serve more than 5,000 US-based female founders through free programming, resources, and a community network. The programs and the FFA umbrella are operated by Graham & Walker, LLC, a venture capital fund that serves as the legal and operating entity behind the initiative.
The core product surface is non-software: a structured four-week accelerator curriculum for pitch preparation and fundraising, supplemented by ongoing free programs, resources, and community support. Distribution is handled through a Female Founders Alliance website (femalefounders.org) and a newsletter email channel, which serves as the top-of-funnel mechanism for recruiting participants and sharing opportunities. There is no disclosed mobile app, API, SDK, proprietary technology stack, or integration ecosystem, and the offering is positioned around community, mentorship, and data-informed storytelling rather than a technology platform.
The business model is effectively a free, mission-driven community resource with no direct monetization. Programs are offered at no cost to participants, no pricing tiers or paid offerings are referenced, and no revenue figure is disclosed. The economic engine, to the extent one exists, sits with the parent VC fund (Graham & Walker, LLC) and its investment activities rather than with the FFA programs themselves. The operating geography is restricted to the United States, and the organization is headquartered in Seattle.
Ready, Set, Raise firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ready, Set, Raise
- Legal name
- Graham & Walker, LLC
- Website
- https://femalefounders.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Ready, Set, Raise is a free four-week pitching and fundraising accelerator for US-based female founders, operated by VC fund Graham & Walker, LLC under the Female Founders Alliance community of 5,000+ founders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ready, Set, Raise industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator / Founder Education & Community
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Emerging Managers / Seeding Platforms (FSAHAKAI), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Ready, Set, Raise is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Ready, Set, Raise business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Marketing channels1 record
Ready, Set, Raise product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ready, Set, Raise is a four-week pitching and fundraising accelerator program designed for US-based female founders. It is part of the Female Founders Alliance suite of free founder programs, resources, and community, which collectively have served more than 5,000 female entrepreneurs since 2017. The program emphasizes data-informed storytelling to help founders sharpen their pitches and advocate for greater visibility of female-led startups, with all operations managed by the VC fund Graham & Walker.
Product overview
The Female Founders Alliance is a community and program platform for US-based female founders, offering free founder programs, resources, and community support. The organization operates under VC fund Graham & Walker and focuses on data-informed storytelling to advocate for female founders' contributions in the industry. Since 2017, more than 5,000 founders have benefited from these programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ready, Set, Raise Accelerator Program A free four-week accelerator-style program designed for US-based female founders that focuses on sharpening pitching skills and preparing participants to raise capital. The program is one of the free founder programs housed within the Female Founders Alliance community and is operated by VC fund Graham & Walker.
- Female Founders Alliance Community and Resources The umbrella community platform providing free resources, programming, and peer connection for more than 5,000 US-based female founders. Operated under Graham & Walker, it uses data-informed storytelling to advocate for female founders' contributions in the startup industry.
Companies that use Ready, Set, Raise
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Ready, Set, Raise technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ready, Set, Raise partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Ready, Set, Raise competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- All Raise: Non-profit focused on increasing the number of female founders and funders in tech. Directly comparable as a US-based, mission-driven community supporting female entrepreneurs through programs and resources.
- Pipeline Angels: Network and program changing the face of angel investing through training and connecting women and non-binary investors. Comparable because it builds a curated pipeline between female capital seekers and female capital allocators.
- Springboard Enterprises: Accelerator focused on scaling women-led companies through expert mentorship and investor introductions. Comparable because it delivers a structured, cohort-based program for female founders, similar to Ready, Set, Raise's four-week model.
- SoGal Ventures: A global venture fund and network backing diverse founders, with a strong emphasis on female entrepreneurs. Comparable as both an investor and a community/program operator serving female founders.
- Female Founders Fund: An early-stage venture fund that invests exclusively in female-founded companies. Directly comparable because it serves the same female-founder pipeline that Ready, Set, Raise trains and supports.
Broad incumbents
- Techstars: One of the largest global accelerator networks offering mentorship-driven programs and investor access. Comparable because it represents the broader accelerator category against which niche, female-founder-focused programs are differentiated.
- Y Combinator: Pioneering general-purpose startup accelerator providing seed funding and intensive cohort programming. Comparable as the canonical benchmark for short, cohort-based pitching-and-fundraising programs that Ready, Set, Raise mirrors in structure.
- The Tory Burch Foundation: Foundation supporting women entrepreneurs through fellowship programs and access to capital. Comparable because it runs structured female-founder programs within a broader philanthropic platform, similar to Ready, Set, Raise's VC-anchored model.
Others
- DreamSpring: Non-profit small business lender supporting entrepreneurs from underserved backgrounds. Adjacent comparison because both serve underrepresented founders with capital and capacity-building resources, though focused on credit rather than accelerator programming.
Emerging players
- Black Girl Ventures: Non-profit supporting Black and Brown women founders through pitch competitions and funding. Comparable as an emerging, demographic-focused founder-support program competing for the same community mindshare.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Ready, Set, Raise social profiles
Digital presenceReady, Set, Raise financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ready, Set, Raise leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ready, Set, Raise funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ready, Set, Raise M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments5 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ready, Set, Raise
What does Ready, Set, Raise do?
Ready, Set, Raise is a four-week pitching and fundraising accelerator program designed for US-based female founders. It is part of the Female Founders Alliance suite of free founder programs, resources, and community, which collectively have served more than 5,000 female entrepreneurs since 2017. The program emphasizes data-informed storytelling to help founders sharpen their pitches and advocate for greater visibility of female-led startups, with all operations managed by the VC fund Graham & Walker.
Is Ready, Set, Raise a public or private company?
Ready, Set, Raise is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Ready, Set, Raise founded?
Ready, Set, Raise was founded in 2017.
Where is Ready, Set, Raise based?
Ready, Set, Raise is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Ready, Set, Raise's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are All Raise, Pipeline Angels, Springboard Enterprises, SoGal Ventures and Female Founders Fund. Broad incumbents are Techstars, Y Combinator and The Tory Burch Foundation. DreamSpring is listed as an others. Black Girl Ventures is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ready, Set, Raise have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ready, Set, Raise.
What industry is Ready, Set, Raise in?
Ready, Set, Raise's product category is Startup Accelerator / Founder Education & Community. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSAHAKAI, Emerging Managers / Seeding Platforms. Its NAICS code is 8133.