Rise Up

What Rise Up does

Rise Up is a Dublin-based, founder-operated community and content business founded by Susan Dwyer in September 2020 (legal name Rise Up Women) to advance women's careers through curated connection, storytelling, and corporate partnerships. The platform is built on standard digital infrastructure — a website, podcast distribution, email newsletter, WhatsApp groups, and Slack channels — and offers no proprietary AI, software, or patented technology. Its core offerings are the Rise Up Supper Club (invite-only dinners of 8-12 curated guests in Dublin restaurants, with both women-only and mixed-gender formats), the Rise Up Podcast (interviews with women entrepreneurs and business leaders), the Rise Up Mentorship Programme (a two-month virtual programme linking mentees with mentors from companies such as Workday, Meta, LinkedIn, Dell, EY, and KPMG), and a career-advice blog. The community has grown to over 10,000 members and the brand has been featured in RTE, IMAGE magazine, and ThinkBusiness.

Revenue is generated through three professional-services streams: consulting and fractional engagements for founders and brands on community-led marketing, bespoke corporate events and dinners (with documented engagements including TELUS Digital), and podcast sponsorship. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, self-funded (no external capital raised), and operates with a single-founder model supported by a 1-10 person team; there are no patents, certifications, regulatory actions, or acquisitions on record.

Customer concentration is diversified across a logo wall of 15+ enterprise partners (predominantly tech and professional-services firms) that participate as mentors, sponsors, or content collaborators, but actual revenue depends on a small number of bespoke corporate engagements and consulting clients rather than high-volume transactional relationships. Distribution is primarily regional (Dublin-based events) with global reach via online community and podcast, and the primary go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on Susan Dwyer's personal brand and the curated nature of events rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Rise Up

Legal name

Rise Up Women

Website

https://joinriseup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rise Up is a Dublin-based, founder-operated community platform that builds and monetizes a network of women professionals through curated dinners, a podcast, a mentorship programme, and corporate consulting and event services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Networking and Community Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Events & Experiences (Trips, Houses, Retreats) (MPAAAHAN), Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Live Audio Q&A, Coaching & Mentorship Platforms (MPACAEAI)

Keywords

• Women's professional community
• Curated networking events
• Community-led marketing
• Corporate event consulting
• Mentorship programme

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting & Fractional Work: Susan Dwyer offers consulting services and fractional partnership engagements to help companies build community-led marketing strategies, business development, and customer engagement.
2. Corporate Event Services: Rise Up creates bespoke curated events for corporations including intimate dinners, roundtables, panels, and networking gatherings designed to connect brands with their target audiences.
3. Podcast Sponsorship: Rise Up offers bespoke sponsorship opportunities aligned with the podcast's content and audience, connecting brands with a community of ambitious women.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rise Up operates a women-focused professional community and live-events platform anchored by the Rise Up Supper Club, an invite-only intimate dinner series in Dublin, alongside the Rise Up Podcast and a structured Mentorship Programme. Founder Susan Dwyer also provides community-led marketing consulting and fractional partnership work to corporate clients, and monetizes the audience through bespoke corporate events and podcast sponsorships. The offering is fundamentally human-led and experience-driven rather than software-driven, with the community platform functioning as the connective tissue between individual members, corporate partners, and curated content.

Product overview

Rise Up is a community and networking platform for women that consists of multiple integrated offerings: the Rise Up Supper Club (intimate invite-only dinners in Dublin restaurants), the Rise Up Podcast (interviews with women entrepreneurs and leaders), a Mentorship Programme (connecting women with corporate mentors), Consulting & Fractional Work Services (community-led marketing for brands), and the Rise Up Blog (career advice content). The platform operates as a unified community where women can connect, learn, and grow professionally through events, storytelling, and peer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rise Up Supper Club: An invite-only intimate dinner series bringing together 8-12 people for curated meals in Dublin restaurants, featuring guided conversations and community building.
• Rise Up Podcast

Products and services

• Rise Up Supper Club Intimate, invite-only dinners and lunches hosted in unique venues around Dublin, designed to foster meaningful connections among 8-12 participants through guided conversations. Offers both women-only events and mixed-gender gatherings for professionals seeking deeper relationships.
• Rise Up Podcast A podcast series exploring the inspiring journeys of women from various backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry changemakers who share lessons learned in their careers. Distributed via Spotify and other podcast platforms.
• Rise Up Mentorship Programme A two-month virtual mentorship programme connecting women with experienced mentors from major companies (including Workday, Meta, LinkedIn, Dell, EY, KPMG, BDO) to help them progress in their careers and develop leadership skills through workshops, networking events, and one-on-one sessions.
• Consulting & Fractional Work Services Community-led marketing consulting and fractional partnership services for founders, leaders, and teams that help grow businesses through strategic events, partnerships, storytelling, and customer engagement to turn audiences into advocates.
• Corporate Bespoke Events Bespoke curated events created for corporations including intimate dinners, roundtables, panels, and larger networking gatherings designed to connect brands with target audiences and support business development efforts.
• Rise Up Community A community platform for women to connect, grow, and support one another through gatherings, events, podcast episodes, and mentorship, with the goal of empowering women in their careers.
• Rise Up Blog A blog featuring career advice, personal development content, interviews with industry leaders, and insights on topics such as networking, mentorship, salary negotiation, and career transitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of mentees felt their mentorship experience provided extreme value
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WorkhumanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorkhuman is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website. Workhuman is an Irish company specializing in employee recognition and human resources solutions.
• TELUS DigitalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTELUS Digital partnered with Rise Up for a dinner event in Dublin to connect with senior leaders and decision-makers in the tech ecosystem. Susan curated and co-hosted the event to help grow TELUS Digital's brand presence and business development.
• StravaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStrava is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website. The partnership includes content collaboration with Strava featured in blog posts about company culture and diversity initiatives.
• Eden OneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEden One is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website.
• Iconic OfficesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIconic Offices is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website, suggesting collaboration in the flexible workspace or event hosting space.
• LRA/Azure CommunicationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLRA/Azure Communications is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website.
• CoolPlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoolPlanet is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website. Susan facilitated a peer-to-peer workshop at CoolPlanet for their women's group.
• Tennis IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTennis Ireland is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website.
• Elkstone PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElkstone Partners is featured as a partner company on the Rise Up website, suggesting collaboration in the startup or venture ecosystem.
• Workday MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkday provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme. Kate Kidd, Human Experience Director at Workday, participated as a mentor to help women progress in their careers.
• Facebook (Meta) MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacebook provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme to support women in their career development.
• LinkedIn MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLinkedIn provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• Dell MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDell provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• Teamwork MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeamwork provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• Momentive MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMomentive provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• Cartrawler MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCartrawler provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• EY MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEY provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• KPMG MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPMG provided mentors for the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.
• BDO MentorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNiamh O'Brien, Director at BDO, participated as a mentor in the Rise Up Mentorship Programme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HeyMama: A community platform for working mothers offering events, mentorship, and content. Comparable to Rise Up in audience definition (women professionals), community-led growth, and event sponsorship model.
• Ladies Get Paid: A community and content platform for women focused on career advancement, salary negotiation, and networking events. Comparable to Rise Up's blog content on salary/career topics and women-focused community programming.
• Chief: A private membership network for senior women executives that combines curated events, peer groups, and content. Comparable to Rise Up's executive mentorship positioning and curated women-only community format.
• Ellevate Network: A women's professional networking membership community offering in-person meetups, mentorship, and events. Directly comparable to Rise Up in audience (women professionals), community-led GTM, and event-based engagement model.
• Girlboss: A media and community platform for ambitious women offering content, events, and programming. Comparable to Rise Up's podcast and blog content engine plus event-driven engagement model.
• The Assembly: A membership-based community for women leaders offering curated events, mentorship, and networking. Directly comparable to Rise Up's curated dinner/Supper Club format and women-executive audience.
• The Riveter: A women's-focused co-working and community platform combining physical workspace, events, and content. Comparable to Rise Up's mission of advancing women professionally through curated in-person experiences and a content/community ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Mogul: A global platform and community for women offering content, events, and a job board. Comparable to Rise Up's content-led approach to career advancement and event programming for women professionals.

Broad incumbents

• Lean In: Sheryl Sandberg-founded women's empowerment organization with Lean In Circles (small peer groups) and corporate partnerships. Comparable to Rise Up's mission-driven mentorship model and corporate engagement with companies like Workday, Meta, and LinkedIn.

Regional players

• Female Wave of Change: An international movement/community focused on gender equality through curated conversations and gatherings. Comparable to Rise Up's curated dinner format and mission of advancing women, though more global and advocacy-oriented.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rise-up-2021
• Instagraminstagram.com/riseupwomen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Rise Up