Female Founders Alliance Announces Female-led Startups Selected for National Accelerator

SEATTLE, Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Female Founders Alliance (FFA), a business-accelerating network for female founders of venture scale companies, today announced eight startups selected to participate in Ready Set Raise, a national pitching and fundraising program designed to help female founders secure venture financing. Trilogy Equity Partners, an early stage venture capital firm, is subsidizing all program fees. Trilogy's commitment, combined with virtual programming and free childcare, make Ready Set Raise the most accessible program of its kind in the country for female founders.  

The Ready Set Raise inaugural class includes diverse CEOs across varied sectors. FFA and a group of angel investors and venture capitalists selected eight companies from a competitive pool of applicants from across North America. Finalists were chosen based on a rigorous review of industry, product, scalability, business model, and team.

"Ready Set Raise is designed to break the barriers that prohibit female-led startups from participating in accelerators, and we're thrilled Trilogy is making a substantive contribution to make this promise real," said FFA CEO Leslie Feinzaig. "The inaugural cohort is a world-class group of leaders who are going to change the world. It is our privilege to fuel their journey."  

The 2018 Ready Set Raise inaugural class includes:

• Chanlogic (Seattle, WA): Global SaaS product for eCommerce channel managers.
• Esq.Me Inc. (Portland, OR): A document marketplace for lawyers, by lawyers.
• Future Sight AR (Houston, TX): Augmented reality for engineering, procurement, and construction companies.
• geeRemit (Raleigh, NC): Leverages blockchain to power remittances to Africa.
• Magic AI (Seattle, WA): Artificial intelligence for livestock care.
• MoxieReader (New York, NY): Improves child literacy through technology.
• Pandere Shoes (Anchorage, AK): Expandable shoes for people with foot and health challenges.
• Zeta Help (San Francisco, CA): A financial support platform for millennial couples.

Ready Set Raise kicked off on August 29 and culminates with private investor pitches on September 27. Dozens of venture capital firms and angel investors from Seattle, Oregon, and the San Francisco Bay Area have confirmed their attendance. The final event - where all participants will showcase their company on stage - will be streamed live via Facebook. More details about the program and its benefits to participants can be found on the FFA Blog.

"Trilogy believes in supporting valuable programs like Ready Set Raise because they strengthen and diversify the pool of investable opportunities for our fund," says Amy McCullough, Managing Director at Trilogy Equity Partners. "As a firm, we have consistently invested in diverse teams. FFA has made a tremendous impact connecting talented female CEOs to the investor community, and we're proud to partner with them on this effort."

With a 10-fold increase in membership since its founding in 2017, FFA has a proven track record of helping female founders accelerate their business. FFA members credit the peer network with making six or more business-accelerating introductions, while 40 percent of them closed a round of financing in their first year of membership.

FFA will continue to host various events and workshops throughout the year that equip female founders with the necessary skills and tools to secure funding. Future programs and events will be announced on the FFA blog.

About Female Founders Alliance
Founded by CEO Leslie Feinzaig, Female Founders Alliance (FFA) is a business-accelerating peer network that connects female entrepreneurs with allyship, access, advancement, and amplification to help them and their startups succeed. FFA's vision is to create an investable pattern of success among female-founded startups that can disrupt the venture capital funding gap. For more information, please visit www.femalefounders.org.

About Trilogy Equity Partners
Formed in 2006, Trilogy Equity Partners (http://www.trilogyequity.com) is an early stage venture firm based in Bellevue, Washington that is led by former entrepreneurs and operators. The firm's roots include the formation and leadership of some of the largest mobile operators in the United States as well as other global technology and wireless companies.  Trilogy takes a hands-on approach to investing, with a closely held evergreen fund that aligns investments with the objective of building great companies over time.

Contact:  Anita Loomba
Female Founders Alliance 
Senior Program Manager
(503) 999-1611 (m)
[email protected]

SOURCE Female Founders Alliance