The Startup Ladies is a professional membership organization focused on increasing the number of women-owned companies that are built, scaled, and funded. For more than a decade, we have operated at the intersection of founders, investors, and corporate partners, building practical infrastructure that moves companies from idea, to market, to growth, and directs capital from educated investor members to investor-ready women founders.

 

We support founders across the full business lifecycle through structured educational programming and a robust eLearning platform that guides entrepreneurs from early concept development through validation, launch, and scale. Our curriculum emphasizes execution, financial readiness, governance, and growth planning so founders are prepared to engage credibly with investors and partners.

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On the investor side, we guide people through the full investment process. Investors learn how early-stage investing works, how to evaluate opportunities, how to review founder materials, and how to assess risk, traction, and governance. From there, we create structured ways for investors to engage with companies, decide when to invest, and support founders after capital is deployed.

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We facilitate deal flow by sourcing investment-ready women-owned companies, preparing founders for investor review, and creating intentional opportunities for investors to learn, ask questions, and build conviction. This process reduces friction, aligns expectations, and improves decision-making for both founders and investors.

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We also connect startups to reputable ancillary service providers, including legal, accounting, banking, marketing, talent, and other growth-critical partners. We generate qualified leads and warm introductions so founders can move faster and service providers can engage companies at the right stage.

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The Startup Ladies has worked with hundreds of founders and executives across Indiana and beyond, partnered with corporations, universities, and economic development organizations, and supported women-owned companies in securing meaningful growth capital. We bring a systems-level understanding of how founders progress, how investors deploy capital, and where breakdowns occur between readiness, diligence, and follow-on.