Where early-stage founders find clarity.
Stage 4: Readiness
From Momentum to Durability
Stage 4 exists to explore a central question:
“Is this company ready to scale, hire, or raise capital responsibly?”
Readiness is about durability, not hype.
Stage 4: Chicago Organizations
1871 Innovation Labs
Serves: Founders and scale-stage startups ready to engage enterprise partners, navigate corporate procurement, and meet operational rigor requirements
Fit: Provides structured access to corporate partners and real-world constraints that pressure-test a company’s readiness for scale, enterprise sales, and external scrutiny.
Chicago ArchAngels
Serves: Women-founded and women-led startups preparing for early institutional capital
Fit: Combines capital with readiness expectations around leadership, governance, and growth discipline.
Hyde Park Angels
Serves: Founders preparing for angel capital and board-level expectations
Fit: Provides early institutional scrutiny, capital access, and governance exposure for companies approaching scale.
Lightbank
Serves: Founders building venture-scale companies ready for aggressive growth and hiring
Fit: Invests in and advises companies preparing for scale, operational rigor, and high-growth execution.
Pritzker Group Venture Capital
Pritzker Group Venture Capital
Serves: Founders with traction preparing for long-term scale and institutional partnerships
Fit: Focuses on governance, durability, and operational maturity required for sustained growth.
Stage 4: 🧠 Resources
Startup Metrics 101: What to track and why It matters
A structured overview of core startup metrics founders need to track to assess performance, communicate traction, and prepare for investor conversations and scaling decisions.
How do VCs decide to take that first meeting?
An inside look at how VCs evaluate inbound founders and decide to take first meetings, helping startups refine positioning, signals, and narrative before investor outreach.
Are you a fundable founder?
A candid framework for assessing founder fundability, clarifying the signals investors look for, and identifying gaps founders must address before actively pursuing venture capital.
5 Tips to help you decide whether now is the right time to raise money for your startup
Guidance on when startups should raise capital, helping founders assess timing, traction, and readiness to engage investors without fundraising too early or reactively.
