Are you a Wisconsin woman challenged in sourcing capital for your small business? You’re not alone.
The Office of Business & Entrepreneurship (OBE) historically finds fewer women entrepreneurs get capital and overall receive smaller amounts compared to men. In 2022, 47.5% of OBE women clients received capital vs 49.6% of men, with women receiving $63.8M in total compared to men’s $142M.
What is the Capital Readiness Program?
With the assistance of a grant from the Minority Business Development Agency, OBE is on a mission to help women entrepreneurs get access to more capital. We have completed research surveys with women entrepreneurs and focus groups with investors, lenders, and other stakeholders to help us identify particular needs for women-owned businesses.
OBE has created an innovative curriculum based on these findings in four customized tracks:
- Early Stage Business
- Food/Ag Businesses
- Growth Stage Business
- Tech/Innovation Businesses
This curriculum is tailored to women entrepreneurs and includes modules on building financial acumen, an in-depth study of business finances (including personalized assessments); special interest topics for women (communication skills, gender bias issues); business mentorship based on participant need; and concludes with a company pitch event to lenders and investors specially chosen to best meet the circumstances of each cohort.
Upcoming Programs:
- Fall 2026: Early Stage
- Fall 2026: Growth Stage
- Fall 2026: Tech/Innovation
- Fall 2026: Food/Ag
Contact Lora Bray to learn more about the upcoming training opportunities.
Lora Bray, Strategic Projects Program Manager
Do you have questions about the program? Reach out to Lora by filling out the form below.
Prospective Participants: Apply for a Cohort
Apply for an upcoming Fall 2026 cohort: Early Stage, Growth Stage, Tech, and Food/Ag businesses. Applications are currently being accepted for all pathways.
Current Participants & Graduates: Report Metrics
Help us verify key achievements, such as contract and capital awards, job creation, and other business milestones resulting from your engagement with the program.
Current Participants & Graduates: Access Webinars
As a past and present CRP participant, you have exclusive access to attend and view webinars designed to further support the growth of your business.
Check out the most recent curriculum outlines:
Early Curriculum (Fall 2026)
| Week | Date | Lesson/Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/8 Tuesday | Introduction to CRP/Personal Finances | Cartoon Vue / Michail Walker |
| 2 | 9/15 Tuesday | Building Financial Acumen | Wendy Potratz |
| 3 | 9/22 Tuesday | A Focus on Cash Flow & Creating Financial Projections | Wendy Potratz |
| 4 | 9/29 Tuesday | Customer Segments | Kelly Berry |
| 5 | 10/6 Tuesday | Pricing Models | Michail Walker |
| 6 | 10/13 Tuesday | Key Components of the Pitch | Paula Houlihan |
| 10/16 Friday | Creating Your Pitch Slide Deck (Both cohorts join) 2–4 p.m. | Andi Gretzinger | |
| 7 | 10/20 Tuesday | Pitch Slide Deck Review | Paula Houlihan |
| 8 | 10/27 Tuesday | Turning Financial Data into Strategic Action | Wendy Potratz |
| 9 | 11/3 Tuesday | Understanding Capital Stack | Michail Walker |
| 11/4 Wednesday | Own Your Expertise (Both cohorts join) 2–4 p.m. | Jen Adamski | |
| 10 | 11/10 Tuesday | Pitch Practice | Paula Houlihan |
| 11 | 11/17 Tuesday | Virtual Pitch Event | Paula Houlihan |
Growth Curriculum (Fall 2026)
| Week | Date | Lesson/Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/10 Thursday | Introduction to CRP/Personal Finances | Cartoon Vue / Jenifer Zurfluh |
| 2 | 9/17 Thursday | Building Financial Acumen | Ada Duffey |
| 3 | 9/24 Thursday | A Focus on Cash Flow & Creating Financial Projections | Ada Duffey |
| 4 | 10/1 Thursday | Customer Segments | Melissa Meshke |
| 5 | 10/8 Thursday | Pricing Models | Melissa Meshke |
| 6 | 10/15 Thursday | Key Components of the Pitch | Paula Houlihan |
| 10/16 Friday | Creating Your Pitch Slide Deck (Both cohorts join) | Andi Gretzinger | |
| 7 | 10/22 Thursday | Pitch Slide Deck Review | Paula Houlihan |
| 8 | 10/29 Thursday | Turning Financial Data into Strategic Action | Ada Duffey |
| 9 | 11/4 Wednesday | Own Your Expertise (Both cohorts join) | Jen Adamski |
| 11/5 Thursday | Understanding Capital Stack | Jenifer Zurfluh | |
| 10 | 11/12 Thursday | Pitch Practice | Paula Houlihan |
| 11 | 11/19 Thursday | Virtual Pitch Event | Paula Houlihan |
Tech/Innovation Curriculum (Fall 2026)
| Week | Date | Lesson/Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/16 Wednesday | Introduction to CRP | Anya Hanson |
| 2 | 9/23 Wednesday | Prepare Your Pitch | Brian Walsh |
| 3 | 9/30 Wednesday | Building Investor-Ready Foundations: Financial Strategies for Growth | Chelsea Stanton |
| 4 | 10/7 Wednesday | Building Investor-Ready Foundations: Taxes and HR | Todd Strother |
| 5 | 10/14 Wednesday | Lean Strategies for Pitching | Heather Wentler |
| 6 | 10/21 Wednesday | Breaking Barriers: Women in Tech’s Guide to Raising Startup Funds | Anya Hanson |
| 7 | 10/28 Wednesday | Investor Panel | Anya Hanson |
| 8 | 11/4 Wednesday | Practice Your Pitch | Brian Walsh |
| 9 | 11/10 – 11/12 | TBD | Mock Final Pitch to Investors | Anya Hanson |
Food/Ag Curriculum (Fall 2026)
| Week | Date | Lesson/Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-work | 9/19–10/1 | Prepare an introductory slide deck (10 minutes max) to share with the group on 10/1 |
| 1 | 10/1 Thursday | Orientation and Introductions Program orientation; introductory pitches (food brand and ag groups); introduction to the proforma and next steps |
| 2 | 10/8 Thursday | Business Models, Marketing, and Personal Finance Best Practices Business model and value proposition (lean canvas); identifying your target market and digital marketing with Jackie Lalley; personal finance best practices; food/farm breakout groups |
| 3 | 10/15 Thursday | Product Pricing Costing, pricing, and sales channels; food/farm breakout groups |
| 4 | 10/22 Thursday | Accounting Systems and Financial Statements Anatomy of the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement; accounting systems, hiring financial experts, and fixing problems; food/farm breakout groups |
| 5 | 10/29 Thursday | Grants, Debt Financing, and Projections Grants and debt financing; proformas and projections; food/farm breakout groups |
| 6 | 11/5 Thursday | Capital Stack and Intro to Equity Investment Food/farm breakout groups |
| 7 | 11/12 Thursday | Real Entrepreneur Stories Food/farm breakout groups |
| 8 | 11/19 Thursday | Pitch Practice |
| 9 | 12/3 Thursday | Food Brand Pitches |
| 10 | 12/10 Thursday | Farm Brand Pitches |
Find out more about the Capital Readiness Program and its need by reviewing the below reports provided by WIPPS (Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service) Research Partners:
Check out our webinar from March 25, 2024 to learn more and get YOUR common questions answered:
Contact Lora if you would like to receive an intake form to schedule a discussion and learn more about participating in the program.