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:
- Spring 2026: Early Stage
- Spring 2026: Growth Stage
- Spring 2026: Tech/Innovation
- The Food/Ag cohort will be running two cohorts starting Nov. 30th—applications accepted now.
Contact Lora Bray to learn more about the upcoming training opportunites.
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 Spring 2026 cohort: Early Stage, Growth Stage, and Tech. The Food/Ag cohort will be running two cohorts starting Nov. 30th—applications accepted now.
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 Fall 2025 curriculum outlines:
Early Curriculum
| Week | Date | Lesson/Chapters | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/9 Tuesday | Introduction to CRP/Personal Finances | Cartoon Vue/ Michail Walker |
| 2 | 9/16 Tuesday | Building Financial Acumen | Wendy Potratz |
| 3 | 9/23 Tuesday | A Focus on Cash Flow & Creating Financial Projections | Wendy Potratz |
| 4 | 9/30 Tuesday | Understanding Capital Stack | Michail Walker |
| 5 | 10/7 Tuesday | Customer Segments | Kelly Berry |
| 6 | 10/14 Tuesday | Pricing Models | Michail Walker |
| 7 | 10/20 Monday | Creating a PowerPoint Deck (Optional) | Andi Gretzinger |
| 10/21 Tuesday | Key Components of the Pitch | Paula Houlihan | |
| 8 | 10/28 Tuesday | Turning Financial Data into Strategic Action | Wendy Potratz |
| 9 | 11/4 Tuesday | Slide Pitch Deck Review (Optional) | Paula Houlihan |
| 11/5 Wednesday | Women’s Topic (Both cohorts join) | Speaker TBD | |
| 10 | 11/11 Tuesday | Peer-to-Peer Pitch Practice | Paula Houlihan |
| 11 | 11/18 Tuesday | Pitch Event – Virtual | Paula Houlihan |
Growth Curriculum
| Week | Date | Lesson/Chapters | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/11 Thursday | Introduction to CRP/Personal Finances | Cartoon Vue/ Jenifer Zurfluh |
| 2 | 9/18 Thursday | Building Financial Acumen | Ada Duffey |
| 3 | 9/25 Thursday | A Focus on Cash Flow & Creating Financial Projections | Ada Duffey |
| 4 | 10/2 Thursday | Understanding Capital Stack | Jenifer Zurfluh |
| 5 | 10/9 Thursday | Customer Segments | Melissa Meschke |
| 6 | 10/16 Thursday | Pricing Models | Melissa Meschke |
| 7 | 10/20 Monday | Creating a PowerPoint Deck (Optional) | Andi Gretzinger |
| 10/23 Thursday | Key Components of the Pitch | Paula Houlihan | |
| 8 | 10/30 Thursday | Turning Financial Data into Strategic Action | Ada Duffey |
| 9 | 11/5 Wednesday | Women’s Topic (Both cohorts join) | Speaker TBD |
| 11/6 Thursday | Slide Pitch Deck Review (Optional) | Paula Houlihan | |
| 10 | 11/13 Thursday | Peer-to-Peer Pitch Practice | Paula Houlihan |
| 11 | 11/20 Thursday | Pitch Event – Virtual | Paula Houlihan |
Tech/Innovation Curriculum
| Week | Date | Lesson/Chapters | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/30 Tuesday | Introduction to CRP | Anya Hanson |
| 2 | 10/7 Tuesday | Prepare Your Pitch | Brian Walsh |
| 3 | 10/14 Tuesday | SBIR Accounting, Taxes, and HR | Chelsea Stanton |
| 4 | 10/21 Tuesday | Business Hypotheses and the Scientific Method | Todd Strother |
| 5 | 10/28 Tuesday | How to Talk to Investors | Heather Wentler |
| 6 | 11/4 Tuesday | Program Manager Panel | Anya Hanson |
| 7 | 11/11 Tuesday | Investor Panel | Anya Hanson |
| 8 | 11/18 Tuesday | Practice Your Pitch | Brian Walsh |
| 9 | 11/25 Tuesday | Pitch Event – Virtual | Anya Hanson |
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.