All Raise, a nonprofit backed by Melinda Gates' Pivotal Ventures that works to support women and non-binary startup founders, is launching a Chicago organization led by some notable local tech leaders.
All Raise said this week that it's launching a Chicago chapter in partnership with Gender Equality in Tech (GET) Cities, a group focused on gender equity in tech, to make sure men aren't the only ones benefiting from the fast-growth that Chicago's tech scene has seen in recent years.
The group, which provides mentoring, events and resources to help women founders get more funding—and help more women launch careers in venture capital—is launching with a steering committee made up of several familiar faces in Chicago's tech community.
The Chicago committee includes Desiree Vargas Wrigley, a serial entrepreneur and leader of P33's Techrise program; Elle Ramel, the GET Cities Chicago director; Genevieve Thiers, the founder of Sittercity.com; Haley Kwait Zollo, a partner at Chicago VC firm Starting Line; Jasmine Shells, the co-founder and CEO of local startup Five to Nine; and Lindsay Knight, a partner at Chicago Ventures.
The group also operates chapters in Boston, Los Angeles and New York.
All Raise launched in 2017 to provide professional development programs, networking events and other resources to female and non-binary founders. Its backers include Gates' Pivotal Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, The Reid Hoffman Foundation, Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital.
