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RISE UP

Seed grant and pre-accelerator programme for ambitious female founders

At Soda we are passionate about supporting women in business, particularly those tenacious enough to start their own business.

We created RISE UP in 2021 to encourage more women to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career, to lift the capability of female founders and champion female entrepreneurship in Aotearoa.

Please note that RISE UP is not taking place in 2024. Check back in 2025.

RISE UP 2023

RISE UP is a seed grant and pre-accelerator programme for globally ambitious female founders. We will select five ambitious female founders to go through a series of founder-focused workshops, culminating in a pitch night where the winner will take away $10,000 cash! Please note that RISE UP is not taking place in 2024.

Finalists & Winner

RISE UP 2023 WINNER

Our 2023 RISE UP winner was Sophie Stanley and Rachel Smith, co-founders of Bounsa.

Read more about them here.

RISE UP 2023 FINALISTS

Our 2023 RISE UP finalists were:

Read more about our 2023 finalists.

Important Dates

1 June 2023        Applications open

23 June 2023     Applications close

3 July 2023         Finalists confirmed

17 July 2023        Pre-accelerator programme starts

29 August 2023  Pitch night

How to Apply

RISE UP is not taking place in 2024. However we are running three RISE UP themed Power Lunches. To stay up-to-date, follow our social media accounts:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

RISE UP

What our students say

What our RISE UP 2022 winner said

Start-Ups

Customised start-up support programmes for entrepreneurs in New Zealand.

Business Growth

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Co-Working

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