A women's founder community working inside SURF Incubator, Seattle
Built for every kind of ambition. Bootstrapped, purpose-led, venture-backed, or still an idea. The SWELL is built for all of it, with expert networks, practical education, and support that works with your path and pace.
The next wave starts here.
Launch Party · Tuesday, October 6, 2026
The SWELL Launch Party: Celebrating our first 50 founders. 6:00–8:00pm PT at SURF Incubator, 999 3rd Ave, 7th Floor.
The moment
AI is collapsing the cost, time, and skill required to start. Women are stepping into that opportunity in record numbers. Building is no longer the bottleneck; being found, funded, and taken seriously still is. Swell exists to turn that leverage into real businesses women own.
Shaped by what founders told us
“Building a business can feel really lonely.”
Swell is a welcoming home base where founders work, connect, and grow side by side. Built for women founders, open to anyone aligned with the mission.
“I want to grow a business on my own terms.”
Swell is built for bootstrapped founders, purpose-led ventures, and angel or VC-backed startups alike. Members get access to expert networks, practical education, and founder support that honors their path, pace, and choices.
“I need support that respects my caregiving reality.”
SWELL meets in the daytime, on purpose, so your evenings are free for your kids, pets, elders, partner...And not forgetting for yourself. Kids have their own room here to hang out in while you work. Members lift each other up through the highs and the lows.
How to join
The First Wave is full. We are celebrating 50 founding members and opening the next wave.
Every Thursday, 9:30–11:30am, at SURF Incubator. Bring your laptop, bring your kids if you need to. Meet the room, stay the whole day if you want, and work alongside other founders. No commitment, no pitch.
We are celebrating a full First Wave of founding members. Join for the next wave and we will let you know when new membership places open.
Advisors
Advice works best when it comes from someone who has been where you are. SWELL advisors are organized around the tracks our members actually work in, so you can find a founder or operator who understands your business.
AI runs through all of it. Whether you are building agents or deploying them to automate repetitive operational tasks and financial modeling, you will get advisors who understand the tools reshaping every industry.
Not on the list? Come anyway. About half the growth in women-owned businesses is happening outside traditional categories, and several of our tracks started with one founder asking.
Explore all advisorsNot sure where you fit? You fit.
Most founders sit in two tracks at once, and plenty sit in none. Tell us what you're building and we'll point you at the right people.
So you know what you're signing up for.
We focus on your goals, whatever they are. If raising capital turns out to be your path, we'll happily point you to the people who do that best.
AI is one of the things we teach, alongside the fundamentals. It's a tool, and we treat it like one.
Every session leaves you with something you can use, not just new contacts.
We work alongside the rest of Seattle's community, and we'll send you to them whenever they're the better fit.