Question 1

Who is The SWELL for?

Accepted Answer

The SWELL is built for women and non-binary founders. The programming, mentor network, and community are designed around their experience. Participation is open to any founder who is aligned with that mission.

Question 2

Do I need to be a founder already?

Accepted Answer

No. Plenty of members are still shaping an idea or working through a transition out of a corporate role. If you are building something, or seriously getting ready to, you belong here.

Question 3

Am I too early?

Accepted Answer

Probably not. The most common regret we hear is waiting until things felt legitimate enough. If you can describe what you are trying to build, that is enough.

Question 4

Am I too established?

Accepted Answer

No, and we need you. A woman running a profitable eight-person business is one of the most useful people in the room, and she usually gets as much out of the advisors and peer circle as anyone.

Question 5

Do I have to be a tech company?

Accepted Answer

No. We are AI-forward because the tools have changed what a small team can do, and that shows up in the programming. The room includes services businesses, physical businesses, nonprofits, practices and product companies. Diversity of categories and thinking is a huge advantage and sparks new ideas.

Question 6

My business does not fit any of your tracks.

Accepted Answer

That is fine and it happens often. Tracks are where our advisors go deepest, not a list of who gets in. We will still find you the right person to talk to.

Question 7

Is SWELL membership only for women?

Accepted Answer

Swell is built for women and non-binary founders. The programming, mentor network, and community are designed around their experience. Participation is open to any founder who is aligned with that mission.

Question 8

Can men be part of SWELL at all?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Participation is open to any founder who is aligned with the mission. Men show up in The SWELL as members, advisors, guest experts, mentors, and partners. Some of our strongest advisors are men who actively champion women-led businesses.

Question 9

Do you welcome trans and nonbinary founders?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Women at SWELL includes trans women. If you are nonbinary and feel at home in a women-centered founder community, you belong here.

Question 10

Do you support AI-focused founders specifically?

Accepted Answer

AI runs through every segment we serve, whether you are building the technology or using it to run your business. We will match you with advisors who know these tools.

Question 11

How do I become an advisor, guest expert, or partner if I am not eligible for membership?

Accepted Answer

Reach out to sally@swellincubator.com. We are always looking for people with relevant expertise, regardless of gender, who want to support women founders through mentorship, workshops, or partnerships.

Question 12

Is there a way for allies to support The SWELL without being a member?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can sponsor a membership for a founder, partner with us on programming, or join as an advisor or guest expert. Contact sally@swellincubator.com.

Question 13

What does membership include?

Accepted Answer

Coworking at SURF Incubator, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Advisor office hours. A monthly masterclass. A small peer circle of women at a similar stage. A feedback clinic. A directory of members you can ask for help. And more workshops and programming that you get to help shape based on your needs.

Question 14

What is the difference between Membership and Enhanced Membership?

Accepted Answer

Base membership covers everything above. Enhanced Membership adds $50 a month and unlocks the fitness center, yoga studio, club room, and The Nines event space. See the space page to check out those amenities.

Question 15

What do founding members get?

Accepted Answer

A direct hand in shaping SWELL's programming and gatherings, plus recognition as part of the First Wave.

Question 16

What is a peer circle?

Accepted Answer

A small consistent group, matched by stage rather than sector, that meets monthly. Same people each time, which is what makes it useful.

Question 17

Who are the advisors?

Accepted Answer

Operators, investors and specialists who have already solved the problems you are facing. Some are matched by track, meaning they know your sector. Others are functional, covering pricing, legal, finance, hiring, brand and go to market. We are busy recruiting the best in the industry right now, so please share any suggestions with us. You can see the full list on the advisors page.

Question 18

Are advisors paid?

Accepted Answer

No. They give their time. Most give ninety minutes a quarter. We handle the scheduling and briefing so their time goes into the conversation rather than the admin.

Question 19

Will advisors pitch me their services?

Accepted Answer

No. That is the one rule we hold hardest. Advisors are here to help, and anyone using office hours as a sales channel does not stay in the Lineup.

Question 20

Do you take equity?

Accepted Answer

Never. The SWELL is equity free. Nobody here takes a piece of your company, and nobody has a right of first look at your round.

Question 21

Will you help me raise money?

Accepted Answer

Indirectly. We will do a demo day and invite investors in for those who want to pitch. We will get you in front of people who have raised, who invest, or who decided not to raise and built on non-dilutive terms like grants, funds, and foundations.

Question 22

Is this an accelerator?

Accepted Answer

No. Not yet. There is no fixed cohort, no curriculum, no fixed end date. If members tell us that is something they want, then we will bring it. We are starting from a place of curiosity and community, building what the businesses and our members need rather than forcing them down a particular path.

Question 23

Where is it?

Accepted Answer

SURF Incubator, 999 3rd Avenue, 7th Floor, downtown Seattle. It is central and on transit, and covered garage parking in the building is $10 for members. See the getting here page for more details.

Question 24

When can I be there?

Accepted Answer

Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Question 25

How much is it?

Accepted Answer

Founding members pay $100 a month, or $150 a month for the tier that adds the gym, lounge and event space. Founding rates are for the first fifty members and hold through the pilot year. After that, the membership rate may change depending on where we are with funding and support. The goal is to keep The SWELL as accessible as possible for members, while having skin in the game to be an active part of the community.

Question 26

What happens to my rate when prices go up?

Accepted Answer

Founding members keep the founding rate through 2026. We will always give you notice in writing before anything changes.

Question 27

Is there a contract?

Accepted Answer

No. Month to month, either party can cancel with thirty days notice. Simple.

Question 28

Can I try it before I join?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we would rather you did. Come to the Thursday drop-in, or come in for a full day after we have talked. Nobody pays before they have spent time in the room.

Question 29

How often are members here?

Accepted Answer

Most members are here two days a week. That is when it stops feeling like a coworking space and starts being a community. Some weeks that will not happen. Caregiving, travel, a launch, and that is totally OK. We built this around real lives and nobody is counting.

Question 30

Can I bring my laptop and just work quietly?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Some weeks that is exactly what you need, and heads-down days are normal here. There are cubicles you can sit in if the open area is too lively.

Question 31

Can I bring a guest or a client?

Accepted Answer

Yes, no problem.

Question 32

Can I use it as my business address?

Accepted Answer

That is an extra benefit SURF Incubator offers for a small fee. You can connect with James at the front desk to set that up.

Question 33

Are there meeting rooms?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we have plenty of meeting rooms and phone rooms. All bookable via QR code.

Question 34

What does it mean to be caregiver-aware?

Accepted Answer

Daytime programming, so evenings stay free for your family. A kids hangout room, where you can bring your kid, a sitter, or a nanny if that works for you. Kids are welcome here. That same room doubles as a bookable lactation room. In 2026, we are encouraging the community to get scrappy and experiment with sharing sitters on-site. For 2027, we are looking into formal on-site daycare based on what we learn this year.

Question 35

I have caregiving responsibilities and my week is unpredictable.

Accepted Answer

So does much of the room. That is a design constraint we started from rather than an exception we accommodate. Sessions are scheduled inside the working day rather than in the evenings, and nobody tracks your attendance.

Question 36

Are there evening events?

Accepted Answer

Some, but the core programming is inside the working day on purpose. Evening events are the reason a lot of women miss out, and we would rather not add to that. We do want to still have some evening programming for the women who are constrained by other responsibilities during the day.

Question 37

Is there childcare?

Accepted Answer

Tell us what would make participation possible for you and we will look at it honestly. We want to learn more and build based on real needs.

Question 38

I cannot afford $100 a month.

Accepted Answer

Talk to us. We hold scholarship and subsidized places funded by our access partners, and cost is the last reason we want to lose someone. Say so on the call and we will work it out privately.

Question 39

Do you have accessibility information for the space?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We have step-free access, accessible restrooms, lifts, and quiet space.

Question 40

How do I join?

Accepted Answer

Three ways. If we already know each other, email or text Sally. If we have not met, book a fifteen-minute call. Or just come to the Thursday drop-in and see the room first.

Question 41

Why a call rather than an application form?

Accepted Answer

Because a form tells us less and asks more. Fifteen minutes tells us both whether this is right, and it means you start with a relationship rather than a receipt. If it is a fit, there is a short form afterwards, mostly logistics.

Question 42

What happens on the call?

Accepted Answer

You tell us what you are building and what is hard right now. We tell you what SWELL is, including the parts that do not suit everyone. Then we are straight with you about fit. No pitch and nothing to prepare.

Question 43

What if it is not a fit?

Accepted Answer

We will say so, and point you somewhere better. Seattle has good organizations doing different things and we would rather send you to the right one.

Question 44

Is there a waitlist?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. We have fifty founding spots we hope to fill quickly. Let us see where it goes from there.

Question 45

What does SWELL stand for?

Accepted Answer

Seattle Women Entrepreneurs, Leading and Lifting. And the S also stands for Smart, Superb, Successful. Pick your S, that works too.

Question 46

Are you a nonprofit?

Accepted Answer

The SWELL is a mission-based for-profit. We are equity free, and we are clear about where the money goes: keeping membership affordable, paying for programming, content and the space, all the things that make the experience worth showing up for, and scholarship funding for founders who need it. We collaborate with Sound Startups for any tax-deductible donations.

Question 47

Can I make a tax-deductible donation?

Accepted Answer

Yes, through our partner organization Sound Startups. Those funds go directly to founder scholarships and access rather than to operations.

Question 48

Who runs it?

Accepted Answer

Sally Revell, daughter of entrepreneurs who spent years leading teams in tech at Google Cloud and AWS before moving into coaching and community building. The SWELL is hosted at SURF Incubator thanks to venue partner Seaton Gras, who founded SURF in 2009.

Question 49

How many members are there?

Accepted Answer

We are building with the first fifty in 2026.

Question 50

What happens after 2026?

Accepted Answer

We spend the pilot year learning what works with the first fifty, then open the next chapter in 2027 with the model and the proof to grow it properly.

Question 51

How can my company get involved?

Accepted Answer

Five ways, on the partner page: founding, program, access, expert and community partnerships. If you want to run a masterclass or take office hours, start there.

Frequently asked questions

Am I right for this?

What do I actually get?

The practical stuff

Caregiving, access and cost

Joining

About The SWELL

Still wondering something?