What You Know Is Only the Beginning: Scale Ready Studio Deal Day Demonstrates the Power of Relationships and Making the Ask
A month before Deal Day, I presented at a workshop built around an idea I keep coming back to: relationships are a pathway to capital. Not a nice-to-have. A pathway. Money rarely moves because a perfect pitch lands cold. It moves because someone says, "You need to meet her," and then makes the introduction.
On October 15, we got to see that idea come alive in New York City. IFEL joined Scale Ready Studio Deal Day, designed by Get Sh!t Done and led by the incredible Alex Batdorf. The room was full of founders, investors, business leaders, and policymakers. The energy was the kind you get when people came to do something, not just collect business cards.
Scale Ready Studio is not your typical accelerator. Many programs pour everything into venture capital fundraising. This 12-week program takes a different route and helps women founders build steady revenue, close customers, and grow the relationships that make growth possible. Deal Day was the culmination, a curated space where a conversation could turn into a customer, a partnership, an investment, or the one connection that changes everything.
What I loved most was how intentional it was. Founders took the spotlight to share what they're building and, just as important, where they could use help. They said the ask out loud. Then guests were matched through curated introductions with founders and decision-makers whose interests and expertise lined up. That's the difference between networking and a real introduction.
It's also a good reminder of what I told the workshop participants: access to capital doesn't start with your fundraising round. The most important next step is building the relationships that help you find the right customer, partner, or champion. And building relationships with all of them so that they open doors, vouch for you, and make introductions. All of this together can unlock the capital that you need to fuel growth.
Watch the highlights from Deal Day and think about what introduction you can make for the amazing founders in this program.
Scale Ready Studio is powered by Women.NYC, a flagship initiative of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. We're proud to be part of efforts like this that bring communities together and create more pathways to the relationships and resources entrepreneurs need to succeed.
