You bring the track record and the network. We build everything else.

Built for operators starting their next company.

You've done this before. You've built, run or sold a business, or held a senior operating role. The people who know you have watched you deliver.

You're starting something that needs capital from day one. The idea is clear, but the company doesn't exist yet, or exists only on paper. The structure, documents and numbers need to be in place before the first investor conversation.

You'd rather not hire and manage seven firms. Hundreds of people know you, and many would want to hear what you're building. You want the company and the raise done properly, under one adviser, so you can stay focused on the business.

From a new company to an active raise

We form the company and get it raise-ready in about five weeks, then support your outreach for the rest of the six months, with a working session every week.

You make every decision, and nobody is approached until you have approved the final materials. Every message goes out in your name, every reply comes to you, and every investor conversation is yours.

One adviser instead of seven firms.

Bought separately from a corporate lawyer, a securities lawyer, a fractional CFO, a designer, a writer, an outreach agency and a pitch coach, this work typically costs about $180,000, mostly paid up front. And you become the project manager, keeping one story and one set of numbers across all of them.

Market costs are estimates for comparison only.

$10,000 to launch

Founder Launch starts with $10,000 at signing. Total fees exceed $100,000 over the six-month engagement, paid monthly with the largest payment at the end. There is no percentage of what you raise, no equity and no success fee. You can stop at the start of any month. We confirm the exact fee after a free intro call, once we understand your company and your raise.

What a well-prepared raise can lead to.

$1 million became $3.3 million. A founder planned to raise $1 million. After preparation, the round closed at $3.3 million, and the next one raised $7 million.

From startup to Nasdaq. A company that was basically a startup raised $825,000 in a private placement, then $1.6 million in preferred shares, then $2 million in equity, then more than $13.5 million in a public offering, and listed on Nasdaq.

Underway now. We're forming a new company for an experienced operator and preparing a raise from the people who know him, with the outreach running in his name.

Hi, I'm Joel Arberman.

I help founders get ready to raise capital.

I've spent more than 30 years in capital markets: as an analyst at multi-billion-dollar asset managers, in institutional sell-side equity research, and as a partner at a 700-person investment bank.  I've seen capital raises from three perspectives: how investors evaluate opportunities, how financial professionals structure them, and how management teams actually execute them.

I've taken four of my own companies public and taken a total of 17 companies public. I founded Meraki Partners and launched Prepared to Raise to bring that same institutional rigor to founders getting ready to raise capital.

We prepare; you raise. The result is an offering that's genuinely ready to present, for a fixed fee, with no equity, warrants or percentage of what you raise.

Questions founders ask.

Do you raise the money for me?

No. You raise it, from people who know you. We form the company, prepare the raise and handle the marketing logistics, but every message is in your name and every investor conversation is yours. We never contact investors or take a share of what's raised.

Why not just hire a lawyer and a fractional CFO?

You can. You'll also need a securities lawyer, a designer, a writer, an outreach firm and a pitch coach, and you'll be the one making their work fit together. Investors notice when the numbers in the deck don't match the model or the terms.

Why no success fee?

Fixed fees keep the offering clean and keep every dollar you raise in the company. Our fee is for the work, like a lawyer's or an accountant's.

What if I don't raise the full amount?

We'll tell you plainly, as the numbers come together, what a realistic first close looks like and how to stage the rest.

My company already exists. Is this for me?

Possibly not. If the company is formed and in order, our Growth Capital or Network Raise packages may fit better. We'll tell you on the intro call.

Do I need a lawyer?

We prepare the documents and you approve them before anything is used. You may have a lawyer review them, and we recommend it, but it isn't required.

I'm not in the U.S. Can you help?

Yes. We form a U.S. company and prepare a U.S. offering. You engage local counsel for your home-country requirements, and we coordinate with them.

Let's talk about your next company.

Every engagement starts with a free 20-minute intro call.