Investors can tell when you're not ready. Make sure you are.
Institutional-grade preparation for founder-led companies raising up to $10M, from someone who has sat on every side of the table. Strategy, investor materials and offering documents, for a fixed fee, with no success fees or equity.
We do not act as a broker, dealer, placement agent, finder, funding portal, investment adviser, underwriter, lawyer, accountant or auditor.
Fixed fees
No success fees
You own your raise
30+ private placement transactions
Startups to $20M revenue
Why raises fall short
They fall short because the founder asks before they're ready: materials that don't answer investors' questions, terms that aren't clear, and no real plan for who to ask and how. And you rarely get a second chance. The people who know you will give you one serious hearing.
Unclear story.
Investors can't repeat why they should invest.
Numbers that don't match.
The deck, model and terms tell different stories.
No plan for the ask.
Good conversations drift and never close.
We get you from unprepared to raise-ready
01
Readiness Assessment
Every engagement starts with a free 20-minute intro call. If we're a fit, the next step is a Readiness Assessment. In 5 business days, you get a report on where your business stands and which package fits your raise. The $1,500 fee is credited toward any package if you move forward.
02
Strategy and materials, built with you
Through structured working sessions over 4 to 6 weeks, we build your strategy, investor deck, executive summary, offering documents and data room, tailored to whether you're running a Network Raise, Growth Capital or Reg CF offering.
03
90 days of launch support
Before you launch, you'll rehearse in a mock investor meeting. Then you run your own raise with Slack access to Joel for questions along the way and 45-minute working sessions to keep you on track.
Built for founders who are ready to run their own raise
Founder-Led Companies
We work best with US, privately held, founder-led companies with up to $20M in revenue, raising up to $10M. We help you build the structure, materials, and decision frameworks needed to run a credible raise.
Companies Raising From Accredited Investors
If you're raising up to $1M from your own network of accredited investors under 506(b) or 506(c), our Network Raise package prepares your materials and offering documents in about 4 weeks, with 90 days of launch support.
Revenue-Stage Companies Raising Growth Capital
Raising $1M to $10M in growth capital? Our Growth Capital package builds a complete, institutional-grade investor package in about 4 weeks, with 90 days of launch support to help you run the raise yourself.
Raises Including Non-Accredited Investors
If your raise includes non-accredited investors, our Reg CF Package prepares your offering for a public crowdfunding launch in about 6 weeks, with 90 days of launch support once you go live.
Four fixed-fee packages, built for your raise
Readiness Assessment
A written report on where you stand and which path fits your raise, delivered within five business days. $1,500 - credited in full towards any package.
Network Raise
For raising up to $1M from accredited investors who know you or your business. Materials, lawyer reviewed documents and a plan for the ask. Starting at $15,000.
Growth Capital
For companies raising up to $10M. Diligence review, capital strategy, institutional-grade materials and management rehearsal. Starting at $20,000.
Reg CF
For raises that include non-accredited investors. Form C preparation, campaign content and a community-first launch plan. Starting at $25,000.
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 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. We don't introduce investors or contact them on your behalf, and you own your investor relationships from day one. 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.
Founders raised millions of dollars on their own terms, with our preparation behind them.
We've prepared offerings for each of these companies:
- Healthcare Business Resources
- Freedom Internet Group
- SMTP
- Ideal Restaurant Group
- Mister Goody
- American Realty Funds
- InnerSpace
- PR Specialists
- Maxim Mortgage
- CDbeat.com
- Hojo Holdings
- Onfolio Holdings
- GenFlat Holdings
- Redefy
- Nico Ventures
- Industrial Sustainability
- Wildeye
- Metro Business
Not ready to talk yet? Start with the free guide.
Before You Raise walks you through what to get right before you ask anyone for money, from someone who has prepared 30+ private placements.
Frequently asked questions
Do you raise the capital for us?
No. We prepare you to run your own raise. We never introduce or contact investors on your behalf, and you own every investor relationship. Our job is to make sure your strategy, materials and offering documents are genuinely ready before you launch.
How much does it cost, and are there success fees?
Every package is a fixed fee, from the $1,500 Readiness Assessment up to $25,000 for a Reg CF Package. We never take a success fee, equity, warrants, or a percentage of the capital you raise.
What is the Readiness Assessment and do I need it?
It's the first paid step, after a free 20-minute intro call. In one working session, we review where you stand, and you receive a written report within 5 business days on which package fits your raise. The $1,500 fee is credited in full toward any package if you continue within 60 days.
Which package is right for my raise?
Network Raise fits raises of up to $1M from accredited investors who know you or your business. Growth Capital fits up to $10M raises for revenue-stage companies. Reg CF fits raises that include non-accredited investors. The Readiness Assessment will confirm the right fit.
What kind of companies do you work with?
We work best with privately held, founder-led companies, from pre-revenue startups to $20M in revenue, raising up to $10M. That includes non-US companies raising from US investors.
What support do I get after the materials are ready?
Every package includes 90 days of launch support, with Slack access to Joel Arberman and a two-business-day response time, plus scheduled 45-minute working sessions. Before you launch, you'll also rehearse in a mock investor meeting.