Seattle's The SWELL Launches With 53 Members, Targeting Women Founders Leaving Corporate Jobs
Updated
Updated · GeekWire · Oct 6
Seattle's The SWELL Launches With 53 Members, Targeting Women Founders Leaving Corporate Jobs
3 articles · Updated · GeekWire · Oct 6
Summary
Less than 10 weeks after opening, The SWELL is holding its official Seattle launch with 53 members and a model founder Sally Revell says is centered on community, not just co-working.
A $200-a-month membership includes weekday workspace at SURF Incubator, weekly founder “hot seats,” and programming built around bootstrapping, daytime access and self-care rather than venture-capital pressure.
Survey data shows who it is attracting: 40% of participants quit corporate jobs to start ventures, 30% were laid off, the median experience level is 17 years, and 60% do not want to return.
The hub is capped at 75 members, is exploring a virtual program, and has lined up a Formidable Media partnership plus a custom accelerator starting in January.
The launch taps a wider shift toward women-led entrepreneurship—women started 44% of new businesses last year—and revives a Seattle ecosystem that persisted after The Riveter closed its physical sites in 2020.