dakotarainmaker of the year

Celebrating the Best Capital Raisers in the Industry.

Every year, the industry celebrates deal teams, portfolio managers, and fund performance. The people who actually raise the capital? Almost never. Dakota is changing that.

How It Works
Nominate
Tell us about a fundraiser who belongs in the conversation.
Community Voting
Allocators, LPs, and fellow fundraisers vote on finalists.
Winners Announced
Across ten categories spanning every channel and career stage.
Recognition, Delivered
Featured across Dakota's network, LinkedIn, podcast, and website.
Why Rainmaker of the Year Exists

Built for Fundraisers, by Fundraisers.

Deal teams, portfolio managers, and fund performance get celebrated every year. The people who actually raise the capital, the ones who build the relationships and close the commitments that make every strategy possible, almost never are.

Rainmaker of the Year is a new, community-voted awards program honoring the best fundraisers in the business. Wherever you raise capital, whatever channel or firm size, this recognition is for you.

Winners aren't picked by a vendor or a database ranking. They're chosen by the allocators, LPs, and fellow fundraisers who've actually seen the work.

Built for the people who raise the money, not deal teams or allocators who already have their own rankings
Community-voted, not vendor-picked, by allocators, LPs, and fellow fundraisers
Ten categories span every channel, strategy, and career stage
Winners featured across Dakota's network, LinkedIn, podcast, and website
To Nominate
Free
Nominations reviewed on a rolling basis · No limit on nominations

Ten Categories. Every Channel Covered.

Rainmaker of the Year spans the full range of fundraising, no matter where or how you raise capital. 

01Rainmaker of the Year
02Venture Capital Fundraiser of the Year
03Private Equity Fundraiser of the Year
04Private Credit Fundraiser of the Year
05Real Estate & Real Assets Fundraiser of the Year
06Long Only Fundraiser of the Year
07Hedge Fund Fundraiser of the Year
08Emerging Manager Fundraiser of the Year
09Rising Star Fundraiser of the Year
10Lifetime Achievement Fundraiser of the Year

Recognition Voted By Your Peers.

Rainmaker of the Year is built to be worth having, decided by the people who actually understand the work.

Voted
Community-Voted, Not Vendor-Picked
Winners are chosen by allocators, LPs, and fellow fundraisers who've seen the work firsthand.
10
Categories Across Every Channel
No matter your strategy, firm size, or years in the business, there's a category built for you.
Free
No Cost to Nominate
Nominate as many fundraisers as you genuinely believe deserve it. No fees, no limits, ever.

Nominate a Fundraiser

Takes about five minutes. Tell us who deserves recognition and why, in a few sentences.

Nominations are reviewed on a rolling basis. There's no cost to nominate, and you can nominate as many fundraisers as you genuinely believe deserve it.

What Happens After You Nominate
Every nomination is reviewed
No exceptions, no automated filtering
Finalists go to community voting
Allocators, LPs, and fellow fundraisers vote
Winners are announced and featured
Dakota's network, LinkedIn, podcast, and website
No cost, ever
Nominate as many fundraisers as you'd like