Startup Women
Startup Women helps women entrepreneurs through mentorship, events, and resources. Because when you support women, you support a nation.
About Startup Women
What is it?
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we bring together Startup Communities, leading women entrepreneurs, government and industry partners for a month-long program that honours the contributions and achievements of women entrepreneurs to the Canadian economy. Through Startup Women’s tailored events and initiatives, Startup Canada stands with women entrepreneurs to help support their growth and future goals.
Mentorship
1-on-1 Sessions
Connecting women entrepreneurs with more than 100 peer-to-peer advisors and subject matter experts to build your business and provide tailored guidance. Mentorship participants take advantage of this networking opportunity to gather and discuss candidly on the challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face.
Roundtables
Amplify your voice
Convening government, entrepreneurs, and public and private sector leaders to advocate support for women entrepreneurs. We give entrepreneurs a seat at the table to directly voice their unique concerns and connect with high-level decision makers, all to make Canada a more inclusive place for women to start and build a business.
Resources
Equip for success
Building a robust hub to guide through the tools accessible to you for success. An important part of any woman entrepreneur’s toolkit is a clear understanding of the resources within your network. We’ve put together a resource guide to connect women entrepreneurs with mentors, funding, training, events, and other programming available to support them locally, regionally, and nationally. Download the guide below.
Download the GuideStay up to date with Startup Women
Sign up for email notifications about upcoming events, support, or opportunities for women entrepreneurs!
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Each program element is open to every aspiring, emerging and/or established entrepreneur, no matter what stage you’re in.
Absolutely not! We’ve made sure that every element of the program contains general, high-level key takeaways that can be applied to any industry. However, we understand that context matters. We also offer targeted support depending on your area(s) of interest. We will be hosting 10 Industry Roundtables throughout the year facilitated by a subject matter expert with other panelists, followed by an audience Q&A and networking breakout rooms. See which industries we’re covering.
To inquire more about our targeted support, please email women@startupcan.ca
All virtual events of the Startup Women program are 100% free. In-person events will be ticketed, prices have been chosen to keep the event as accessible as possible to early stage entrepreneurs.
The Startup Women program runs from February to November 2025.
These meetings will take place at each of the 2 stops of the 2025 Startup Canada Tour. This year, the Startup Canada Tour will be stopping in:
- Calgary, AB on Tuesday, April 29
- Mississauga, ON on Tuesday, October 21
To register to attend any of these events, please visit the Startup Canada Tour webpage.
You can email us your biography and information on your experience at women@startupcan.ca
You register for any and all 2025 Startup Women events here.
Unfortunately, Startup Canada does not offer funding/grants. What we do offer are connections, resources, and tools that can support you in finding the right funding for your business. If you would like to learn more about existing funding opportunities, the Startup Women Resource Guide includes grants and funding opportunities available to women.
Email us at women@startupcan.ca