New women entrepreneurship initiatives coming to Prince George, B.C., Halifax, N.S. and Toronto, O.N. in 2016
Toronto, Dec. 16, 2015 | Community organizations in Prince George, B.C. Halifax, N.S. and Toronto, O.N. have been awarded with the first-ever investment from the Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurship Fund, Startup Canada and Dell Canada announced this week.
The fund launched in September 2015 and invests in high-impact projects that encourage and support the development of women entrepreneurs and women-led companies in Canada.
“To reduce the gender gap, entrepreneurs, support organizations and community leaders need to work together to improve access to and quality of programming that empowers women with equal opportunity for success, and champions them as the next great leaders in business,” said Startup Canada CEO Victoria Lennox. “The communities in Prince George, Halifax, and Toronto are coming together to catalyze this growth, and Startup Canada is proud to lend a helping hand.”
According to the ‘Majority of Female-Owned Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises’ study by Industry Canada, just 15.5 per cent of small-medium businesses were majority owned by women in 2011, most with fewer than 20 employees and an approximate six per cent lower rate of growth than other companies. The Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurship Fund aims to change that.
“Dell is committed to enabling women-led companies in Canada to thrive and reach their full potential domestically and globally,” said Kevin Peesker, president, Dell Canada Inc. “We are delighted the communities in Prince George, Halifax, and Toronto are receiving funding through Startup Canada and Dell, which will help them deliver innovative and high-impact projects.”
In Prince George,
- Startup Prince George, an official Startup Canada Community, will run a one-day women’s entrepreneurship conference in 2016. The conference will feature a panel of women entrepreneurs and small group discussions that focus on five key themes: women entrepreneur partnerships, building an online community, retail entrepreneurship with social cause, risk-taking and thinking outside of box once you have a family.
In Halifax,
- LinkWise, a mentorship program at the Sobey School Business Development Centre will use the funding to initiate a service to match female student entrepreneurs with women business owners in the community for mentorship and shadowing.
In Toronto,
- Minority Women in Business (MWB) Inc., an organization that provides mentorship, education, community and financial support to minority women, will organize a three-month workshop series called “Business Behind-the-Scenes” that connect budding minority female entrepreneurs with learning opportunities through partnerships with established female entrepreneurs.
- MarketStart, a business plan writing, start-up and growth training service, will host business bootcamps called OWN IT!, where attendees will learn to create a scalable business model through market validation.
- PinkFolio, a personal trainer for women’s financial health, will teach women entrepreneurs the basics of balancing personal and business finances through a hands-on, interactive workshop.
The recipients were announced at Startup Canada’s 2015 #EveryEntrepreneur Tour Finale in Toronto. The national, non-profit organization travelled the country this fall to provide new opportunities to thousands of Canadian entrepreneurs as they start and grow their companies and to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to voice needs and calls-to-action to better the environment for entrepreneur-run businesses.
At the #EveryEntrepreneur Tour Finale, the organization also announced recipients of the Startup Canada Startup Space Fund, the TruShield Insurance Retail Startup Fund, and the Startup Canada Community Investment Fund.
The Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurship Fund is supported by Dell Canada, which has a long history empowering women to do more in business, as demonstrated by the Dell Women’s Entrepreneurship Network, the annual Dell Women’s Summit, Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard, and Gender Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index project.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Forrest
Communications & Marketing Manager, Startup Canada
1-844-782-7801 ext. 106
Quotes from the recipients:
Startup Prince George (Prince George)
- “We have a lot of women in leadership in our community both in non-profit organizations and in government,” said Shauna Harper, co-founder of Startup Prince George. “However, there is still a gap in the visibility of women-owned businesses. It definitely exists, but it is sharing those stories that is important to inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs. We are excited to host our event called Be the Change. Thank you to Startup Canada for helping us make this happen.”
Sobey School Business Development Centre (Halifax)
- “Providing female mentors for women entrepreneurs in the early stages of their business development can be critical for future success,” said Lianne Perry, Sobey School Business Development Centre. “It’s often difficult for women to know where to look for mentors and how to find someone whose experience fits with their needs and future goals. We are working to bridge mentorship gaps for young female start-ups through the LinkWise program and are grateful for the support from Dell Canada and the Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurship Fund.”
Minority Women in Business (MWB) Inc. (Toronto)
- “Business Behind-the-Scenes is a hands-on how-to guide for entrepreneurs that banishes the fear of the unknown,” said Pamela Ogang, Founder & President, Minority Women in Business (MWB) Inc. “The initiative will showcase what it really means to be an entrepreneur.”
MarketStart (Toronto)
- “OWN IT! will work to further propel women-owned businesses to attract the right type of attention whether they are working on an innovative or socially impacting business,” said Michelle Lochan, Lead Business Advisor MarketStart. “The goal is to assist (women) entrepreneurs to validate a business idea that can lead to the improved conditions in our communities starting with her.”
PinkFolio (Toronto)
- “PinkFolio is delighted to partner with Startup Canada to provide practical financial workshops to women entrepreneurs,” said Julie Hyunjoo Lee, founder of PinkFolio. “We hope our content and tools will foster sustainable growth for our fellow entrepreneurs’ personal and business finance.”