Startup Women Advocacy Network (SWAN) 2024 Cohort
A curated group of 11 early stage woman-identifying entrepreneurs who advocate and champion the needs of women entrepreneurs from coast to coast to coast.
How it all began
There is a lack of awareness of and storytelling about early stage, woman-identifying entrepreneurs in Canada. As a national convener, we want to connect entrepreneurs with the support they need to help tackle this gap.
In 2022, we launched SWAN with our first cohort of early stage, women-identifying entrepreneurs, each representing a Canadian province and territory. We are thrilled to continue this initiative in 2024 and help champion the needs of women entrepreneurs across Canada.
Where you can find them
Our SWAN cohort is made up of one entrepreneur each representing a different Canadian province and territory. Find your SWAN provincial or territorial representative today to see how they can help champion your needs!
Perks of being in SWAN
Curated internally by the Startup Women Program Lead, SWAN is a cohort of 11 early stage, women-identifying entrepreneurs who advocate for the importance of women's entrepreneurship. We also offer support to all of our SWAN representatives throughout the year:
> Regular virtual meetups “Town Halls” with all SWAN reps to connect with each other and support each other through current business pain points.
> Ask & Offer: We’ll ask each of our SWAN Reps what their ask and offer is, in hopes that other SWAN reps can either answer their ask or benefit from their offer.
> Spotlight from Startup Canada showcasing their story with our community and network through an Instagram feature
> Startup Canada Podcast Ad (30 seconds)
> Exclusive access to participate in our Startup Gov roundtables and share their perspectives with government officials
> Opportunity to attend the Startup Canada Tour 2024
> Grow your network: Get connected with our 2022/23 SWAN rep from your region
The faces of SWAN
Meet our 2024 SWAN cohort and get in contact with your local SWAN entrepreneur to see how they can help advocate for your needs!