September 6, 2017 | Startup Canada announced today their partnership with Evolocity Financial Group to present the Startup Canada Women Founders Fund, which provides micro-grants to women entrepreneurs and women-led companies in Canada to help them start and grow their businesses.
The grant is awarded to women entrepreneurs and women-led companies to help support in the operation. The Fund may also be used to access opportunities, new markets and to build competencies that will enable immediate growth and expansion of women-owned business.
“The number of women starting up businesses in Canada is increasing at double the rate of men however women are constantly facing obstacles regarding funding,” said Victoria Lennox, CEO and Co-Founder of Startup Canada. “The Startup Canada Women Founders Fund allows women to start-up strong and scalable businesses, and we hope that this funding aids women entrepreneurs in creating companies that have a meaningful impact on our nation.”
This is the second consecutive year that Evolocity Financial Group has partnered with Startup Canada on the Women Founders Fund. For almost a decade, Evolocity Financial Group has worked with entrepreneurs in Canada by providing them with access to capital through their Financing Programs. Together, the organizations hope to empower women entrepreneurs and drive awareness of the importance of women in business.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Startup Canada for the second time on this amazing initiative. Evolocity’s main mission is to finance small business growth in Canada so the fund aligns perfectly with what we stand for.” said David Souaid, President and Co-Founder of Evolocity Financial Group. “Given that our typical clients tend to be established businesses, we don’t really get the opportunity to work with start-ups. The Women Founders Fund is our way to support some brilliant early stage companies and particularly to support female entrepreneurs that we know face additional challenges within the start-up environment.”
“The support from Startup Canada and Evolocity Financial Group means the world to me and our team. We are tackling a very daunting problem; increasing accessibility for the hard of hearing by improving speech to text technology. The support of Startup Canada and Evolocity Financial Group will help us share our story with more people, and invest further in our technological development,” said Heather Evans, Co-Founder of Spreza, and the recipient of the 2016 Women Founders Fund.
Applications to nominate and apply for the Startup Canada Women Founders Fund are due by September 27, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. PT.
The recipients of the Fund will be announced at Startup Canada Day on the Hill on October 19, 2017 in Ottawa. Startup Canada Day on the Hill is Canada’s largest national entrepreneurship event convening leading entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, industry executives, and government representatives annually to raise the bar for Canada as a globally competitive innovation nation.
For more information please contact:
Lindsay Bright
Marketing, Communications and Digital Production Administrator
lindsay.bright@startupcan.ca
613-627-0787 ext. 101
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the leading national social enterprise supporting and giving a voice to entrepreneurs through online programs, national awards, flagship events, and partnerships with private sector and government to foster a community for startup and small business success across the country. For more information, visit www.startupcan.ca.
About Evolocity Financial Group
Evolocity Financial Group offers fast and flexible financing solutions to small and medium-sized Canadian businesses. With a simple online application process, Evolocity Financial Group is focused on SME merchants and is a great source of growth capital, quickly. A Canadian company, Evolocity understands the unique cash flow demands affecting small businesses and has developed an innovative approach to SME financing.