Startup Canada and Evolocity Financial Group partner to Invest in Women Entrepreneurs
June 18, 2018 | Startup Canada and Evolocity Financial Group launched today the 2018 Startup Canada Women Founders in STEM Fund, which provides micro-grants to women entrepreneurs and women-led companies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) across Canada to help them start and grow their businesses.
Grants are awarded to women entrepreneurs and women-led companies in STEM from across Canada to support operations, access opportunities, and new markets, and to invest in training to upskill and grow, while accelerating gender parity and further unleash the economic potential of women.
“Although women in Canada now represent 47 percent of Canadian business owners and contribute $148 billion in economic activity, they continuously face barriers to accessing capital to start and scale their businesses,” said Victoria Lennox, CEO of Startup Canada. “This gap is particularly exposed when looking at female entrepreneurs in STEM fields. Having seen the impact of this fund over the last two years, we are proud to renew and grow our partnership with Evolocity to invest in women entrepreneurs, where they are.”
“Entrepreneurship has proved to be a catalyst for economic growth in many countries. Equally as important is the critical role that women play in the growth of an economy”, said David Souaid, President of Evolocity. “In partnering with Startup Canada, we can reach and support women entrepreneurs from across Canada, provide a boost in capital and surround them with an entire ecosystem of support.”
“The Startup Canada Women Founders Fund helped us launch our concussion management solution,” said Diane Matyas, Co-Founder and CEO of SportFiz, a Waterloo-based brain monitoring and management technology enterprise that received a 2017 grant. Previous grant recipients also include women health screening kits Eve Medical; collaborative mental health device company AwakeLabs; automatic speech to text and live captioning company Spreza, senior health monitoring company Welbi, and diabetic subscription box company YUMiBOX.
Applications for the Startup Canada Women Founders Fund are due by August 31, 2018, at 11:59 pm PT. For more information and to apply, visit: http://www.startupcan.ca/2018-women-founders-fund.
The recipients of the Fund will be announced at Startup Canada Day on the Hill on October 18, 2018, 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:
Maddie Stiles
Marketing, Communications and Digital Production Administrator
maddie.stiles@startupcan.ca
613-627-0787 ext. 105
About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the national rallying community and voice for Canada’s 2.3 million entrepreneurs. Since launching in 2012, Startup Canada has grown to represent more than 200,000 entrepreneurs and 50 grassroots communities from coast to coast to coast. Through digital programs and flagship events, Startup Canada is the network promoting, inspiring, educating, connecting and giving a voice to Canada’s entrepreneurs; supporting them to start, operate and scale businesses that build a better Canada for the world today and for future generations. For more information, visit www.startupcan.ca.
About Evolocity Financial Group
Evolocity Financial Group is a Canadian owned and operated company. With an experienced management team who have been in the finance industry for over 25 years, they understand the capital needs of your small-medium sized business. Evolocity Financial Group will collaborate with you to evaluate your unique financial situation and tailor their services accordingly. Their technology-driven solution provides your business with transparent access to growth capital – quickly. For more information, visit www.evolocity.ca