Giving Entrepreneurs A Voice

INVESTING IN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

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. This gap is particularly exposed when looking at female entrepreneurs in STEM fields.

Entrepreneurship is a catalyst for economic growth in many countries. Equally as important is the critical role that women play in the growth of an economy.

Startup Canada has partnered with Evolocity Financial Group to invest in women-led companies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) through the Startup Canada Women Founders Fund, providing micro-grants to women entrepreneurs and women-led companies in Canada to help them start and grow their businesses while accelerating gender parity and further unleash the economic potential of women. 

 

APPLY NOW

Applications close August 31, 2018, 11:59 PM PT

The Fund

  • $1,000 to $5,000 grants to support business operations or business growth opportunities.
  • Featured on StartupNews.ca and a guest-spot on THRIVE Podcast for Women Entrepreneurs.
  • VIP Pass and Program at Startup Canada Day on the Hill on October 18th in Ottawa.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be women entrepreneurs or women-led businesses.
  • Applicants must be in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field.
  • Applicants must be based in Canada.
  • Funds must be used to support business operations or access to business or professional growth opportunities.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Impact statement on the use of the funds.
  • Proven business model with evidenced traction.
  • Confirmation that the opportunity would be missed without this investment.
  • Agree to complete an impact assessment.
  • Agree to leverage the hashtag #StartupWomen and recognize the sponsors in associated marketing efforts.

Timeline

  • Deadline August 31, 2018
  • Adjudication Period – September 2018
  • Announce Recipients – October 18, 2018  

ADJUDICATORS

Victoria Lennox
CEO, Startup Canada

David Souaid
Co-Founder & President, Evolocity

Maayan Ziv
Founder & CEO, AccessNow

Kerlande Mibel
Founder, International Black Economic Forum

Sunshine Tenasco
Founder, PowWowPitch

Katrina Caroll Foster
CEO, Kollectively, Co-Founder, The RAISE Collective

Kylie Woods
Founder & Executive Director, Chic Geek

Tara Barnes
VP Marketing, Manitobah Mukluks

MEET SOME OF OUR PAST RECIPIENTS

2017 Recipients

  • Eve Medical, a medical device company that provides women’s health screening kits. (Co-Founder and CEO Jessica Ching)
  • Awake Labs, is using AI to care for brain and mental health disorders. (CEO Andrea Palmer)
  • SportFitz, is a Smart Solution to measure, monitor and manage impacts to the brain. (Founder and CEO Diane Matyas)

2016 Recipients

  • Spreza, a transcription company that provides automatic speech to text and live captioning. (Co-Founder Heather Evans)
  • Welbi, a platform that helps families take care of their elderly loved ones. (Co-Founder Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau)
  • YUMiBOX, a subscription box that sells products to support diabetic blood sugar control. (Co-founders Mengyin Hong and Zoey Li)