Startup Women Advocacy Network (SWAN) 2023 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 13 early stage, women-identifying entrepreneurs, each representing a Canadian province and territory. We are thrilled to continue this initiative in 2023 and help champion the needs of women entrepreneurs across Canada.
Where you can find them
Our SWAN cohort is made up of one entrepreneur from each 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 13 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:
• Quarterly joint virtual “Town Halls” with all SWAN entrepreneurs to connect with and support each other through current business pain points.
• Ask and Offer: We’ll ask each of our SWAN entrepreneurs what their ask and offer is, hoping that other SWAN entrepreneurs can either answer their ask or benefit from their offer.
• Spotlight from Startup Canada showcasing their story with our community and network through a 30-second podcast feature and a blog feature or 30-minute IGTV Interview
• Exclusive access to participate in our Startup Gov roundtables and share their perspectives with government officials.
• Guaranteed spot at a workshop of their choosing.
• Grow their network - 2023 SWAN entrepreneurs will connect with our 2022 SWAN entrepreneurs from their region.
The faces of SWAN
Meet our 2023 SWAN cohort and get in contact with your local SWAN entrepreneur to see how they can help advocate for your needs!