Monthly News and Updates - March 27, 2024

JOIN

The 2024 WEOC Leadership Summit is just weeks away, but we still have a few tickets left!


For months now, the team at WEOC has been working behind the scenes to bring you a day of thought-provoking presentations, panel discussions and workshops. Crafted with two streams of content, one for CEOs and organizational leaders and the other for advisors working directly with women entrepreneurs, it is your opportunity to connect with colleagues from across Canada. Join us at the inaugural WEOC Leadership Summit on April 17 & 18 in Toronto.


Hot Topics at the Summit:


  • Why embed inclusivity in your work?
  • Busting through the myths of meritocracy
  • Nurturing mental wellness for business and leadership success
  • Ways funders can support diverse entrepreneurs
  • How can advisors encourage their clients to think big?


3 Ways to Engage:


  • Join us for the evening reception on April 17 to catch up with colleagues from across the country and browse the entrepreneur market, featuring clients from the WEOC National Loan Program.
  • On April 18, start your day with a delicious breakfast, group meditation session and inspiring presentation from keynote speaker, Laura Liswood.
  • Be transported by Poptronic's innovative virtual reality experience and hear their business success story in the final session of the day.
Get your summit ticket

Details


When: April 17 & 18, 2024


Where: Toronto, ON


Tickets: Members - $499

Non-members - $699


Group discount: $299 per person with the purchases of 3 or more registrations


Breakfast and lunch included


Special hotel rate at Hilton DoubleTree available. Deal ends March 27.


For more information, please contact info@weoc.ca.

Bring your team to the summit


Thinking of bringing your team to the summit? Take advantage of our special ticket offer of $299 per person when you purchase three or more tickets. Don't miss this chance for your organization to engage in meaningful exchanges that move your work forward.

Buy the special group discount

WEOC Leadership Summit session descriptions (April 18, 2024)

Opening Keynote: The Power of Diversity

Speaker: Laura Liswood / 9:15 AM

For CEOs: Lessons and Myths of Leadership

Speaker: Laura Liswood / 10:45 AM

For Advisors: Working Towards Disability Inclusion

Speaker: Laura Liswood / 10:45 AM

The State of Women's Entrepreneurship: Progress to Date and an Agenda to Action

Speaker: Wendy Cukier / 12:50 PM

For CEOs: REALTALK - Navigating Mental Health

Speaker: Cherry Rose Tan / 1:15 PM

For Advisors: The Overlooked Factor in Business Success

Speaker: Shulamit Ber Levtov / 1:15 PM

Leading with Inclusion: Lessons from One Year of the WEOC National Loan Program

Panel discussion / 2:45 PM

From Startup to Success: Four Women Entrepreneurs on their Innovative Business Journeys

Panel discussion / 3:30 PM

The Finance Cafe wraps up


We were thrilled to once again offer The Finance Cafe for Advisors workshop series for our members. A huge thank you to this cohort of enthusiastic participants and to Shannon Pestun and Shauna Frederick for sharing their expertise. Stay tuned for our slate of 2024-25 programming coming in April.

READ

In the News: WEOC National Loan Program


We love a good woman entrepreneur success story at WEOC – and in March, we saw not one but two featured in CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Learn more about Aki Kaltenbach and Jenna Ross, entrepreneurs from opposite sides of the country, who worked with WeBC and Centre for Women in Business respectively and were supported by the WEOC National Loan Program.


Since launching in late 2022, WEOC and our loan fund partners have worked with more than 150 women entrepreneurs and loaned more than $5.4 million. The founders of Save Da Sea Foods Inc. and the Nova Scotian Cookie Company share how they used that funding to catapult their businesses to the next level. Read more here.

Explore the ExportHUB


Women entrepreneurs are going global and we’ve put together a series of stories about their exporting journeys on the WEOC ExportHUB. From making the most of trade missions to navigating the ins and outs of intellectual property, read this collection of stories exploring the factors that go into an entrepreneur's decision to export and don't forget the ExportHUB has tons of other resources for advisors about exporting.

How to make your business change the world


What your clients need to know about IP before exporting


Diverse supplier programs want to certify entrepreneurs like you


Explore the ExportHUB

Upcoming Events in the Ecosystem

April 16, 2024 - Women Business Enterprises Canada will host Supplier Diversity Day in Montreal to convene women-owned businesses, corporate and government buyers.


April 18, 2024 - Startup Canada Tour heads to Winnipeg to bring together industry leaders, mentors, investors, resources and community to support the work of early-stage entrepreneurs.


September 26-28, 2024 - Go for the Greens Annual Conference in Florida connects women in businesses with corporations, government agencies and nonprofits to encourage collaboration.

More upcoming events

Membership and Partnership

Advocates

$499


Non-profit organizations supporting women entrepreneurs through gender-specific business supports, including training, financing, advising, mentorship and networking

Champions

$249


Representatives of non-profit organizations working in Canada's entrepreneurial space offering a variety of business supports across urban and rural communities

Learn more about membership

Interested in partnering with WEOC?


Our corporate visionary partners help us advance our mission to support women's entrepreneurship in Canada. Becoming one has benefits including:


  • Growing brand awareness for your company
  • Representation on WEOC.ca, and through our social media channels and monthly newsletter
  • Exclusive sponsorship opportunities for WEOC events, content and programming
  • Targeted DEI training for your staff
Learn more about partnership

Register for free information session


Learn more about the SCW 1.0 Workshops at a free virtual information session on Thursday, April 4 from 10-10:45 PM ET


Register for the information session

Member announcement


The Strength in Community Workshops (SCW) 1.0 | Building Personal Leadership are launching this spring. They are presented in partnership with Réseau des Femmes d’affaires du Québec (RFAQ) and facilitated by the Manitoba Women’s Enterprise Centre (MWEC).


This five-part virtual series beginning on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 explores topics such as understanding your strengths, passion and resilience, goal-setting for success, cultivating possibility, and growing your community.


Register early as capacity is limited!


All sessions are held on Eastern time (ET). Please note the sessions will be delivered in English. SCW 1.0 French delivery will be launching soon!

Register for the workshops

Member announcement


The Réseau des Femmes d'affaires du Québec (RFAQ) recently launched the Maïa Inclusive Growth project —a collaborative web platform connecting large companies with women entrepreneurs to integrate them into supply chains. Using innovation and technology to support women-led businesses, the project aims to encourage inclusive growth in Canadian trade.

Explore the Maïa Inclusive Growth project


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The Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada’s network of members is spread across many territories. We respect and honour the shared land on which we live, work and play. We are committed to understanding our shared past and moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation.