Le Collectif des Fondatrices présenté par le Fonds Excelles (Thrive Venture Fund) , TechTO et Roynat, Banque Scotia
*English version follows below
Une série nationale de soirées dédiées aux femmes entrepreneures qui façonnent l’avenir.
Présentée par le Fonds Excelles (Thrive Venture Fund) & TechTO.
Dans le cadre de notre série nationale, nous apportons à Montréal l’énergie que nous avons fait vibrer à Toronto en juin dernier. Joignez-vous à nous pour une soirée inspirante qui mettra à l’honneur et soutiendra les fondatrices, en partenariat avec le Fonds Excelles (Thrive Venture Fund) de BDC et TechTO.
Le Collectif des Fondatrices est une série nationale qui commence dans l’intimité d’un cercle restreint de femmes ambitieuses et audacieuses, bâtissant les entreprises de demain. La soirée s’élargit ensuite pour accueillir allié(e)s, partenaires et membres de l’écosystème, créant ainsi un pont puissant entre des échanges privés et une célébration communautaire plus vaste.
Ce n’est pas qu’un simple souper. C’est une expérience partagée: un espace pour se connecter profondément entre fondatrices, partager des histoires, faire jaillir des idées, puis transmettre cette énergie à une conversation élargie avec toute la communauté.
Nous créons un cercle d’ouverture intime pouvant accueillir jusqu’à environ 35 entrepreneures. Si vous êtes intéressée, postulez en nous parlant un peu de vous et de votre entreprise.
Veuillez noter que la soirée sera majoritairement conduite en anglais.
16 h – 17 h 30 : Cercle facilité réservé aux entrepreneures, avec une discussion avec une invitée spéciale
17 h 30 : Ouverture des portes à l’ensemble de l’écosystème : partenaires, investisseurs et allié(e)s, avec plusieurs occasions de découvrir des entreprises dirigées par des femmes. Un repas en formule cocktail sera servi.
18 h 30 : Allocution de Mona Minhas, Directrice Générale du Fonds Excelles (Thrive Venture Fund)
18 h 45 : Discussion intime avec 3 femmes inspirantes de l'écosystème Montréalais
19 h 15 : Réseautage et découverte des entreprises exposantes
Merci à nos partenaires
Blue HF est un cabinet d’avocats spécialisé en droit des affaires, situé à Montréal, Québec, qui offre des services juridiques dans le domaine corporatif, transactionnel et commercial, avec une expertise particulière en droit des technologies et en droit du capital-risque.
Roynat Capital, Banque Scotia
The Founder's Collective: A Curated Dinner Series for Women Shaping the Future. Brought to you by BDC Thrive Venture Fund & TechTO.
As part of our national series, we’re bringing that same energy we brought to Toronto in June but this time to Montreal - join us for an inspiring evening celebrating and supporting women founders, presented in partnership with BDC Thrive Venture Fund and TechTO.
The Founder’s Collective is a national series designed to start with meaningful, close-knit conversations among bold, ambitious women who are building the companies of tomorrow. The evening then expands outward, welcoming allies, partners, and supporters to join in the celebration—creating a powerful bridge from private connection to public community.
This isn’t just a dinner. It’s a shared experience: a space to connect deeply with fellow founders, share stories and spark ideas, and then carry that momentum into a wider community conversation.
We’re curating an intimate opening circle of up to 35 women entrepreneurs. If you’re interested, apply to attend by telling us a bit about yourself and your business.
Agenda
4:00 - 5:30pm : Facilitated circle for Women entrepreneurs only and featuring a special fireside chat.
5:30 pm: Doors open to wider ecosystem supporters with plenty of opportunity for women-led businesses to showcase their business. A standing dinner will be served.
6:30 pm: Short address by Mona Minhas, Managing Partner of the BDC Thrive Venture Fund
6:45 pm: Panel discussion
7:15 pm: Continued networking and showcase
Featured Speakers
Marina Pavlovic Rivas is the Co-Founder & CEO at Eli Health, a women’s health company revolutionizing hormone tracking through real-time, at-home saliva testing. With a background spanning data science, health, and media, Marina is passionate about empowering women with insights to better understand their bodies. Under her leadership, Eli has raised $12M in Series A funding and continues to advance innovation in personalized health. As a speaker, Marina shares candid lessons on leadership, innovation, and building tech that truly serves women.
Emmanuelle Coppinger is the Managing Partner at Front Row Ventures (FRV), Canada’s leading university-focused VC firm active on 20+ campuses. Following the close of its oversubscribed $5.5M pan-Canadian fund, FRV has become the country’s largest capital pool dedicated to student-led startups.
A passionate advocate for innovation and inclusion, she founded and leads the Canadian chapter of Women in AI and helped launch Next AI Montréal as Director of Ventures, overseeing recruitment, portfolio, and investor relations.
Previously, Emmanuelle founded a travel accessories brand and a non-profit promoting platelet donation, after starting her career in audit and investment banking across France and Australia. She holds an MBA from ESSEC Business School (Paris) and is deeply committed to building the next generation of Canadian tech talent.
Mona Minhas is Managing Partner, Venture Capital, Thrive Venture Fund and Women in Tech Venture Fund. The Thrive Venture Fund, valued at $300M, specifically invests in women-led technology companies.
Mona is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a former operator, having served as a fractional COO and CFO. She has worked with several venture-backed startups, including her role as CFO for Knix Wear. She is a passionate advocate for entrepreneurs and a board member of the Women's Equity Lab, a network that supports investing in early-stage companies.
Marie Chevrier is the CEO of TechTO, Canada's largest tech community, and Peerscale, a peer network for scale-up executives. As the founder and former CEO of Sampler, Marie led the company in revolutionizing the product sampling industry, helping brands like L’Oréal and Kroger digitize product sampling for millions of consumers. Her journey - marked by both successes and challenges - inspired her to dedicate the next part of her journey toward fostering Canada’s tech ecosystem with a deep focus on supporting the people behind the companies.
Geneviève Bouthillier is the Executive Vice-President at BDC Capital, where she leads the strategy and operations of BDC’s investment arm, including direct investment funds, fund of funds, impact investing, and venture capital programs. With over 20 years of experience in finance, M&A, and corporate investments, she is dedicated to supporting Canada’s most innovative businesses and strengthening the country’s innovation ecosystem.
Before joining BDC in 2024, Geneviève was Vice President, Private Mid-Market Companies at CDPQ, overseeing investments in Quebec-based enterprises and contributing to CDPQ’s sustainable investment strategy. She previously served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Fondaction and began her career in corporate finance and venture capital at CDPQ, Bell Canada, and Vidéotron. Geneviève also sits on several boards and actively promotes women’s entrepreneurship.
Simran Kanda is the Executive Director at ELANTech, where she leads strategy, operations, and ecosystem-building to empower diverse and mission-driven tech founders. She is passionate about harnessing technology for inclusive impact, creating pathways for underrepresented entrepreneurs, and cultivating collaborative innovation communities. Before joining ELANTech, Simran spearheaded cross-sector projects blending technology, policy, and social impact across nonprofit and public sectors. She is a seasoned connector and leader skilled at translating complex ideas into action and building teams grounded in equity, creativity, and growth.
A Big Thank You To Our Sponsors
Blue HF is a boutique business law firm based in Montreal, Quebec offering legal services in the corporate, transactional and commercial fields, with a particular expertise in technology law and venture capital law.
Interested in more events?
Envie de découvrir d’autres événements?
Check out TechTO's full Montreal event calendar here.
Découvrez le calendrier complet des événements TechTO à Montréal ici.
This event is part of OHMTL 2025 - Montreal’s tech week of builders.
Cet événement fait partie de OHMTL 2025 - La semaine tech montréalaise des bâtisseurs.