3 Years in the Making: Founder and Investor Stories

​Despite growing awareness of gender gaps in venture capital, women and nonbinary founders continue to receive a small share of investment funding. Across Canada, entrepreneurs and investors are working to change that reality.

​Join us for our final showcase event ever to glimpse a culmination of three years of ecosystem insights and key results from WIN-VC Canada, including research conducted by New Power Labs identifying systemic barriers, data gaps, and implicit biases, alongside reflections from entrepreneurs and investors who participated in WIN-VC programming.

​Over the past three years, the Women and Nonbinary Impact Network for Venture Capital (WIN-VC), a national collaborative of organizations, has been working to increase access to capital and strengthen gender lens investing across Canada. Delivering over 30 programs, WIN-VC has been supporting entrepreneurs and investors across the country, helping founders improve investment readiness and raising over $7 million in capital following program participation. 

​The session will explore:

• ​What the data tells us about barriers women and nonbinary founders face in accessing venture capital

• ​What works when preparing founders to raise capital and supporting investors to apply gender lens investing approaches

• ​Lessons from real founders and investors working to build a more inclusive venture ecosystem

​Whether you are an entrepreneur, investor, ecosystem builder, or policymaker, this conversation will highlight insights and opportunities to strengthen the flow of capital toward diverse founders across Canada.

​​WIN-VC acknowledges the support of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada