StrikeUP Signature Series: Make Your Mark
Building a business takes more than a great idea. It takes visibility, confidence and the right connections to help your business stand out.
Join entrepreneurs from across Canada for Make Your Mark, a free national virtual event designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, early-stage founders and small business owners looking for practical strategies to build their brand, grow their visibility and create momentum.
Presented by The Scotiabank Women Initiative® and hosted by StrikeUP, a free national initiative of Nventure, the event features an inspiring keynote, an honest founder conversation and facilitated breakout networking designed to help you build meaningful connections with fellow entrepreneurs.
Make Your Mark is the first event in the new StrikeUP Signature Series.
What You'll Experience
Featured Keynote
Build Your Brand Without Breaking the Bank: The Bootstrap Marketing Playbook
Vivian Kaye
What does it really take to build a memorable brand when you're working with a limited budget?
In this practical keynote, Vivian Kaye shares the strategies she used to grow KinkyCurlyYaki into a seven-figure business without relying on paid advertising. Through real-world examples and honest lessons, she'll explore how entrepreneurs can build a recognizable brand, stand out in a crowded market and create momentum through authenticity, community and strategic partnerships.
You'll leave with practical marketing tactics, actionable frameworks and the confidence to build your brand without breaking the bank.
Featured Conversation
What Made the Difference: The relationships, risks and realities behind early growth.
Before the momentum came, there was an idea, a lot of figuring it out and a few key moments that changed everything.
In this candid conversation, women entrepreneurs and community builders will share the lessons, risks and relationships that helped turn early ideas into growing businesses and engaged communities. They will talk about how they got noticed, built trust and found the people and opportunities that helped move things forward.
Expect honest stories, practical takeaways and a behind-the-scenes look at the choices and connections that made the difference.
Facilitated Networking
Meet new people, exchange ideas and build relationships in small, facilitated breakout groups designed to encourage meaningful conversation.
The event concludes with guided networking that connects entrepreneurs and entrepreneur supporters from across Canada.
Whether you're exploring a business idea, growing your business or supporting entrepreneurs in your community, you'll leave with new connections, fresh perspectives and practical ideas you can put into action.
Agenda
1:00 PM ET
Welcome & Opening Remarks
1:10 PM ET
Featured Keynote
Build Your Brand Without Breaking the Bank: The Bootstrap Marketing Playbook
Vivian Kaye
1:50 PM ET
Featured Conversation
What Made the Difference: The Relationships, Risks and Realities Behind Early Growth
2:20 PM ET
Facilitated Breakout Networking
2:50 PM ET
Closing Remarks
Meet the Speakers
Keynote
Vivian Kaye, Founder of KinkyCurlyYaki & Entrepreneur Educator
Vivian Kaye is a serial entrepreneur and business educator who bootstrapped KinkyCurlyYaki to seven figures without outside funding. With over 15 years of experience, she helps entrepreneurs build sustainable, authentic businesses through her practical, no-nonsense approach to scaling without massive budgets.
Featured Conversation
Ina Maria Toncescu, noLMIT Marketing
Ina Maria Toncescu is a marketing strategist with over 17 years of experience helping businesses grow with focus, purpose, and measurable results. Across small business, non-profit, and government sectors, she's led transformative marketing strategies, built systems that last, and landed multi-million-dollar deals using the same frameworks she teaches today. As the founder of noLMIT Marketing, Ina works with clients through corporate marketing training, digital strategy building, website development, search and AI engine optimization, email marketing, and more.
Her philosophy is simple: in a world obsessed with AI and flashy branding, the businesses that win are the ones that get the foundations right, storytelling, strategic systems, and genuine connection with the people they serve.
Domenique Mastronardi, Beck's Broth
Domenique Mastronardi is the President of Beck's Broth, an innovative collection of bone-broth-based drinks including hot chocolate and coffee. Her specialty is developing and commercializing sustainable foods that are healthy, delicious, and profitable. She heads up Finance and Operations at Beck's Broth, and just closed their $500K seed round!
Chantal Lavergne, Oh Color Me
Chantal Lavergne is the founder of Oh Color Me, a Canadian company creating simple and bold coloring books designed to make creativity more accessible and less overwhelming. Inspired by her family’s experiences with ADHD and autism, she developed a collection of mini coloring books that encourage people of all ages to unplug, slow down, and enjoy moments of calm.
Drawing on more than a decade of entrepreneurial experience, Chantal has grown Oh Color Me into a brand carried by over 150 retailers across Canada and the United States in less than 2 years. Passionate about creativity, innovation, and building businesses with purpose, she enjoys sharing her journey as a founder and advocating for products that support well-being and connection.
Géraldine Jippé, Bloossoming House & AssetsWaves
Géraldine Jippé is the founder of Bloossoming House, a curated ecosystem empowering female founders to thrive and access capital, the creator and host of the Female Founders Networking Breakfast, and the co-founder of AssetsWaves, a blockchain-based platform designed to facilitate digital asset investments.
About StrikeUP
StrikeUP is a national initiative of Nventure that empowers women entrepreneurs through practical education, meaningful connections and access to opportunities that help businesses start, grow and thrive.
The StrikeUP Signature Series brings together entrepreneurs, business leaders and ecosystem partners through focused virtual events featuring expert speakers, candid conversations and facilitated networking designed to help women entrepreneurs move forward with confidence.
About The Scotiabank Women Initiative®
The Scotiabank Women Initiative® is an enterprise-wide program designed to increase economic and professional opportunities for our women clients, empowering them to succeed on their own terms. It provides equitable access to financial solutions, specialized education, and inclusive, women centric advisory services and mentorship to help people who identify as women or non-binary to pursue their best professional and financial futures. For more information, visit scotiabankwomeninitiative.com.
Join Us
Whether you are exploring an idea, building your first customer base or looking for fresh ways to get your business noticed, Make Your Mark is designed to help you move forward with practical strategies and stronger connections.
Save your spot and join us on September 24.