Canada is deeply committed to supporting underrepresented groups, including women entrepreneurs, in accessing the benefits and opportunities that flow from international trade. In fact, the Government of Canada is investing up to $146.9 million CAD over four years via the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy to increase women-owned businesses’ access to the financing, talent, networks and expertise they need to start-up, scale-up and access new markets. As part of this strategy, Canadian Consulates across the Unites States are leading programming to connect Canadian businesswomen with expanded export and trade opportunities, particularly in innovation ecosystems.
Over the past year, the U.S. network of Canadian Consulates supported more than a dozen programs to help underrepresented groups and advance an inclusive approach to trade. In California, the Canadian Consulates in Palo Alto and Los Angeles lead the 2022 Women in Tech California Program for the second consecutive year. The 5-day accelerator program provided the cohort of 16 women-led tech companies with an opportunity to meet investors, experts and advisors from California, as well as participate in trainings and a pitch session. Shannon Ferguson, Co-Founder and CEO of FanSaves described their experience in the program:
“The Women in Tech California Program was exactly what we needed at the perfect time. Having already started working with organizations in California, this program really helped us get our footing and allowed us to build a strong foundation as we begin to scale across the U.S.”
The Canadian Consulates in San Francisco and New York also lead the 2022 Women in Cleantech Canadian Technology Accelerator in 2022. This boot camp enabled 10 of Canada’s most promising women-led start-ups to discover and connect with the dynamic cleantech ecosystems in the U.S. Additional programs were held to support underrepresented groups in biotech, education tech and creative industries, offering American investors and partners a window into the strength of Canada’s unique and diverse innovation ecosystems.
Congratulations to the 10 Canadian women-led start-ups that completed our 2022 Women in #Cleantech bootcamp this week!
Check out our dealbook to learn more about the incredible innovators in this year’s cohort: https://t.co/QrBII2X0Bq#cdntech #womenintech pic.twitter.com/TRlq1ojCDp
— Canada in SF 🇨🇦 (@CanCGSF) March 18, 2022
The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service’s Business Women in International Trade team helps open doors and create opportunities for Canadian women-owned and women-led businesses to successfully expand into global markets. In the U.S., our Canadian Consulates are proud to support programming that removes barriers to entry and supports Canadians in the innovation ecosystem. Learn more here.