Join our mission by becoming a Funder or Partner.
Started by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the Founders Fund provides the next generation of women-identifying entrepreneurs with the funding, community and resources they need to change the world. But we can’t do it alone.
We’re looking for people (like you!) to help us grow our pool of funding available to hardworking and deserving women-identifying entrepreneurs.
Looking to become a member? We open up memberships periodically throughout the year. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for when memberships re-open, or email us at hello@foundersfund.ca if you have unique circumstances and wish to be considered sooner.
Here’s how it works: Each year, we provide our members with accessible mentorship and resources for their business. We also award a small group of entrepreneurs a sum of zero-equity, non-repayable funding. We do this because we believe in the power women hold to change the world, and we want to help remove some of the tradtional barriers to make that happen.
But here’s the thing — we have big goals for how much funding & support we want to give out this year. To make the most impact possible, we’re looking for people like you, who want to make the world of entrepreneurship more accessible to women — and are ready to contribute financially or with resources to this mission.
Pay it forward
Be an ally
Access speaking opportunities
Network with other successful entrepreneurs
Help other women-identifying entrepreneurs reach your level of success. There’s room at the top for all of us!
Here’s your chance to be an ally to women-identifying entrepreneurs. Put your money where your values are.
We offer funders opportunities to speak to our audiences, both digitally and at our in-real-life events. Grow your own audience by tapping into ours.
Access funder-exclusive events and networking opportunities. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement on this very soon!
"We know how hard it is. You need allies. You need people to be believers. You need support. A successful entrepreneur needs loads of drive and courage, but they also need a village. As an uneducated, former car salesmen, I often felt discounted and discriminated against in the valley. Alex and I knew if I ever "made it" we were committed to helping people, and bringing more underrepresented people to the surface. Entrepreneurship can't be an "old boys club", the walls need to be broken down. Donating to the founders fund was my way of helping swing that hammer."
-Michael Perry, Founder of Kit & Director @ Shopify (A Founders Fund Funder)
The number of women entrepreneurs today is about 28% and only 16% are majority-owned women businesses.*
*According to BDC statistics
Women-identifying entrepreneurs say that finding the capital and support they need to build and grow their businesses is among the top three challenges they face.
But there’s good news. The number of women-identifying entrepreneurs in Canada has grown three times faster than the number of male-identifying entrepreneurs since 1976.
Why do we need more women entrepreneurs?
Research shows, time and time again, that companies with diverse leadership teams deliver higher profits, more revenue and better innovation.
New data shows if men and women participated equally as entrepreneurs the GDP could rise by $5 trillion globally and $80 billion in Canada* *Boston Consulting Group
BECOME A FUNDER
Funders are community members who believe deeply in our vision for the future of entrepreneurship and want to support women identifying entrepreneurs in a bigger way by providing financial sponsorship to our members and program.
Some of our funders also create impact as mentors. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a funder, email us at hello@foundersfund.ca
See who our 2020 Funders are here.
BECOME A PARTNER
Our current partners include companies passionate about paying their success forward by providing accessible business resources to our members.
Interested in becoming a partner? Email our team at hello@foundersfund.ca
“The Founders Fund has been one of my best experiences so far in applying for funding! I thought I was applying for just another funding application, but I realized that what I had received was so much more - it was community, connection, mentorship and genuine support from The Founders Fund team.”
- Yara Kamal, 2019 Funding Recipient
