As more women in Canada continue to turn to entrepreneurship, there is a critical need for access to resources, capital and networks to support their business growth.
Unfortunately significant barriers still exist.
Women founders are less likely than their male counterparts to receive venture capital funding and the pandemic has hit women-owned businesses harder.
The Forum, a Canadian charity that has supported over 10,000 women entrepreneurs since 2002, is answering the call with the expansion of its mentorship programming accessible to self-identified women business owners across the country.
The mentorship program is The Forum’s longest running initiative and has supported over 2,000 mentor and mentee pairings to date. The program connects women entrepreneurs with the guidance, knowledge and community they need to thrive in business.
Leaders and seasoned entrepreneurs who are interested in mentoring Canadian women entrepreneurs are invited to apply to the 2022/2023 The Forum Mentor Program presented by The Scotiabank Women Initiative.
The program curates pairings based on business needs and the mentor’s areas of expertise, and provides an online platform to elevate and guide the mentorship experience.
“In the last five years we’ve seen a 200 percent increase in demand for our mentorship programming and we expect this number to continue to grow,” says Paulina Cameron, CEO of The Forum.
“In our current climate, it’s not easy being a small business owner – and mentors can be the missing link to one entrepreneur’s business success as they recover, become more resilient and scale. We’re looking for a diverse range of mentors to join us in an effort to leave no woman entrepreneur behind, no matter where they are on their journey. We thank The Scotiabank Women Initiative, a community that believes in the power of mentorship, for joining us as our presenting sponsor and supporting us in this work.”
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