FedDev Ontario is investing $264,000 into Communitech’s Fierce Founders Accelerator to support more women-led technology startups with seed funding.
“Women entrepreneurs face unique challenges when it comes to starting and growing businesses. Today’s announcement is a great example of the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting women in business while encouraging innovation and creativity,” said Navdeep Bains, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
This announcement builds on a 2016 investment of $880,000 from FedDev Ontario to establish Fierce Founders, which has already supported 19 startups to date and contributed to the creation of over 60 new full-time jobs. It is expected that 10 new jobs will be created with this additional funding.
“With the help of this programming, we’ve seen the number of startup members with a woman in a leadership role rise from nine percent, to over 27 percent within three years,” said Avvey Peters, the Chief Strategy Officer at Communitech. “While there is still work to be done to support and propel women in technology, this FedDev Ontario funding is imperative to help continue the momentum we’ve seen through Fierce Founders.”
The funding is part of the federal government’s women entrepreneurship strategy, which includes allocating funding towards programs and initiatives that encourage women to pursue entrepreneurship.