By January 30, 2020

Twelve companies selected for second Women in Tech Silicon Valley Program

Twelve women-led Canadian companies have been selected to participate in the second Women in Tech Silicon Valley Program, being led by the Canadian Consulate in Palo Alto.

The program is co-hosted by the consulate and BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund (WIT). The organizations take a group of Canadian tech companies down to Silicon Valley for a few days to partake in programming meant to help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses outside of Canada.

“What we have heard repeatedly from our portfolio and the ecosystem is they need help making strategic connections.”

Last year was the first time the program was hosted and saw a group of ten women-led companies participate, including Tealbook, Careteam, and Polystyvert.

This year’s program is being held from February 25 to 27 and includes 12 companies. Programming is set to include direct introductions and one-on-one meetings with potential investors and strategic partners, as well as networking and discussions with local peers and experts.

Rana Sarkar, consul general of Canada in San Francisco, called Silicon Valley a fantastic location for Canadian companies to make connections. “Our goal is to bring women-led companies to San Francisco and Silicon Valley for an intensive three-day program that helps propel their growth and expand their network,” he said.

“What we have heard repeatedly from our portfolio and the ecosystem is they need help making strategic connections outside of Canada, so we are glad to be working with the Canadian Government to help propel the growth of women-led tech companies and to inspire more women to play strong leadership roles in tech,” said Michelle Scarborough, managing partner for BDC’s WIT.

The WIT is a $200 million fund supported by the Government of Canada and mandated to not only invest in women-led tech companies but to support and create programming meant to further gender diversity in the ecosystem. To date, WIT has made investments in at least 21 companies including Plum, Kiite, and Sampler, which have all been chosen to participate in this year’s Silicon Valley program.

The full list of attendees includes:

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