'Flip the Script' is a bilingual online
program designed to equip women-identifying or
non-binary entrepreneurs with the skills to overcome the funding
gap and secure investments
TORONTO, May 21, 2024
/CNW/ - Despite owning 31 per cent of businesses in
Canada, women-identifying
entrepreneurs receive just 3 per cent of available venture capital
funding. To help address this alarming disparity, the Canadian
Women's Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) has introduced 'Flip the
Script,' an innovative program designed to equip women and
non-binary business owners with the essential skills, knowledge,
and resources required to effectively engage with investors and
secure the funding they rightfully deserve.
"Flip the Script goes beyond simply acknowledging the existence
of gender disparity within venture capital funding. We are
providing equity-deserving entrepreneurs with the tools required to
rewrite their story," says Nancy
Wilson, CEO, Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce. "By
looking to the latest findings from organizational psychology
research to help redefine how entrepreneurial opportunities are
identified, funded, and supported, we can help create a more
equitable landscape for women-led businesses. In order to thrive,
business leaders need to be seen and supported — and that's
exactly what we're doing."
Flip the Script, as a self-paced online education program,
includes access in English and French to the following:
- A skills course to help participants master proven
communication techniques that have been shown to increase investor
funding by 60 percent.
- AI-enabled simulation software to help participants
rehearse responses to questions typically posed by investors, while
receiving constructive AI-enabled feedback.
- Professionally facilitated curated peer groups.
Connecting women entrepreneurs with an invaluable network of fellow
business owners to help them navigate Canada's investment landscape and benefit from
collective insights on raising capital.
"Research has shown that the language and communication styles
used by investors significantly contribute to the disparity in
funding so often experienced by women entrepreneurs," says Wilson.
"Our mission is to flip the script by equipping women
business owners with a communication framework that enables them to
take control of the conversation and lock down the funding they
need to grow and scale."
Thanks to funds made available from the Government of
Canada's Innovation Science and
Economic Development Canada, under a grant from the Women's
Entrepreneurship Strategy, there is no cost to participate in the
program. Flip the Script is completely online, making it accessible
to participants all across Canada.
With a focus on underserved and equity-deserving individuals, Flip
the Script prioritizes applicants from historically marginalized
communities.
Participants will also receive access to additional courses,
scholarships, benefits, business service discounts and a one-year
membership to the Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce, providing
access to a vibrant community of entrepreneurs and impactful
educational support.
The inaugural cohort of Flip the Script kicks off in Summer
2024, with room for up to 600 participants from across Canada split between the summer and fall
cohorts.
2024 Application Deadlines:
- Summer cohort: Apply by June 7,
2024
- Fall cohort: Apply by August 9,
2024
To learn more about Flip the Script, please visit
https://fts.canwcc.ca/.
About CanWCC:
The Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) is a
nationally incorporated, not-for-profit organization dedicated to
advocacy, advancement, and connection for and on behalf of its
members. CanWCC's membership consists of diverse women-identified
and non-binary entrepreneurs and organizations that are at least
50% woman(en)-owned and led.
SOURCE Canadian Womens Chamber of Commerce