Building on the success of the previous
editions of the Visa Grant Program, Visa awards another 10
Canadian women entrepreneurs with $10,000 CAD each and business coaching to grow
and expand their businesses
TORONTO, May 9, 2022
/CNW/ - Today, Visa Canada announced the 10 recipients of the
third round of its She's Next Grant Program in Canada. The She's Next Grant Program supports
women entrepreneurship, empowering growth and innovation, through a
grant of $10,000 CAD and one-year of
business coaching, in partnership with IFundWomen. Through the
grant program and IFundWomen's network of women-owned businesses
and mentors, recipients will gain access to funding, coaching, and
connections to help expand their businesses.
In what was expected to have an economic recovery year, coming
out of the pandemic, less than 50% of businesses in Canada finished 2021 fully open with no
restrictions. As we look ahead, however, there is growing optimism
among small businesses with more than four out of five (86%)
feeling optimistic about their future coming out of the
pandemic1. However, nearly half (45%) of Canadian
businesses continue to require some form of financing2.
This is particularly true for a growing number of women business
owners3, and Visa remains passionate about supporting
these entrepreneurs.
"Women entrepreneurs deserve the funding and support needed to
allow their businesses to flourish," said Stacey Madge, president and country manager,
Visa Canada. "Women-led businesses were disproportionately impacted
by the pandemic, and we hope our continued support will help build
on the growing optimism we are seeing. This year's recipients
continue to embody the creativity, perseverance and perspective
required of successful small business owners. In addition to being
innovators and job creators in their own right, they are truly an
inspirational and diverse group of women who represent the backbone
of our economy."
This round of She's Next Grant Program recipients span diverse
industries from fashion, beauty and wellness to education and
social services, each with unique offerings:
- Beeja May, Toronto,
ON: Beeja May is an online store with a mission to slow down
fast fashion. They provide sustainable shopping options for
families by offering pre-loved and rescue children's and
maternity/nursing apparel, books and accessories.
- CASE, Toronto,
ON: Through a siloed collection bin service for single-use
plastic, CASE enables businesses to divert from landfill, one of
the most popular types of consumer plastics, takeout containers.
The containers are then picked up and sorted locally for reuse and
recycling, enabling a circular economy model.
- Cooks Who Feed Inc., Mississauga, ON: Cooks Who Feed is a social
enterprise, uniting food lovers to end hunger. The company
ethically produces kitchen textiles with a give-back model,
providing meals to alleviate hunger. Their flagship product, their
handcrafted aprons, provides 100 meals for every apron sold. All
their textiles are handmade in India where they provide safe, fair trade work
to marginalized women.
- Elleboxco Incorporated (dba Blume), Surrey, BC: Blume is the go-to acne fighting,
healthy skin focused, skin barrier boosting brand. They create
skin, body and period care products that help consumers become the
very best version of themselves.
- Maguire Shoes Inc/Chaussures Maguire,
Montreal, QC: Maguire design
original shoes and accessories, and partner with hand-picked
manufacturers around the world to produce them. Then they sell
directly to customers, through their website, pop-ups, and
boutiques.
- MFMG Cosmetics (Makeup For Melanin Girls),
Toronto, ON: MFMG (a.k.a Makeup
For Melanin Girls) is a community-driven beauty brand that creates
products tailored to multicultural consumers.
- Sea Smart, Vancouver,
BC: Sea Smart's mission is to inspire and empower kids to
love and protect our oceans. Founded by marine biologist Dr
Elaine Leung, Sea Smart delivers
fun, innovative education programs including school workshops,
summer camps at the beach, shoreline cleanups, and online programs
to help kids foster curiosity and connection with nature and
empower them to be ocean heroes.
- Shivanesce Wellness Inc., Vancouver, BC: Yurn by Shivanesce is a
wellness-focused online store created by a team of female BIPOC
mental health professionals. Through their products, Yurn's goal is
to make self-care an essential part of healing in our daily life
while prioritizing psycho-education and wellness strategies. They
aim to build an informed and empowered community of mental health
advocates.
- Sitti Social Enterprise, Oakville, ON: Sitti is a conscious lifestyle
brand committed to the self-reliance of refugee and displaced
communities through long-term employment opportunities and skill
development training, empowered by an inclusive global
economy.
- Unika Swimwear, Toronto, ON: Ūnika was created with a clear
vision in mind: to provide custom inclusive swimwear available in
XS-4XL to cater to all regardless of age, shape, or size. They aim
to empower every person, by helping them recognize and appreciate
their own individuality – their end goal is to make one feel
confident in a swimsuit, as everyone should.
Since the start of 2020, Visa has awarded over US$1.6 million dollars in grants and coaching
memberships to women across the globe through its She's Next Grant
Program. In Canada, Visa furthers
its commitment by way of its extended Canadian grant program, and
with initiatives like the Visa Canada Small Business
Hub which has programs and solutions to support small
businesses in driving efficiency and sales through the expansion of
e-commerce, digital payments, marketing, and more.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments,
facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial
institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries
and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world
through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure
payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to
thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere,
uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the
future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.ca.
1 Visa
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SOURCE Visa Canada