Women's Equity Lab

Happy International Women’s Day! 🎉 Today, we celebrate the progress we’ve made in creating a more inclusive venture capital industry. Women’s Equity Lab (WEL) was launched in 2017 to address the lack of women-led capital. What began in Victoria, BC, with 23 women has grown into a thriving community of 400+ women investors across North America. Together, we’ve invested in over 50 companies, bringing fresh perspectives, leadership, and innovation to the industry. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we want to recognize the incredible women in our community. From our investors and the managing partners leading each Investment Group to our partners, these women are driving meaningful change in early-stage investing. 💜  #WEL #womensequitylab #internationalwomensday #iwd2025

Today, as part of Women’s Equity Lab’s ongoing recognition of International Women’s Day, we were at DMZ's Women Innovation Summit. The day started with an inspiring panel discussion facilitated by WEL Board Member Mona Minhas and featuring Michelle Okere, CFRE, Daniela Tixi, and Anne M. Patterson. Their insights on inclusive innovation in challenging times were a gift to the packed room.  We were also thrilled to celebrate the ten DMZ's 2025 Women of the Year recipients, including Rachel Bartholomew, founder of Hyivy Health, a company in our WEL Toronto portfolio. These remarkable women leaders are advancing innovation, driving meaningful change, and shaping the future of business. Congratulations! Kudos and thanks to the talented team at DMZ for your ongoing leadership in driving an inclusive tech ecosystem and to all the event sponsors, including BDCThrive Lab!  #WEL #womensequitylab #IWD2025 #internationalwomensday #DMZ #womensinnovationsummit ##inspireinclusion #WIS2025

We were excited to join MaRs Mornings at the MaRS Discovery District today for an inspiring conversation on "Women’s Health Innovation: ROI and Roadblocks" in celebration of International Women’s Day! Ariel Siller, WEL National’s Managing Director, and Sally Morris, one of WEL Toronto’s Managing Partners, were pleased to participate in the discussion regarding the challenges and opportunities in women's health innovation, emphasizing the need for increased funding to advance solutions specifically designed for women. This issue is core to our mission: more female investor representation now, equal representation someday. A huge thank you to panelists Rachel Harding, Karlee Silver, Dolma Tsundu, to The Honourable Ruby Sahota for her inspiring remarks, as well as to Louise Pichette and the entire MaRS team for hosting such a fantastic event! #WEL #womensequitylab #IWD2025 #internationalwomensday

Are you interested in learning more about hashtag #angelinvesting? WEL Manitoba Fund 2 is actively recruiting Limited Partners (LPs) and has a few spots available for new LPs. At WEL, we offer a hands-on, collaborative approach, empowering women to be actively involved in every phase of the investment process. As a WEL LP, you’ll gain exclusive access to early-stage deal flow, connect with an inspiring network of like-minded women, and play a role in closing the gender gap in angel investing. To join, you must qualify as an Accredited Investor or meet Manitoba's Self-Certified Investor Exemption, which allows participation for those who don’t meet traditional accreditation criteria. Limited spots available - If you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application through our website: https://lnkd.in/gt9AT3-G If you want to learn more, please email manitoba@womensequitylab.com with your questions. WEL Manitoba Managing Partners: Katie Hall Hursh, Joelle Foster, Sandra Foster, Priti Mehta-Shah, FCPA,FCA,CBV, CF, ICD.D #wel #womensequitylab #womenininvesting #inclusiveinvesting #angelinvestment #empoweringwomen

Thank you, Claudio Rojas and the whole NACO Canada team, for bringing together such an incredible group of founders, angel investors and leaders last week and for your ongoing commitment to strengthening and elevating Canada’s angel investing community. WEL’s Ariel Siller, Sally Morris, and Jane Tucker were so pleased to participate in vibrant conversations about the future of Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The energy and passion in the room were truly inspiring.  We’re grateful to be a part of this community and look forward to continuing this journey with everyone! #angelinvesting #entrepreneurship #startupecosystem #torontoevents

Thank you to WAGE / FEGC for your continued support of Women’s Equity Lab (WEL). We are excited to work together to drive meaningful progress towards gender equality, including by addressing the underrepresentation of women in early-stage investing. With WAGE’s support, more women are investing in start-ups and more women founders are receiving catalytic capital. - Nous remercions WAGE / FEGC de leur soutien continu pour Women's Equity Lab (WEL). Nous apprécions vivement cette opportunité de travailler ensemble à la réalisation d’importantes avances vers l'égalité des sexes, notamment en luttant contre la sous-représentation des femmes dans les placements destinés à soutenir les sociétés en phase de démarrage. Grâce au soutien offert par WAGE FEGC, davantage de femmes investissent dans des start-ups et davantage de fondatrices reçoivent un capital catalytique.

As the year comes to a close, 2024 has been our most successful year at WEL. 🌟 We’ve invested in 17 companies, including Atome Bakery, Blind Insight, @Conquer Experience, Ginger Desk, Hyivy Health, InchFab, insporos, Moku Foods, Retellio, RetreatsAndVenues.com, Rocket Doctor, @Scotiaderm, SenseNet Inc., Three Ships, Uresta, VodaSafe Inc., VoxCell BioInnovation. Across our 6 regional investment groups, WEL Vancouver, Toronto, and Atlantic launched new funds this year! Special thanks to WEL MPs for leading and supporting our investment funds: Stephanie Andrew, Claudia Blum, Jade Stevenson, Elizabeth Dutton, Lisa Gruosso, MFin, Irene Dorsman, Janice Cheam, ICD.D, Monique Morden, Lori Oliver, @Joanna Fedeyko, Leila Yari, MPH, Joelle Foster, Katie Hall Hursh, Priti Mehta-Shah, Sandra Foster, Laurie MacKeigan CPA, CA, CPA(IL), Natasha Fletcher, Kathryn Lockhart, Johanna Brown, Barbara Henderson, Jane Tucker, Sally Morris, Jasmine Cumberland, Isabelle Morin, CPA, CA, CHRP. With new investments and investors, WEL is committed to supporting women-led startups across diverse industries. Thank you to our partners Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, BDC, and KPMG for their continued support. Here’s to a new year filled with learning, impact, and empowering more women founders and investors! 🥂

We're pleased that our new Managing Director, Ariel Siller, had the opportunity to speak with BetaKit about recent reports indicating increased representation of women in VC in Canada. Unfortunately, equal representation still has a long way to go. 📰 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gd3qnYnw Women's Equity Lab offers a unique model for women to invest in early-stage companies as part of addressing the systemic underrepresentation of women in early-stage investing. Women from diverse backgrounds and varied experience levels pool funds, collaboratively vet investment opportunities, and together decide on how to invest the funds. Operating throughout Canada and in Silicon Valley, we're now 400 women strong and counting. BDC Capital (Canada), Canadian Women in VC #WEL #womensequitylab #womenininvesting #inclusiveinvesting #angelinvestment #empoweringwomen 

We are recruiting Limited Partners to join Manitoba Fund 2! 🎉 Want to learn about angel investing? WEL Manitoba is inviting women to join Fund 2, where you’ll gain hands-on experience in a supportive environment while actively participating in the investment process. In 2023, the first WEL Manitoba fund brought together 29 Limited Partners who contributed approximately $150,000 to support three Canadian start-ups: salonMonster.com, VoxCell BioInnovation, and Ginger Desk. 📅 The Manitoba Managing Partners (Joelle Foster, Sandra Foster, Rosalie Harms, Priti Mehta-Shah, FCPA,FCA,CBV, CF, ICD.D, Katie Hall Hursh) are hosting a virtual information session on December 11, 2024, at 4:00 PM CST. Interested or know someone who might be? ❗RVSP by emailing ldyck@northforge.ca by December 6, 2024! #WEL #womensequitylab #womenininvesting #inclusiveinvesting #angelinvestment #empoweringwomen

Women's Entrepreneurship Day celebrates the incredible women entrepreneurs who are shaping industries and inspiring future generations. 💼 At WEL, we are proud to support and empower women founders who are driving innovation and change. Let's keep advocating for more female investor representation now, and equal representation someday. #WEL #womensequitylab #womenininvesting #inclusiveinvesting #angelinvestment #empoweringwomen