Building Connections

I’ve devoted a significant chunk of my career to working with women, so I’ve had the luxury of seeing their endless talent, drive and genius at work. 

It’s always been clear to me that women are naturals when it comes to entrepreneurship. To be successful, you need determination and the ability to juggle a million balls in the air in the pursuit of your vision. 

The problem isn’t that women can’t do it; it’s that they aren’t given the same opportunities. The numbers speak for themselves: globally, women receive only about two per cent of venture capital dollars. We wanted to spotlight this problem in Disruption, showcasing the talents of women in entrepreneurship and venture capital alongside the efforts of the people and organizations devoted to improving the current state of affairs. 

We know that when we increase the representation of women entrepreneurs, we give other women and young girls the chance to imagine themselves thriving in this world too. We’re excited to feature the See It, Be It campaign from the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), which has compiled an impressive database of over 1,000 successful women innovators, creators and business leaders. WEKH is an important hub of knowledge and analysis, devoted to continuously advocating for the changes necessary to creating a more equitable ecosystem for women across Canada. 

Women are driving change, innovation and economic growth when given that opportunity.  Just look at the two powerhouse women running irlabs: two busy moms who saw a need for a different kind of investor relations firm and in less than two years have expanded their company to 25 employees across Canada. 

As VITALIZE founder Gale Wilkinson, one of our featured Women Making a Difference, cracking the code to getting more women involved in venture capital and more women entrepreneurs funded stands to deliver a significant pay off. We know women are capable, driven and successful across all sectors. That’s why we were also excited to spotlight Claudette McGowan, a trailblazer in online data security, who is also using her experience and wisdom to support women in tech with The Firehood. 

We’re thrilled to introduce you to The Allyship, a movement devoted to increasing the representation of women in venture capital firms to 30 per cent by 2035. It’s a lofty goal, but small steps won’t cut it. The need is too great. As Neal Dempsey and Katrina German, the movement's co-founders, have noted, improving the numbers requires efforts by a variety of people, institutions and organizations. We all have a role to play. 

As Kirstine Stewart writes in The Last Word, we are ignoring half the population at our peril. From a business standpoint it makes no sense: women are a massive untapped, under-financed market. And it has social impacts, too. Women typically invest more of their earnings into their families and communities than men do, but to do that they need to be given the same chances.

There is no shortage of success stories out there, and I’m thrilled to bring just some of them to our pages in this issue. Because we can’t wait anymore: it’s time to invest in women.