Startup Women Podcast

Through empowerment and dedication, Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, is transforming the venture capital industry by investing in underrepresented founders.

Arlan Hamilton is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Started from scratch in 2015, Backstage has now raised more than $15 million and invested in more than 175 startup companies led by underestimated founders. In 2018, they launched a four-city accelerator program in Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, and London. 

Arlan has been featured on the cover of Fast Company magazine as the first Black woman non-celebrity to do so, and is the author of “It’s About Damn Time” and host of the weekly podcast “Your First Million”. Arlan and her mother, Mrs. Earline Butler-Sims, announced their scholarship program which kicked-off with scholarships for Black students at Oxford University and HBCU Dillard University.

“For underrepresented founders, our existence is challenged daily. Everyday, to walk down the street is something. There is a systemic issue and that continues because people think that certain people aren’t capable.”

On this week’s Startup Women Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Arlan discusses investing in underrepresented founders, the roadblocks in traditional VC funding, and building a long-lasting legacy.

The post Representation: Building a Better Future with Arlan Hamilton – June 17, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Diversity in entrepreneurship breeds innovation, creativity, and empowers the next generation of business leaders. Maude Pariseau, Director of Procurement at BDC, is helping to create fair and equitable opportunities for underrepresented communities in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Maude has been Director, Procurement at BDC since 2016, where she is responsible for the organization’s procurement and supplier diversity programs.

With a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Business Administration, Maude has over 15 years of experience working with entrepreneurs. After a few years of practice in private firms advising multiple organizations, including some in the early stages of development, Maude finally achieved her goal: taking the leap to a major corporation whose purpose was to help entrepreneurs grow and succeed.

Passionate about partnerships, she worked for Cirque du Soleil for nearly 10 years, where she set up agreements with strategic partners with the goal of increasing the number of territories visited by the company and ensuring the development of business relationships with local suppliers.

Driven by a desire to increase diversity and inclusion at BDC, Maude is involved in a number of networks including the Quebec Women Business Network and collaborates with several organizations offering underserved markets such as women-owned businesses and minorities the opportunity to grow through access to new supply chains or their expansion.

“Everyone needs to make diversity and inclusion a priority. We need to leverage all this potential in Canada to bring innovation to what we do.”

On this week’s #StartupWomenPodcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Maude discusses the importance of supplier diversity and reflecting the cultural diversity of Canada in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The post Investing in the LGBTQ2+ Community with Maude Pariseau – June 10, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Creating a support system within your community makes it easier to take on new challenges. Kailey Gilchrist, CEO of NONA Vegan Foods, discusses preserving familial memories through food, and creating spaces for marginalized entrepreneurs. 

Kailey developed a passion for cooking plant-based meals after spending countless hours with her late mother in the kitchen. She spent time learning her mother’s secret sauces and creating new plant-based meals of her own. 

Kailey founded NONA Vegan Foods in 2013 as an ode to her late mother. Nona Vegan Foods provides dairy-free and gluten free cream sauces that are a healthy and delicious alternative to traditional cream sauces. Nona started off as a home kitchen-operated brand and has since grown to a national brand – selling at stores such as Whole Foods. Kailey’s mission is to bring the nourishment and comfort of an italian “nonna” to Canadian kitchens. 

“I care about mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs and helping out, because people have helped me. It feels important.”

On this week’s Startup Women Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Kailey discusses the importance of community organizations and creating diversity within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The post Inclusion & Community: Just How Nona Used to Make It with Kailey Gilchrist – June 3, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

On this week’s Startup Women Podcast, we’re joined by Melanie Harrington, CEO & Owner of Dahlia May Flower Farm. Melanie walks us through the digital transition Dahlia May Flower Farm made during the pandemic by leveraging e-commerce, tools like Paypal, and leaning into the natural ability of farmers to deal with the ebbs and flows of entrepreneurship, (and mother nature)! 

Dahlia May Flower Farm, founded in 2014, is a small family farm specializing in growing cut flowers. Melanie brings a background in art and horticulture to her work in building community through locally grown flowers on her family’s third generation farm. 

Melanie’s studies in horticulture and design, as well as travels in Europe, have helped her shape her rural properties into a destination for flower lovers and a hub for those seeking locally grown blooms.

From humble beginnings seven years ago, Dahlia May Flower Farm has been featured by Better Homes and Gardens, The Toronto Star, CBC television, PayPal, Google, Canadian Florist Magazine and more. Dahlia May was named Agri-Business of the Year in 2019 at the Quinte Business Achievement Award and Melanie was awarded the title of Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018. 

The Startup Women Podcast is sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank. 

The post Farmers as Entrepreneurs with Melanie Harrington – May 27, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Dakota Brant is on a mission to build meaningful arts-based opportunities and employment in her community, and e-commerce platforms like PayPal are helping her do just that.

Dakota is a Mohawk Nation woman from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She is the co-founder and CEO of Sapling & Flint, an on-reserve jewellery manufacturer specializing in gold and silver. Dakota has travelled North America & Europe over the past 15 years as a professional speaker and consultant on Indigenous issues in Canada and the United States. She holds a master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of British Columbia. Currently, she lives in the village of Ohswé:ken with her family and is a volunteer firefighter. 

“I don’t want Indigenous artists from this community thinking they need to move away in order to pursue their own cultural art forms. The opportunity just isn’t there if they want to live at home.”

On this week’s StartupWomen Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Dakota discusses building effective relationships with consumers, vital e-commerce tools, and how entrepreneurship can be a driver of economic sustainability for first nations communities.

The post Indigenous Business: Creating Equity with Dakota Brant – May 20, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Self-care is about priorities, boundaries, and finding purpose so you can live life to the fullest. As a Therapist, Kitty Shum’s dedication to this cause propelled her to launch Loti Wellness as a symbolic and practical reminder that self-care is more than grooming products and a trending topic. Genuine self-care is about feeling good from the inside out & self discovery.

On this week’s Startup Women Podcast, Kitty discusses how the wellness industry has evolved, practical insights to support your own mental health, and how leveraging trusted partners like PayPal has given her business the trust and credibility it’s needed to scale.

Kitty Shum is an Occupational Therapist who has been practicing psychotherapy for over 10 years. A primary focus of Occupational Therapy is to help people achieve balance and independence in daily life activities, and to enable them to do the things they want and need to do. Kitty has always been an advocate of genuine self-care – body, mind and soul. Through the use of strategies based in positive psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy, individuals can learn ways to cope with the mental, emotional and psychosocial challenges that are a part of everyday life.

Kitty is the founder and CEO of Loti Wellness, a curated monthly subscription box packed with wellness products aimed at nurturing positivity and joy through research-inspired therapeutic activities to enhance mental and emotional health while providing wellness products to encourage more time for self-care.  

“Self-care is not just a luxury or a trend, but really a necessary component of your mind, body, and soul.” 

The Startup Women Podcast is sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank.

The post The Discipline of Self Care with Kitty Shum – May 13, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

Tapping into your creative side can be key to finding solutions for your venture. Creator and artist Nadia Lloyd believes to truly explore your creativity, platforms like PayPal are needed to save you time and worry. 

Nadia first started painting in 2010 after making the decision to sell her fitness business and take some time off. From the very start, Nadia found herself painting abstract art and the Toronto skyline. In 2012, she started printing her art on various fabrics in hopes of making her art more accessible, affordable, and functional. Before she knew it, she was a full fledged designer with over 27 home decor and fashion accessory products on the market.

When the pandemic began, Nadia recognized the need for PPE and started sewing face masks by repurposing cushion covers from her collection. Within months, the mask collection (including pride themed masks and Toronto themed Black Lives Matter masks) had become a hit – garnering recognition from Toronto’s Mayor John Tory and the Toronto Raptors. 

“Creativity is how I plan my future. Creativity is how I solve problems. Creativity is how I grow my business.”

On this week’s StartupWomen Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Nadia discusses the importance of trusting your gut, visual and digital storytelling, and the creative process needed in both art and entrepreneurship.

The post Creativity in the Arts and Entrepreneurship with Nadia Lloyd – May 6, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

From the mouths they feed to the communities they support, farmers across Canada make an incredible impact everyday – just ask Kara Enright, Co-Founder and farmer at Enright Cattle Company!

Kara Enright was raised on her family farm located just outside of Tweed, Ontario. Kara was always very passionate about farming and decided to pursue an education in Agriculture at the University of Guelph. She graduated with both a diploma in Agriculture and a degree in Animal Science.  She then accepted a position as a beef nutritionist covering Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, spending five years with the feed company. During that time, Kara married her high school sweetheart, Darold Enright. They decided to purchase a farm a couple concessions south of her family’s. A few years later, she and Darold started a family with the birth of their first son Corben, who is now eleven and their daughter Evelyn who is now 6. 

In addition to working at the farm and the abattoir, marketing and building the Enright brand, Kara is very involved in promoting Canadian beef. She is a director of the Hastings County Cattlemen’s Association and has also served on the board of the Canadian Simmental Association and the Ontario Simmental Association. And if any more evidence were needed that Kara truly represents today’s modern farmer, ask her about the time she jumped into a beaver pond to retrieve one of her most essential pieces of equipment – her iPhone!  

“When you buy from a local farm, you’re influxing cash into the rural economy. By supporting local business, it really keeps our rural communities going.”

On this week’s StartupWomen Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Kara discusses consumer responsibility and education, the ins-and-outs of sustainable cattle farming, and her rural story.

The post Farming for Impact with Kara Enright – April 29, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.

For founders, a strong connection to one’s community can make all of the difference in finding success. Abby Pond, CEO of Queen of Cups Lingerie Inc., believes that healthy rural communities and strong local startup ecosystems go hand-in-hand.

Abby Pond is the founder and CEO of Queen of Cups Lingerie Inc., launched in 2016. She builds custom-fit lingerie for people that are as individual as the products she makes. She is a passionate community builder- one of the founders of Startup St. Stephen in 2017 and town councillor from 2014-2016. She is a board member of the St Stephen and Area Chamber of Commerce and Chair of Dialogue NB, helping to lead New Brunswick toward greater social cohesion. 

Her company completed the Summer Institute business accelerator program in 2019. She knows the rewards and challenges of starting and growing a business, because she is living the same experience and wants to make it easier for others around her. Her business was named Business of the Year by the St. Stephen Chamber of Commerce in 2019.

Creativity has been and continues to be a driving force in Abby’s life. She is a songwriter, musician, knitter, spinner, sewer, painter, and is always up for trying a new creative outlet. Abby is happiest when she is scheming strategically, drinking coffee and planning her next startup in her garden with her 10 year old and her menagerie of animals. 

“If you’re in a rural community, you need the people around you to support your business. You can’t thrive if your community isn’t thriving.”

On this week’s StartupWomen Podcast, sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada and Scotiabank, Abby discusses starting up a fashion venture in rural New Brunswick, empowering consumers through social responsibility, and the shortcomings of COVID-19 support for women founders.

The post Rural Entrepreneurship: A Community Building Tool with Abby Pond – April 22, 2021 first appeared on Startup Canada.