International Women’s Day isn’t just a celebration, it’s a call to action.
At a recent “Women Funding Women” event, I saw different generations of founders, investors, and mentors coming together to mobilize resources for women-led businesses. This spirit of collective empowerment will define the next wave of entrepreneurship.
I’m inspired by so many entrepreneurs who are a testament to this change, including Joanna Griffiths of Knix, who was the Women Funding Women keynote, and Noura Sakkijha of Mejuri. These incredible Futurpreneur-supported entrepreneurs have built massive consumer brands that shatter the myth that “women-focused” means niche. I love Noura’s mission to empower women to buy “jewelry for your damn self”, and Joanna’s mission “to empower everyone to live unapologetically free.” They’ve each built global brands with hundreds of employees. I also appreciate Joanna’s hope that Knix’s record of the largest capital raise by a Canadian woman founder is short-lived: women founders empowering women founders.
As we continue to strive for gender equity, we must ensure we’re also pushing for inclusion. That means elevating the voices and experiences of Black and Indigenous women and women of colour, and supporting their successes.
At Futurpreneur, we’ve seen how diverse teams spur stronger, more equitable business outcomes. Under Mona-Lisa Prosper and Holly Atjecoutay’s leadership, over half of the businesses in our Black Entrepreneur Startup Program and Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program are led by women founders. These figures aren’t coincidences, they reflect our teams. The incredible representation of women leaders at Futurpreneur, including our majority women board and senior leadership, reflect the shift towards equal representation we’re seeing in more and more business landscapes.
By joining forces to support and invest in women-led businesses, and by insisting on inclusion, we can build an ecosystem where all women can access the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
Karen Greve Young
CEO of Futurpreneur
Karen Greve Young is the CEO of Futurpreneur, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs ages 18-39 with loan financing, mentorship and business resources.
