IWD 2026: Give to Gain: Fueling Growth Through Women Founders
On International Women’s Day, the theme Give to Gain underscores for me that investing in women entrepreneurs is...
A smiling woman with straight brown hair poses for a professional headshot. Text beside her reads: “CANADIANSME, Jenn Juby, Interim CEO, Startup Canada. Celebrating International Womens Day 2026” on a pink background.
- Women-identifying founders lead only 19 percent of Canadian businesses, so their full economic potential remains untapped.
- Startup Canada's Startup Women flagship program and podcast offer education, mentorship, inspiration, and access to critical resources for women founders.
- When women founders have access to capital, networks, and supports, Canada gains innovation, inclusive growth, jobs, and a stronger economy.
On International Women’s Day, the theme Give to Gain underscores for me that investing in women entrepreneurs is an investment in Canada’s collective prosperity.
Across the country, women founders are building companies, creating jobs, and strengthening communities, yet their full economic potential remains untapped. Women-identifying founders currently lead only 19 percent of Canadian businesses, highlighting the urgent need for systems designed to support their growth and achieve true equity.
As a founder myself, I know how challenging it is to build a business while navigating systems that were not designed with women in mind. At Startup Canada, supporting our nation’s women-identifying founders is central to our mission. Through our Startup Women flagship program and Startup Women podcast, we provide education, mentorship, inspiration, and access to critical resources to ease the way for women founders.
Give to women and the nation gains. When women-identifying founders have access to capital, networks, and supports they need, Canada gains innovation and inclusive growth. This drives our economy, creates jobs, and builds a stronger, more sustainable future for all. Supporting women founders fuels innovation and builds a more prosperous Canada for everyone.
Jenn Juby
Interim CEO, Startup Canada
Jenn Juby is an entrepreneur and executive with decades of leadership experience across the private sector, global organizations, and the startup ecosystem. Before joining Startup Canada, she was CEO of the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation, a national charity supporting founders from underrepresented communities. Jenn built, scaled, and exited her own retail business during the pandemic, growing it to over $10 million in revenue in sixteen months. She brings a unique blend of hands-on entrepreneurial experience and executive leadership to champion inclusive growth for Canada’s founders.
With an aim to contribute to the development of Canada’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s), Cmarketing Inc is a potential marketing agency and a boutique business management company progressing rapidly in its scope. By acknowledging a firm reliance of the Canadian economy over its SMEs, the agency has resolved to launch a magazine, the pure focus of which will be the furtherance of Canadian SMEs, and to assist their progress with the scheduled token of enlightenment via the magazine’s pertinent content.
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