Investment Training for Women Entrepreneurs
About Venture-Capital Ready
The Small Scale Food Processors Association has identified the challenges women face and is offering a new program, funded through the Women’s Enterprise Strategy, to support you and your business to find a venture capital investor.
Use the resources in your Action Plan to prepare yourself for Venture Capital. Join the Investoready© Program that teaches entrepreneurs to manage crucial investor question-and-answer sessions through role-playing and expert feedback. Practice your pitch during SVX’s Pitch Parties. Use the Investor Pipeline to get your company in front of interested investors. Work for the opportunity to strike a deal!
This Program is right for you if:
- You are a woman producing an agri-food or beverage product
- You are incorporated or ready to incorporate
- You have a strong value proposition
- Your sales and demand are increasing and you want to scale up your business
- You can commit approximately 40 hours over 4-6 months to learn about financing and investment capital
Women make up 51% of the population in Canada, yet receive only 4% of all Venture Capital.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2022
Registration & Assessment
- Complete Eligibility Assessment
- Complete Business Intake Form
- Connect with a Program Guide and start your journey
- Action Plan: Once you complete your registration, review your action plan that details your path forward through the VCR program.
Receive Resources & Support
- Participate in workshops or other training events
- Access resources to help you get investment ready
- Depends on your business needs
Complete the 12-week Investoready© Program
- Learn how to overcome barriers women face in seeking investment capital with your cohort of women founders
- Develop skills in the online portal – 2 hours per week
- Work with trainers to build confidence and skills facing investors
- Learn to manage crucial investor question-and-answer sessions
Pitch Parties
- Develop your pitch deck
- Present your pitch to your peer group
- Give and receive feedback
- Join a Pitch Party
- Interested investors will be in attendance
Use the Investor Pipeline
- Complete deal room documents
- Complete business profile
- Use your new skills to pitch your business to interested investors
- Continue on your own to meet and appear before investors in pitch competitions, venture capital panels and other investment forums
Strike a Deal
- When an investor has indicated interest in your business, invite them to your Deal Room to review your investment readiness
- Get your investment
- Tell us about your success!
About Our Resources
We are here to help you.
Our carefully selected resources will help you prepare the information you need to move forward with your business, join the Investoready© Program and prepare for Pitch Parties.
About Investoready© Program
A key component of our program is the Investoready© program, designed specifically for guiding women through the world of venture capital.
Investoready© is a research-based business program that trains women/intersectional entrepreneurs to profitably engage with venture capitalists to secure investment funding. Having discovered that venture capitalists often ask discriminatory questions of women entrepreneurs during investor question-and-answer sessions, Investoready© founder Dr. Ellen Farrell decided to focus the program on teaching women to sidestep such negative conversations for more positive and active dialogue with potential finance providers. Investoready© uses role play and a software console to train women to control the financial conversation by converting dismissive questions into aspirational answers.
