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
Register and Assessment
- Login in to register and complete our Eligibility Assessment.
- Once eligible you’ll be directed to complete the Business Intake Form , which will help clarify the areas where you need to focus in on in your journey to investment.
Receive Resources and Support
- Participate in workshops or other training events depending on your particular business needs.
Complete the 12-week Investoready© Program
- Join this mandatory twelve-week program to learn how to manage crucial investor question-and-answer sessions through role-playing and expert feedback. Expect to invest 2 hours per week.
Practice in a Pitch Party, Meet Potential Investors
- Develop your pitch deck, then present your pitch to your peer group of other female founders to give and receive feedback.
- Then join a pitch party hosted by financial services firm SVX; interested investors will be in attendance.
Use the Investor Pipeline
- Complete the documents needed to set up your deal room. Then complete your business profile, which will be listed on the SVX impact investment index and the SSFPA website where it can be viewed by interested investors.
- When an interested investor contacts you, use your new skills to pitch your business.
- 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.
- Make your business deal.
- 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.
