Successful first edition of the Women Entrepreneurs Circuit

Montréal inc. launched the Women Entrepreneurs Circuit, presented by BMO and in cooperation with BDC, Explorance and the City of Montreal.

The goals of the Women Entrepreneurs Circuit are to increase the number of business projects driven by women and support them in their success. It involves three interrelated components: Detecting entrepreneurial ambition, facilitating the move to action, and supporting startups. We don’t get enough startup projects from women, which is why we decided to trigger a reaction and propel the business ambitions of young women through very concrete actions.

Five inspirational videos

The adventure began with the creation of five inspirational videos featuring riveting testimonials from very successful young women entrepreneurs. The videos share the womens’ stories and projects, and provide answers to questions of utmost importance when in comes to starting a business.

BOOSTcamp motivation

The second step was the organization of a BOOSTcamp, an already well-known and successful Mtl inc. event. We invited 60 young women whose businesses were in the ideation or pre-startup stage and gathered all the stakeholders from the entrepreneurial ecosystem to accompany them, during two days, in the development of their projects.

A networking evening took place on May 16, along with a live BRAVE interview conducted by CASACOM’s Marie-Josée Gagnon, with guest Anne Martel from ELEMENT AI. We had the opportunity to discover all the facets of this business women in a warm and cozy setting. It was a one-of-a-kind moment of sharing and inspiration that BOOSTed the participants’ confidence and enabled the young women to meet and exchange with others just like them.

May 17 was a busy day filled with workshops, inspiring panels from successful female entrepreneurs, an exclusive interview with Marie-Josée Richer (Dragon on Dans l’oeil du dragon, the French version of Dragons’ Den) of PRANA, discussion groups, speed coaching with nearly 25 well-known volunteer coaches, networking and valuable advice. And finally, participants were treated to a meal on the 45th floor of Place Ville Marie, where they enjoyed a 360° view of Montreal and the incredible terrasse.

Coaching for the first Cohort

Women Entrepreneurs

And that was just the beginning! Following the event, 20 entrepreneurs were selected to become part of the very first Women Entrepreneurs Cohort. Cohort members receive six months of free services from Mtl inc. and its partners* to coach them in bringing their ideas to life. The services offered include customized consultations, group mentoring and workshops on various subjects to turn ideas into action.

It is because of these ambitious young women that Mtl inc. strives to encourage female entrepreneurship by bringing their projects to fruition and inspiring future generations of women entrepreneurs.

*Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal, Réseau M, Esplanade, Futurpreneur, Quebec School of Entrepreneurship, Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Fundica, Ulule, La Ruche, Femmessor, District 3, Urbana Marketing, BCF Imagine, PME MTL