The grant program has supported 60 women-owned small businesses to date, totalling $600,000 CAD

TORONTO, March 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Visa Canada announced the recipients of its SheÔÇÖs Next Grant Program. Aiming to uplift women-owned small businesses, the program awards 10 winners a $10,000 CAD grant and access to an accelerated mentorship program through York UniversityÔÇÖs YSpace.

According to Visa CanadaÔÇÖs latest Small Business Pulse report, only 43% of Canadian small to medium enterprises (SMEs) say they are fully funded, the lowest mark since the study began in 2020.¹ Funding continues to be an important issue among women entrepreneurs, with six in 10 women small business owners reporting they are seeking additional financial support² compared to four in 10 women a year ago.³

ÔÇ£At Visa, uplifting women entrepreneurs is a business imperative. The SheÔÇÖs Next Grant Program builds on our track record of supporting small businesses and recognizes women face a myriad of challenges on the road to success,ÔÇØ said Sarah Steele, Senior Director, Small Business Product at Visa. ÔÇ£Our goal, by addressing some of the challenges they face, is to help them focus on doing more of what they loveÔÇöbuilding and running their business.ÔÇØ

To date, the program has awarded $600,000 CAD to women-owned small businesses and countless hours of mentorship to women entrepreneurs across Canada. The recipients of this round span industries from fashion and wellness to technology and waste management, they include:

aGRO Systems, Calgary, AB: aGRO Systems is a waste up-cycling and livestock feed provider on a mission to produce healthy carbon-neutral food and drink and help other agri-producers and agri-processors do the same profitably. The company transforms spent grain, an unavoidable by-product created in the process of making beer and alcoholic products, into affordable livestock feed for small to medium-scale livestock ranchers.

Apricotton, Toronto, ON: Apricotton is a Toronto-based teen bra brand that helps girls feel confident in their first bra. The brand is the only bra brand globally that designs bras that expands and adjusts as the girl grows, lasting multiple stages of puberty.

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Bold Helmets, Toronto, ON: Bold Helmets has developed the first safety-certified multi-sport helmet for kids aged 5 and up of the Sikh faith who have long uncut hair. Tina Singh couldn’t find a helmet to fit her kids when they started riding bikes, so she took it upon herself to create a product that worked for kids like hers.

Canadian Succulents, Uxbridge, ON: Canadian Succulents cultivates and distributes drought-tolerant house plants, offering creative horticultural solutions to enhance homes, businesses and events. The company prioritizes sustainable cultivation practices and hosts educational workshops and seminars to share the latest insights and knowledge in horticulture.

CAYA Health Centre, Vancouver, BC: CAYA (or Come As You Are) Health Centre is a multidisciplinary medical and allied health centre focused on serving all women, trans, and non-binary individuals. The first clinic of its kind in Vancouver, CAYA Health Centre offers a one-stop shop specifically for women, trans, and non-binary individuals.

FemTherapeutics, Montreal, QC: FemTherapeutics takes a personalized approach to treating female issues related to pelvic organ prolapse. To do this, FemTherapeutics provides a comfortable and tailor-made prosthesis for each patient, minimizing their clinical failure rate. The goal of this company is to provide effective symptomatic relief as well as to ensure a better quality of life for women.

Tall Size, Toronto, ON: Tall Size is the first multi-brand retailer exclusively for tall women. Customers can buy, sell and discover clothing made specifically for tall women with access to over 20 tall brands and counting.

Twenty One Toys, Toronto ON: Twenty One Toys, is a multi-award-winning training and development toy company using toys to teach skills like empathy, failure, and creative communication. Founder Ilana Ben-Ari was given a design challenge to create a navigational aid for the visually impaired for a university project, where she created The Empathy Toy to bridge the social and emotional gap between the visually impaired and sighted community.

Rootd, Vancouver, BC: Rootd is the #1 ranked mobile app for panic attack and anxiety relief. This scientifically validated app blends stigma-breaking design, on-demand accessibility, and therapist-approved lessons and exercises to help users during all stages of managing panic attacks and anxiety.

Zuri & Dre, Montreal, QC: Zuri & Dre offers plush dolls, home decor, stationery and accessories, that are unique with the aim of diversifying representation in children’s toys.

Recognizing the need for resources to secure funding, Visa recently announced a new collaboration with Fundica, North AmericaÔÇÖs leading funding search engine, to democratize access to government funding for small businesses and entrepreneurs with an emphasis on underrepresented communities. As part of Visa CanadaÔÇÖs commitment to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs, Visa offers several tools and resources like Visa SavingsEdge and the Visa Canada Small Business Hub, which hosts resources for small businesses to support driving efficiency, fraud mitigation and sales through the expansion of e-commerce, digital payments, marketing and more.

To learn more about the program and recipients, visit: Visa.ca/grantprogram.

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