Fierce Founders: Female Entrepreneurs in KW





To conclude my presentation from week 2, I discussed women in the technology industry and how they have a difficult time thriving in comparison to their male counterparts. In response, Professor Herman suggested I look into Communitech's Fierce Founders. To further inform the class, Fierce Founders are a group of female entrepreneurs in the KW area that are apart of the Communitech community. They host accelerator programs and workshops for women who are aspiring to start a business. At the end of each of their programs they host a competition, and the winners are granted $100,000 to use toward their initiative! Not to mention that the events are sponsored and judged by representatives from Google, Deloitte, TD and MaRs (just to name a few). So even if you are not the competition winner, guests still learn plenty and have the opportunity to network with beneficial industry contacts. Cool right?

For discussion: Since this class is focused on technological innovation and start-up communities, are any of you interested in starting a business yourselves? If so, are the Fierce Founders something that you would consider? If starting a business is not for you, please elaborate why you feel this way.

For further information: https://www.communitech.ca/how-we-help/support-for-startups/fierce-founders/  



Comments

  1. Kaelan De Bellefeuille15 February 2018 at 12:44

    I feel that programs such as Fierce Founders are an excellent way to bring equality and equilibrium into the tech start-up industry. I am a male so the fierce founders doesn't necessarily apply to me but the initiative is needed! As per the discussion, i do not think that i'd personally want to own a business. My parents own a small business and the issues associated with owning a business seem to out weigh the benefits. Overhead, taxes, clientele are all stresses that business owners must deal with. So personally, i do not think that owning a business is a career that i see in my future.

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  2. Unknown16 February 2018 at 14:32

    Thanks for looking into this! Although I have not spent too much time considering starting a business of my own, the Fierce Founders initiative would definitely push me towards this direction. Having female role models to look up to and gain mentorship from is incredibly important for both males and females. Fierce Founders is something I would look to for motivation and for ways to get involved in businesses owned by women. I have no plans to start my own business but I plan to keep Fierce Founders on my radar as I start my career in tech in the fall.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown16 February 2018 at 19:49

    Great post Kristina. I think initiatives such as this one are a step towards a more equal and diverse economy. Often times, we see women fall behind in the technology industry and programs such as this one give us the opportunity to thrive. Personally, I have never had the interest in owning my own business. Despite being fairly organized, I have never been good at managing other people and would find myself being pushed around much more than a boss should. However, theoretically if I did, I would for sure consider something like the Fierce Founders as the women who run it have the skills and the expertise to assist others in their endeavours, while understanding the limitations that come with being a woman in the tech industry.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alexandria Deer30 March 2018 at 16:20

    This initiative sounds really cool!

    I started my own consulting business in my second year and hope to start another business within a couple years after graduating! Although not in tech, I think there is a need for more initiatives like Fierce Founders to encourage and support women in business. I would definitely be interested in participating in something like this if my businesses met the criteria!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shinjni19 April 2018 at 21:35

    Hey,

    So I actually have started my own business and applied to Fierce Founders, however they take startups that have MVP's and developed products. I'm still developing my MVP, so did not get in but they recommended other programs to look into. I do think that's one of the cons for the program and makes it quite picky. It's important for ideas to get validation to become MVP's and not everyone can afford to make an MVP.

    Overall, I really liked what the program was offering and getting validation from big partners is important to understand the scope of your business. I also wanted to improve my business model, pitching skills, and get funding for my business. These sort of programs really help entrepreneurs such as myself in seeing our potential and growth and enable us to do that. I have always been a big supporter for Communitech as they really help the community develop.

    I want to know more about if you would as well be interested in such a program as an entrepreneur?

    ReplyDelete

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