YES launches women entrepreneurship program
MONTREAL, QC (September 13 th , 2019) – YES, a charitable non-profit that provides
resources, tools and strategies to improve employment and entrepreneurship
opportunities for Quebecers, launched their new ELLEvate Women Entrepreneurs
Project this week in New Carlisle, Quebec. Funded with support from the Women
Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund (Regional Stream), part of a federal
strategy seeking to double the number of majority women-owned businesses by 2025,
the initiative will help advance women entrepreneurs across the province of Quebec.
YES representatives, joined by local partners and entrepreneurs at ELLEvate program launch in New Carlisle, QC
“This new funding will help YES expand its resources and services, and provide
mentors to over 1,000 women across Quebec, so they can successfully launch and
scale their businesses throughout Quebec,” said Doris Juergens, YES President, Board
of Directors. “I will be excited to see the impact of this program that has so much
potential to expand the diversity and sustainability of the Quebec economy.”
From 2015-2017, emerging entrepreneurial activity was 8.3% higher among Quebec
men than Quebec women, and the rate of established women entrepreneurs in Quebec
(3.8%) was lower than in the rest of Canada (6.4%) (GEM, 2017). YES will use the
funding to launch the ELLEvate Women Entrepreneurs Project, to address the disparity
in women’s participation in the entrepreneur ecosystem. It will serve to develop and
deliver targeted services and access to networks to English-speaking women
entrepreneurs throughout the province, so that more women start and grow businesses
in Quebec.
The program, which will run for 3.5 years, aims to provide over 1,000 women with a
blended model of online and in-person workshops to address major barriers to
entrepreneurship, as well as an online platform providing access to entrepreneur
resources, tools, best practices and networking opportunities. An annual pre-accelerator
program will also be launched to give 30 women entrepreneurs the tools, coaching,
counsel, and experience to help them develop and analyze their business. Program
participants will develop their pitch, culminating in a pre-accelerator contest to provide
seed money as they take their businesses to the next level.
For more information about the ELLEvate Women Entrepreneurs Project, please
visit www.yesmontreal.ca.
About YES:
As a not-for-profit organization, YES enriches the community by providing English-
language support services to help Quebecers find employment, and start and grow
businesses.
We help people start successful careers – for themselves, and for our community.
www.yesmontreal.ca
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Kathy Slotsve
Director of Communications &
Stakeholder Engagement
514-878-9788 ext. 337
[email protected]
Aki Tchitacov
Executive Director
514-878-9788 ext. 301
[email protected]