Forum for Women Entrepreneurs

What Forum for Women Entrepreneurs does

Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (operating as The Forum) is a registered Canadian national charity (#861056646RR0001) founded in 2002 and headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia. The organization educates, mentors, and supports women entrepreneurs across Canada through a portfolio of more than 13 free programs spanning education (E-Series Growth, Financial Fundamentals, Business Finance Essentials), mentorship (year-round Mentor Program sponsored by Scotiabank's Femmes de la Banque Scotia initiative), pitch competition (The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Program with prizes valued at over $38,000 CAD per finalist), AI literacy (AI Skills Lab Canada), capital access (Capital Roadmap), sector-specific support (Sweet Futures for food/beverage/restaurant), wellness (Mental Health & Resilience Program), community (Weekly Virtual Connects), and data/research (AFIA DEI Index). Since 2002 the organization has served over 20,000 women entrepreneurs and built a social media following of 50,000+ across Instagram and other platforms, with bilingual English/French operations reaching Francophone entrepreneurs.

The Forum operates a community-led go-to-market model with no proprietary technology platform beyond its Squarespace-hosted websites (theforum.ca and theforumpitch.ca). Distribution is omnichannel and self-serve: participants register online, access free virtual programming, attend in-person events across Canada, and consume podcast content (The Go-To Podcast, currently in Season 3). All programs are provided free of charge to participants; the organization generates no program revenue. Operations are funded by charitable donations and grants from philanthropic donors and corporate sponsors (Odlum Brown, Wheaton Precious Metals, Scotiabank), with the most recent disclosed funding event being a $2.1 million CAD charitable grant from Vancouver's philanthropic community in November 2025 to support a three-year strategy. The Forum is governed by a board of directors, operates with 1-10 employees, and leverages volunteer mentors and faculty to deliver programming at scale.

Name

Forum for Women Entrepreneurs

Legal name

The Forum (Forum for Women Entrepreneurs)

Website

https://fwe.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forum for Women Entrepreneurs is a Canadian national charity founded in 2002 that delivers free education, mentorship, and pitch competition programs to women entrepreneurs across Canada, having served over 20,000 founders through 13+ programs funded by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women Entrepreneurship Education & Mentorship

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Business & Innovation Camps (EDAMALAL), Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)

Keywords

• Women entrepreneurship programs
• Entrepreneurship education
• Mentorship programs
• Pitch competition
• Small business support

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Donations: As a registered Canadian charity (#861056646RR0001), The Forum generates revenue through charitable funding from philanthropic donors. In November 2025, the organization secured $2.1 million in charitable funding from Vancouver's philanthropic community to support a three-year strategy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE), operating as "The Forum," is a registered Canadian charity founded in 2002 that delivers free educational programs, mentorship matching, pitch competitions, and community-building events to women entrepreneurs across Canada. The organization provides access to wisdom capital (skills/knowledge), financial capital (funding access), and community capital (networks) through programs including E-Series Growth, The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Program, Mentor Program, AI Skills Lab, Capital Roadmap, Business Finance Essentials, Financial Fundamentals, and Mental Health & Resilience. All programs are offered at no cost to participants, funded by charitable donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

The Forum is a Canadian national charity that has educated, mentored, and uplifted over 20,000 women entrepreneurs since 2002. The organization operates a multi-faceted platform providing community, education, and mentorship programs. The core portfolio includes E-Series Growth, The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Program, The Forum AI Skills Lab, The Forum Capital Roadmap, The Forum Mentor Program, Sweet Futures (restaurant sector), Business Finance Essentials, Financial Fundamentals, Mental Health & Resilience Program, AFIA DEI Index, Weekly Virtual Connects, The Goto Podcast, and Events. Programs focus on unlocking three vital types of capital: wisdom capital (knowledge, skills, lived experiences), financial capital (funding), and community capital (supportive networks). The organization offers free online learning alongside premium programs, serving entrepreneurs nationwide through both digital and in-person channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• E-Series Growth

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ women entrepreneurs supported since 2002
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Odlum BrowncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 April 2025Odlum Brown is the title sponsor of The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Program, a flagship pitch competition for women entrepreneurs. The partnership provides significant prize packages (valued at over $38,000 CAD per finalist) and raises the profile of women entrepreneurs through a competitive showcase event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Springboard Enterprises: Springboard Enterprises is a US nonprofit accelerator network that has supported thousands of women-led companies with access to capital and advisors. Comparable as a mentorship-driven, donor-and-sponsor-funded pipeline for women entrepreneurs seeking growth-stage capital.
• Futurpreneur Canada: Futurpreneur Canada is a national nonprofit providing mentorship, financing, and resources to young entrepreneurs in Canada. While broader than women-only, its mentorship-plus-capital model and national Canadian footprint make it a directly comparable peer.
• Hello Alice: Hello Alice is a US-based platform providing free resources, community, and grant programs to small business owners, with a strong focus on women and underrepresented founders. Comparable as a digital-first, donor-funded community offering free programming and grant capital.
• Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC): WEOC is a national Canadian network of women-focused business support organizations, directly comparable to The Forum as both operate as nonprofit intermediaries serving women entrepreneurs across Canada through mentorship, training, and capital-access programming.
• Startup Canada: Startup Canada is a national entrepreneur-support nonprofit running flagship programs, communities, and awards for Canadian entrepreneurs. Its program portfolio, community-led GTM, and donor-funded nonprofit model closely mirror The Forum's structure and audience.
• Tory Burch Foundation: Tory Burch Foundation supports women entrepreneurs in the US through fellowship/incubator programs, capital access, and education. Comparable as a brand-backed, donor-funded nonprofit delivering mentorship and capital-readiness programs to women founders.
• Cartier Women's Initiative Awards: Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international awards program supporting early-stage women entrepreneurs with prize funding, mentorship, and training. Directly comparable as a women-entrepreneur pitch/awards program with prize packages and global brand backing.

Broad incumbents

• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) - Women Entrepreneur Strategy: BDC is Canada's federal development bank running a dedicated Women Entrepreneur Strategy with financing, advisory, and programming. Comparable as an institutional Canadian capital-and-advisory provider for women entrepreneurs, though operating at significantly greater scale as a Crown corporation.
• Scotiabank Women Initiative: Scotiabank's Women Initiative is a corporate program providing banking, advisory, and mentorship resources to women entrepreneurs in Canada. Comparable as a women-entrepreneur support program, though embedded in a major bank's broader portfolio and already a partner of The Forum via Femmes de la Banque ScotiaMC.

Emerging players

• Astia: Astia is a global nonprofit network providing capital access, advisory, and community to women entrepreneurs and investors. Comparable as a donor-funded ecosystem player focused on closing the capital gap for women-led companies, operating internationally rather than in a single country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theforumca
• Xx.com/fwebc
• Facebookfacebook.com/fwebc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fwecanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forum for Women Entrepreneurs