Canadian Women in VC

What Canadian Women in VC does

Canadian Women in VC (CWVC) is a Canadian not-for-profit community organization founded in 2018 and based in Toronto, dedicated to advancing the careers of self-identifying women working in venture capital firms across Canada. The organization operates a Slack-based community of 600+ active members—reportedly accounting for almost all women investors in VC in Canada—augmented by a Member Directory database covering 300+ Canadian funds with their investment criteria, geography focus, and fund size. Membership is application-based and free for individual members, with four regional chapters (Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver) organizing in-person and virtual networking events, Bootcamps for professional development, the Champions mentorship program pairing non-partner female VCs with leading GPs, and an Annual Compensation Survey that is the longest-running free benchmarking report for the Canadian VC industry.

The underlying technology stack is community-platform oriented rather than proprietary software: Slack for real-time engagement, Airtable for membership intake, a Webflow-hosted website, a gated Member's Space for exclusive content and event calendars, and digital flip-book distribution for the compensation report. Revenue is generated through two streams—annual "Friends of Women in VC" firm memberships from supporting venture capital firms, and Prime Sponsorship arrangements with corporate and institutional partners (Fasken and CIBC Innovation Banking as publicly named inaugural Prime Sponsors). The organization is governed by a volunteer Core Committee of approximately 14 members drawn from leading Canadian VC firms (Diagram Ventures, TD Innovation Partners, InBC, Lumira Ventures, Whitecap Venture Partners, NYA Ventures, Espresso Capital, Roynat, Plug and Play, Raven Capital, Finchley Healthcare Ventures) and operates without disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or revenue figures.

The go-to-market model is community-led growth: members are acquired via word-of-mouth referrals and an application funnel, with engagement reinforced through chapter events, Slack activity, Bootcamps, and the mentorship program. Expansion has been measured rather than aggressive—national coverage within Canada across four cities, incremental product additions (Member Directory, Compensation Survey, Member's Space), and the gradual build-out of a sponsor ecosystem supporting both the organization's mission and participating firms' DEI positioning.

Name

Canadian Women in VC

Legal name

Canadian Women in VC

Website

https://canadianwomeninvc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Canadian Women in VC is a Toronto-based not-for-profit community organization serving 600+ self-identifying women in Canadian venture capital firms across four regional chapters. It delivers a Slack community, a 300+ fund Member Directory, mentorship, Bootcamps, and an annual compensation survey, funded via corporate Prime Sponsorships and firm memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Community Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Service Learning & Volunteer-to-Career Pathways (EDAMAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital community
• Women investor network
• VC professional development
• Compensation benchmarking
• Mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors (Prime Sponsors) and institutional partners provide financial support in exchange for association with the organization and access to women investors network.
2. Friends of Women in VC Membership: Annual membership fees from Canadian venture firms who actively support the retention and promotion of women in the Canadian VC ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Canadian Women in VC is a not-for-profit community organization that operates a membership-based platform for self-identifying women working in Canadian venture capital firms. Its core offering is a suite of community and professional development services including a Slack community of 600+ women VCs, a member directory of 300+ Canadian funds, networking events across four Canadian chapters, an annual Champions mentorship program, and free Bootcamp learning programs. The organization is funded through corporate Prime Sponsorships and paid annual "Friends of Women in VC" memberships from venture firms.

Product overview

Canadian Women in VC operates as a community platform and membership organization for self-identifying women in Canadian venture capital firms. The offering is not a unified software product but rather a suite of interconnected community and professional development services: the Slack Community serves as the primary connective tissue, enabling real-time collaboration and networking; the Member Directory provides a searchable database of investors and funds for deal syndication; Networking Events across four Canadian chapters (Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver) facilitate in-person relationship-building; the Champions Program delivers structured mentorship pairing non-partner female VCs with leading GPs; the Bootcamp offers curated learning and professional growth programs; the Annual Compensation Survey produces industry wage benchmarking reports; the Monthly Newsletter delivers curated industry intelligence; and the Member's Space provides a gated portal for exclusive content and event access. These services collectively support career development, networking, and advocacy for women across all stages of their VC careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friends of Women in VC Annual Membership
• Prime Sponsorship Program
• Champions Mentorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Firms with at least 1 female partner generate on average 2-3% more return on investments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Faskenprime sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Prime Sponsor providing legal expertise and support to the organization. Kate Grant from Fasken states working with CWVC opened new opportunities and allowed knowledge growth in VC field.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pipeline Angels: US-based network of women angel investors providing education, mentorship, and syndication opportunities; closely comparable as a female-focused investor community with bootcamp and deal-sharing components.
• Women in VC: US-based community organization supporting women in venture capital; comparable mission and grassroots community-led model targeting women VCs in North America.
• All Raise: US-based nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity in venture capital through community, programming, and advocacy; the closest direct peer given identical mission of supporting women in VC and similar community/networking model.
• Diversity VC: UK-based nonprofit working to improve diversity in the venture industry through research, programming, and community-building; directly comparable in mission, structure, and member-services approach.
• Female Funders: Global community and membership network for women and non-binary investors and operators; comparable in member-network, event programming, and ecosystem advocacy for women in investing.

Broad incumbents

• Female Founders Fund: US-based early-stage venture fund investing in companies founded by women; comparable ecosystem player advancing female participation in venture investing and entrepreneurship.
• BGV (Big Goals Ventures): Global community and fund platform for women and non-binary operators and investors; comparable as a broader community-and-capital platform serving the same audience.
• Ada Ventures: UK-based early-stage VC fund focused on overlooked founders and diversity; comparable as a venture investor aligned with DEI values in the VC ecosystem.
• Golden Seeds: US-based angel investment firm focused on women-led companies and female investors; broader incumbent with overlapping mission of increasing female participation in early-stage investing.

Others

• Portfolia: US-based investment platform building communities of women and allies investing in venture and funds; thematically adjacent enabling platform for the same audience of women investors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-in-venture-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Canadian Women in VC