Women in Finance

What Women in Finance does

Women in Finance (WIF) is a student-run initiative established in January 2020 within the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) at the University of Waterloo, with a stated mission to bridge the gender gap in the finance industry by inspiring, educating, and encouraging young female talent to pursue careers in finance. The organization delivers a portfolio of programs rather than a unified software product: an annual flagship Pathways in Finance Conference (now in its 7th year), the A Day in Capital Markets and A Journey in Finance conferences, a season-based Mentorship Program pairing female students with alumni and upper-year peers, Lunch & Learn webinars, Fireside Chats with senior practitioners (e.g., Goldman Sachs MD Monali Vora, Real Ventures Partner Katy Yam), Recruiting Support services such as resume critiques and mock interviews, and an online Resource Bank. Programs are segmented into Winter, Spring, and Fall cohorts running 3-4 months each, with applications open to female students across all years and programs at UWaterloo.

The underlying technology is a digital-first engagement stack rather than a proprietary platform: a public website (uwaterloowif.ca), an email newsletter, and organic social channels on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook used for event promotion and member communication. There is no native mobile app, no API, no SDK, no disclosed AI/ML capability, and no proprietary software product listed.

The business model is nonprofit and non-commercial. All student-facing services are free; the sole disclosed revenue stream is corporate sponsorships, where financial firms pay for visibility and access to the female talent pipeline through sponsoring events and conferences. The customer base is structurally bifurcated: female UWaterloo students as the served audience, and corporate finance firms (TD Securities, OMERS, Burgundy Asset Management, BCG, RBC, BMO, CIBC, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, HOOPP, National Bank of Canada, Inovia Capital, Whitehorse Liquidity Partners, George Weston, Disruption Ventures, Propelr Growth) as the funding counterparties. The organization is led by a rotating team of student executives serving 12-month terms and is institutionally affiliated with — but not owned by — the UWaterloo School of Accounting and Finance.

Name

Women in Finance

Legal name

University of Waterloo Women in Finance

Website

https://uwaterloowif.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women in Finance is a University of Waterloo student-run initiative that delivers mentorship, conferences, recruiting support, and career resources to female students pursuing finance careers, funded by corporate sponsorships from major Canadian financial firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Finance Career Development

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students (EDAMAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Education & Coaching (Digital Programs, Tools) (FSAGADAH)

Keywords

• Career mentorship programs
• Finance industry networking
• Professional development events
• Student finance initiatives
• Diversity inclusion programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterloo

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Revenue generated through corporate sponsorship packages where firms sponsor WIF events and conferences in exchange for access to female talent pipeline and brand visibility

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Women in Finance is a student-run initiative at the University of Waterloo that delivers a portfolio of free career development services for female students pursuing finance careers, including an annual flagship conference (Pathways in Finance), a one-on-one Mentorship Program with alumni and upper-year students, Lunch & Learn webinars, Fireside Chats with industry professionals, Recruiting Support (resume critiques and mock interviews), and an online Resource Bank. The organization is supported by corporate sponsorships from Canadian financial firms seeking access to the female talent pipeline at UWaterloo.

Product overview

Women in Finance (WIF) is a student-run initiative at the University of Waterloo offering a portfolio of educational and professional development services. The organization operates without a unified software product; instead, it provides programs including a Mentorship Program, annual conferences (Pathways in Finance, A Day in Capital Markets, A Journey in Finance), Lunch & Learn Series, Fireside Chats, Recruiting Support services, and a Resource Bank. These programs work together to bridge the gender gap in finance by inspiring, educating, and encouraging young female talent to pursue opportunities in the finance industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Conferences have connected students with firms including TD Securities, RBC, BMO, CIBC, OMERS, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, HOOPP, Burgundy Asset Management, and Boston Consulting Group

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• SAF Student Investment Fund (SIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership hosting joint panels, MBA panels, recruitment workshops, and mock interview sessions. SIF provides hands-on finance experience to students while WIF promotes female participation in finance. SIF was created in 2012, operational in 2013 after an anonymous donation of $250,000, currently managing ~$315,000 AUM.
• SAF Student Venture Fund (SVF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint panel events and mock interview sessions helping female students prepare for SVF applications and learn about venture fund opportunities.
• UWFARMSA (Farm Accounting Club)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative roundtable networking event connecting students interested in finance with upper-year students who have done finance co-ops.
• TD SecuritiesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual conference partner providing office tours of trading floor and networking opportunities with investment banking and sales & trading professionals. Multiple year partner across Pathways in Finance conferences.
• OMERSflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2025 and 2026 conference partner offering corporate finance insights through office tours and interactive Q&A sessions with pension plan professionals.
• Burgundy Asset ManagementflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2025 conference partner presenting on asset management careers with VP Head of People and Talent leading office tour and networking session.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2025 conference partner delivering case structuring workshop and office tour for consulting preparation. Multi-year conference partner.
• Whitehorse Liquidity PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner2024 Pathways in Finance conference partner hosting panel discussion on asset management and secondary market with Q&A led by their professionals.
• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2023 and 2024 conference partner offering investment management insights through office visits and networking with professionals across different investment groups.
• Inovia CapitalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner2023 A Journey in Finance conference partner introducing students to venture capital careers through office visit and networking with VC professionals.
• George Weston LimitedcoreGTM or Marketing Partner2023 and 2024 conference partner sharing corporate development and finance insights from professionals at company controlling Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart.
• National Bank of CanadaflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Pathways in Finance conference partner, recognized as top company for women in Canada. Engages through Women's Leadership Network and Capital Markets Diversity Scholarship initiatives.
• Propelr GrowthcoreGTM or Marketing Partner2026 conference partner presenting growth equity career opportunities with focus on technology and scaling high-potential companies.
• Ontario Teachers' Pension PlanflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2022 Pathways in Finance conference partner featuring valuations professionals and sustainable finance panel discussions.
• RBC Global Asset ManagementflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2022 conference partner delivering asset management career insights through firm sessions.
• Disruption VenturescoreGTM or Marketing Partner2022 conference partner featuring female-founded firm investment focus and venture capital career pathways.
• Women in Capital Markets (WCM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational not-for-profit organization accelerating equity, diversity and inclusion in finance. Featured in 2020 conference with CEO Camilla Sutton and ongoing campus ambassador program partnership.
• TD SecuritiesflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner2021 A Day in Capital Markets conference participant delivering informative presentations on firm culture and various finance areas.
• Polar Asset Management PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner2021 virtual conference participant presenting on capital markets opportunities.
• CIBC Capital MarketscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerResume workshop partner hosting collaborative sessions for resume critique and Q&A with campus recruitment team.
• BMO Capital MarketscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRecruitment consultations and resume critiques partner hosting 15-minute one-on-one sessions with recruiter Sarah Scappaticci.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Harvard Women in Business: Student-run organization at Harvard Business School focused on supporting women in business and finance through conferences, mentorship, and recruiting events. Comparable in model to WIF but operating in the US market.
• Wharton Women in Business: Student-run initiative at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) supporting women pursuing business and finance careers through conferences, mentorship, and recruiting events. Comparable structure to WIF but operating in a US rather than Canadian ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• 100 Women in Finance: Global non-profit advancing women in the finance industry through education, peer engagement, and philanthropy. Comparable as a broader industry incumbent aligned with the same underlying mission as WIF.
• Women in Capital Markets (WCM): Canadian national not-for-profit accelerating gender equity across capital markets. WIF has an explicit ongoing partnership with WCM (campus ambassador program), and WCM operates the same underlying mission at a national/professional scale, making it the closest broader incumbent peer.

Emerging players

• Girls Who Invest: Non-profit focused on increasing the number of women in portfolio management and investment leadership. Shares WIF's mission of advancing women in finance careers but specializes in intensive asset-management programs rather than broad career exploration.

Direct peers

• Rotman Women in Finance: Student-run initiative at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management supporting women pursuing finance careers. Directly comparable to WIF as a Canadian university-affiliated women-in-finance organization running mentorship, conferences, and recruiting support programming.
• Ivey Women in Finance: Student organization at Western University's Ivey Business School focused on connecting female students with finance industry professionals. Highly comparable to WIF in scope, structure, and target demographic.
• Queen's Women in Finance: Student-run initiative at Queen's University's Smith School of Business supporting women in finance through events, mentorship, and recruiting support. Directly comparable to WIF's model at another leading Canadian business school.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WIFUWaterloo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uwaterloowomeninfinance
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwaterloowif

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 Women in Finance