WAKE Collective

What WAKE Collective does

WAKE Collective (Women of Action, Knowledge, and Experience) is a Vancouver-based community organization that brings together BIPOC women founders operating in the tech and creative industries across the West Coast of Canada. Founded in 2024 out of a local accelerator and led by four founding members—Stephanie Chan (myCareBase), Priya Tronsgard (Edify), Lorraine Wong (Cue North and Shyfted), and Guita Yazdani (Campertunity)—the collective explicitly functions as a convener rather than a product company. It operates no technology platform, software product, or proprietary tooling; its primary deliverable is curated, in-person programming that connects underrepresented founders with investors, corporate sponsors, and ecosystem partners. The organization positions itself against the structural finding that female-owned businesses in Canada receive only 4% of VC dollars, framing BIPOC women founders' access to capital, visibility, and support as the core problem it addresses.

Name

WAKE Collective

Legal name

WAKE Collective

Website

https://wakecollective.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WAKE Collective is a Vancouver-based community organization that connects BIPOC women founders in Canadian tech and creative industries with investors and ecosystem partners through curated events, including flagship programming at Web Summit Vancouver.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Founder Community & Networking

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Founder community building
• Diversity in tech
• Entrepreneur networking events
• Women founder support
• BIPOC founder collective

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors (Futurpreneur, Deloitte, Fasken, Acetech) provide financial support for WAKE Collective events in exchange for brand visibility and association with the BIPOC founder community.
2. Event Ticket Sales: The organization sells tickets to networking events, such as the $10 tickets for the 2025 Web Summit week event which included virtual golf, food, and drinks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WAKE Collective is a community organization of BIPOC women founders based in the Vancouver area and the West Coast of Canada. It operates at the intersection of capital, community, and opportunity by organizing curated networking events—most notably signature Web Summit partner events—to increase visibility, business potential, and community support for underrepresented women founders. Members gain speaking opportunities, access to investors and ecosystem leaders, and volunteer engagements to expand their networks and skills.

Product overview

WAKE Collective is a community organization for BIPOC women founders based in the Vancouver area and the West Coast of Canada. It is not a product company — it does not offer a unified product platform or modular software offering. The organization focuses on community building, event organization, and amplifying the voices of underrepresented founders through events such as the annual Web Summit partner events. The individual founding members operate separate, independent ventures across sectors including healthcare technology, education, and travel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WAKE Collective Community Membership Membership community for BIPOC women founders in the Vancouver area and West Coast Canada, providing speaking opportunities at major events, participation as hosts or sponsors at high-profile events, volunteer opportunities, and access to curated investor and ecosystem leader networks.
• Swing Into Success: Founder-Investor Golf & Networking Social (2025) Ticketed in-person networking event held during Web Summit Week 2025 in Vancouver, bringing together BIPOC women founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders for an afternoon of virtual golf, food, drinks, and curated connections. Tickets priced at $10 general admission.
• Sky's The Limit at Web Summit Vancouver (2026) Private high-profile networking event held at the Lookout in Vancouver during Web Summit week, providing BIPOC women founders access to global tech audiences and curated networking with investors, advisors, and startup ecosystem partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ attendees and waitlist for 2025 event
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Web SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Official Web Summit Community Partner, providing WAKE Collective with exclusive access to host curated events during Web Summit week in Vancouver. This partnership positions WAKE as a key connector for BIPOC women founders within the global tech conference ecosystem.
• AcetechminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Community Sponsor for the 2026 'Sky's The Limit' event. Acetech supports the WAKE Collective community as an ecosystem partner.
• FuturpreneurminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Sponsor of the 2025 Web Summit week networking event 'Swing Into Success'. Futurpreneur supports young entrepreneurs in Canada and partners with WAKE to increase visibility among BIPOC women founders.
• DeloittecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Title Sponsor for both 2025 and 2026 WAKE Collective Web Summit events. Deloitte provides significant financial and reputational support as the primary sponsor, demonstrating commitment to supporting diversity in tech.
• FaskenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Sponsor for both 2025 and 2026 WAKE Collective Web Summit events. Fasken provides legal industry perspective and support for the BIPOC women founder community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• All Raise: Nonprofit organization focused on increasing the success rate of women founders and women in VC through community, programming, and research. Comparable to WAKE because both operate as membership-style founder communities running curated events and ecosystem programming for underrepresented founders.
• Pipeline Angels: Network of women investors and allies seeking to change the face of angel investing, with a strong focus on BIPOC women. Comparable to WAKE because both target BIPOC women in the founder/investor ecosystem and curate access through cohort-based programming and events.
• Black Founders Matter: Community and resource hub supporting Black founders through events, mentorship, and capital connections. Directly comparable to WAKE in mission and operating model (community-driven, event-led, BIPOC-focused founder support).
• Black Girl Ventures: U.S.-based nonprofit community and funding program for Black and Brown women founders. Direct peer because it serves the same BIPOC women founder demographic through community-building, pitch events, and curated investor access, mirroring WAKE's core value proposition.
• Black Innovation Alliance: Coalition of organizations supporting Black innovators and entrepreneurs across North America. Comparable to WAKE because both serve Black and BIPOC founders through community aggregation, events, and ecosystem partnerships with corporate sponsors.

Regional players

• Startup Canada: National grassroots startup community and advocacy organization running events, awards, and programming across Canada. Comparable to WAKE in event-driven community organizing for Canadian founders, but operates nationally and is not demographically narrow.
• The Cru: Canadian community organization supporting women entrepreneurs through peer advisory and events. Comparable to WAKE in serving women founders in Canada with community and event-based programming, though with a broader demographic focus.
• C100: Canadian non-profit association of senior tech executives and successful entrepreneurs supporting Canadian tech founders. Comparable to WAKE as a Canadian founder community, but operates at a much larger scale, broadly across the tech ecosystem rather than specifically BIPOC women founders.

Broad incumbents

• Female Founders Fund: U.S. venture fund explicitly investing in women-founded companies with a broader mandate than WAKE. Comparable as a women-founder-focused ecosystem player with associated community programming, but operates as a fund rather than a pure community collective.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator and founder community operating in 100+ cities. Comparable to WAKE as a structured founder-support organization running cohorts and events, but not focused on a specific demographic and operates a much broader accelerator model.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wake-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 WAKE Collective