Up With Women / Exponenti'elles

What Up With Women / Exponenti'elles does

Up With Women / Exponenti'elles (UWW/EXP) is a Toronto-headquartered Canadian registered charity (no. 838059459RR0001) founded in 2009 by Lia Grimanis. The organization operates a 12-month intensive career and business development coaching program delivered pro-bono to women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing poverty, homelessness, and gender-based violence, serving over 400 clients annually across five provinces (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia) in both English and French. The program pairs each client with an International Coaching Federation-certified volunteer coach for bi-weekly one-on-one sessions, supplemented by monthly group peer support, the Career Advisor online learning portal, EQ-i Emotional Intelligence and Hardiness Resilience Gauge assessments, soft skills development, and post-graduation extensions through the Community Leadership Program and Employment and Entrepreneurship Development Program.

The technology stack is service-delivery-centric rather than platform-centric: the Career Advisor online portal and Growth & Connection Hub training platform host curriculum and volunteer capacity-building content (e.g., "The Trauma Lens," "Beyond Barriers"), but the core methodology is human-delivered coaching supported by licensed psychological instruments. Client acquisition runs through a hybrid community-led model combining direct self-referral via upwithwomen.org and referral from 150+ community-based agency partners across Canada; corporate hiring pathways are managed through a dedicated Corporate Engagement Specialist via the Pathways to Work initiative, and volunteer coaches are recruited through a separate volunteer engagement pipeline.

The revenue model is a multi-stream nonprofit funding architecture with no fees charged to clients: individual donations and a monthly giving collective ("Uprisers"), corporate and foundation grants (RBC Foundation, CIBC, Scotiabank, TD, Peter Gilgan Foundation, GreenShield Cares, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation), and government funding at federal (Government of Canada), provincial (Ontario), and municipal (City of Toronto) levels, supplemented by in-kind pro-bono services from professional firms (Boston Consulting Group, EY, Google, McCarthy Tétrault) and donations of publicly traded securities. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors and operates with 42 full-time staff and a network of 400+ certified volunteer coaches.

Name

Up With Women / Exponenti'elles

Legal name

Up With Women

Website

https://upwithwomen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Up With Women / Exponenti'elles is a Toronto-based Canadian charity that delivers a free 12-month trauma-informed coaching program pairing women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing poverty, homelessness, or violence with ICF-certified volunteer coaches across five provinces, funded by government grants and corporate foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Career Coaching Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Supported Employment & Job Coaching (EDAKANAE)

Keywords

• Trauma-informed coaching
• Career development services
• Poverty reduction programs
• Gender equity programs
• Volunteer nonprofit coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly recurring donations from individual supporters. Monthly giving program called 'Uprisers' provides sustained funding. Donors receive charitable tax receipts.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Major funding from corporations including RBC Foundation, CIBC, Scotiabank, TD Bank, and foundations such as Peter Gilgan Foundation, La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, GreenShield Cares. Ranges from $500,000-$1,000,000 (Government of Canada) to smaller gifts under $5,000.
3. Government Funding: Federal and provincial government grants including Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, City of Toronto, and Ontario Trillium Foundation support program delivery.
4. Securities and Mutual Fund Donations: Accepts donations of publicly traded securities and mutual funds which provide tax advantages by eliminating capital gains tax on appreciated value.
5. Pro-Bono Volunteer Services: All coaching services are provided pro-bono by certified volunteer coaches, allowing the organization to deliver high-quality programming at minimal cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Up With Women delivers a 12-month intensive career and business development coaching program that pairs eligible women and gender-diverse individuals experiencing poverty, homelessness, and violence with International Coaching Federation (ICF)-certified volunteer professional coaches for bi-weekly one-on-one sessions, supplemented by monthly group learning, personality and resilience assessments, and online learning through the Career Advisor portal. All coaching is provided pro-bono, with the program offered in both English and French across five Canadian provinces.

Product overview

Up With Women / Exponenti'elles operates as a single integrated coaching service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is a 12-month Year-Long Coaching Program that combines four programmatic elements: Self-Understanding (assessment tools), Career and Business Coaching (one-on-one certified coaching), Group Learning and Support (peer sessions), and Soft Skills Development. This core program is delivered through the Career Advisor Online Learning Portal and supplemented by the Growth & Connection Hub training platform for volunteers. Additional programs include the Community Leadership Program and Employment and Entrepreneurship Development Program for graduates, Up With Experts workshop series, and Pathways to Work hiring initiative. The organization also runs The Uprisers monthly giving program for donor engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Career Advisor Online Learning Portal An online learning portal that supports program participants in developing career, business, and life plans throughout the 12-month coaching program.
• Growth & Connection Hub A dedicated training and capacity-building platform for volunteer coaches and community partners, featuring courses on trauma-informed communication, lived experiences of poverty, intersectionality, and systemic bias (including courses such as 'The Trauma Lens' and 'Beyond Barriers').
• Year-Long Coaching Program A 12-month intensive career and business development coaching program pairing eligible women and gender-diverse individuals with International Coaching Federation-certified volunteer professional coaches for bi-weekly one-on-one sessions, supplemented by monthly group learning sessions, personality and strengths assessments, and access to the Career Advisor online learning portal. Free of charge for eligible clients across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.
• Pathways to Work A hiring partner initiative that matches program clients with aligned job opportunities at corporate employers, facilitated by the Corporate Engagement Specialist who liaises with HR teams to identify compatible positions for prescreened, job-ready candidates.
• Up With Experts A volunteer professional initiative where subject-matter experts provide workshops (Up With Experts Resource) and individual guidance (Up With Experts Guide) to support clients' financial empowerment journey.
• Community Leadership Program An optional continuation program for graduates offering continued career development opportunities beyond the core 12-month coaching program.
• Employment and Entrepreneurship Development Program A customized program for graduates offering continued support for career development and entrepreneurship beyond the core 12-month coaching program.
• The Uprisers Monthly Giving Program A monthly giving collective offering donors exclusive benefits including e-news updates, annual reports, learning resources, event invitations, and charitable tax receipts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350% increase in full-time employment among clients (2024 internal evaluation)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 150+ Community-Based Agency PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of over 150 community-based agencies across Canada including shelters, employment services, mental health support, housing support, newcomer services, legal support, and advocacy organizations. These partners refer eligible clients to the Up With Women coaching program. Examples include YWCA Calgary, YWCA Metro Vancouver, Battered Women's Support Services, Salvation Army, Elizabeth Fry Society, and many others across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.
• Boston Consulting GroupcoreOthersTop-tier global management consulting firm providing pro-bono consulting services. Managing Director Thomas Foucault serves on Board of Directors.
• EYcoreOthersProfessional services firm providing pro-bono support including audit services and $20,000-$49,999 in financial contributions.
• GoogleminorOthersTechnology company providing pro-bono support and services.
• McCarthy TétraultminorOthersMajor Canadian law firm providing pro-bono legal services.
• Corporate Hiring PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate employers participating in Pathways to Work program who offer employment opportunities to Up With Women clients. Corporate Engagement Specialist liaises with HR teams to identify compatible positions for prescreened, job-ready clients.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dress for Success: Global nonprofit that supports women's economic independence through professional attire, career development tools, and ongoing coaching. Most directly comparable peer — same target population (women experiencing poverty/barriers), same coaching and employment-readiness model, and same nonprofit funding structure.
• NPower Canada: Canadian nonprofit providing skills training, mentoring, and job placement support for youth and adults from underserved communities. Closely comparable operating model: pro-bono professional volunteers, employer partnership pipeline, and outcomes-focused career coaching for populations facing multiple barriers.
• Pathways to Education Canada: National Canadian charity supporting youth from low-income communities through long-term mentoring, tutoring, and career guidance to post-secondary success. Comparable as a multi-year, relationship-intensive intervention model for populations facing systemic barriers, with similar national footprint and government/foundation funding mix.
• Eva's Initiatives: Toronto-based charity providing shelter, transitional housing, and employment/career development programs for homeless and at-risk youth. Comparable on geographic overlap (Toronto), population (homeless/poverty-experienced), and integration of career coaching with wraparound social support.
• Skills for Change: Toronto-based nonprofit providing skills training, employment coaching, and settlement support for immigrants, refugees, and women. Comparable on city-level footprint, target overlap (women, newcomers), and career coaching + employer placement model.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Canada: National umbrella organization for YWCAs across Canada, delivering employment, housing, and violence-support services for women. Comparable on mission and target population, but operates as a federation with much broader scope and services beyond career coaching.
• Canadian Women's Foundation: National public foundation funding programs that address gender-based violence, economic security, and gender equity across Canada. Comparable on funder-of-nonprofits role and women's economic empowerment focus, but operates as a grantmaker rather than direct service provider.
• Catalyst: Global nonprofit focused on advancing women in the workplace through research, advisory, and employer partnerships. Comparable on the women's economic empowerment thesis and corporate-partnership angle, but serves employers rather than individuals directly.

Emerging players

• Interval House: Toronto women's shelter providing safety, counseling, and economic empowerment programming including employment supports for survivors of gender-based violence. Comparable on the intersection of violence, poverty, and economic independence programming in the Toronto market.
• Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project: Toronto-based nonprofit providing exit, education, and economic empowerment support for sex workers, including employment and entrepreneurship pathways. Comparable on the economic-empowerment-via-coaching model for marginalized women in the GTA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UpWithWomen.Org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/up-with-women?originalSubdomain=ca
• Instagraminstagram.com/upwithwomen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Up With Women / Exponenti'elles