Visa's She's Next Grant Program Powering Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs

TORONTO, July 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Visa Canada today announced 10 recipients of its She's Next Grant Program. Reflecting a wide range of consumer products and services, the recipients are innovating, creating new jobs, and driving economic growth. Through this initiative, recipients each receive a $10,000 CAD grant and access to an accelerated mentorship program through York University.

"These women-owned businesses reflect the resiliency and ability to innovate in a challenging economic environment that is characteristic of entrepreneurship across Canada," said Heather Nobes, Head of Marketing, Visa Canada. "A critical part of our mission is to enable individuals, businesses and economies to thrive, and the Visa She's Next Grant Program is purposeful in its focus on uplifting and empowering women who are pursuing a passion and making a difference within their communities."

According to Visa Canada's latest Small Business Pulse report, funding is particularly important for women-owned businesses with 40% of women-owned SMBs citing they have sought or anticipate seeking new financing in 2023 and 42% concerned with the lack of available financing options¹.

Through its She's Next Grant Program, to date Visa has awarded 50 grants to women-owned small businesses, totalling $500,000 CAD and countless hours of coaching to women founders across Canada. Today's recipients include:

Barumba Play, Thornhill, ON: Barumba Play supports imaginative fun through its signature 11-piece, life-sized play couch. Barumba Play exists to better the toy industry while making life easier for families through the development of high-quality, open-ended toys that are designed with kids and parents in mind.

Goldminds Class, Mississauga, ON: Goldminds Class provides research-backed, engaging classes designed to teach kids how to understand, accept and process their emotions while providing calming strategies to manage them now, so that they are set up for success later.

Little Yogis Academy, Toronto, ON: Little Yogis is a mobile yoga and mindfulness program for kids in Canada age 2.5 to 13 years with the goal of improving physical, mental, and emotional health through our curriculum. It partners with schools, childcare centres, non-profit, and for-profit organizations to improve the health and wellness of our communities.

Luna Nectar, Vancouver, BC: Nectar is a line of sustainable, waterless hair density and haircare products that are kicking the taboo of women's hair loss. Luna Nector uses naturally occurring actives that make up most of each formula. No unnecessary fillers or false fragrances. Every drop is as good as nectar for your hair and skin.

Mindful Monk, Langley, BC: Mindful Monk, a chocolate company geared for diabetes, was created in 2020 to help people make better nutrition choices and lead healthier, happier, and longer lives.

Sootsoap Supply Co. Ltd., Coburg, ON: Originally developed for firefighters' decontamination, SOOTSOAP is an all-natural, industrial strength line of personal care products formulated with the power of white charcoal to detoxify skin and hair and combat odours onsite, at home and on-the-go.

Tacit, Toronto, ON: Tacit is an online art gallery and consultancy dedicated to amplifying female creatives in a way that is approachable to the emerging art collector. Its goal is to address the disparity between women and men as art by women accounts for a mere 2% of the art sold.

The Dough Parlour, Oakville, ON: Dough Parlour manufactures sweet fruity-scented play dough made from 100% non-toxic, natural food-grade materials. It is the premium, eco-friendly alternative to store bought play dough and caters to eco- and health-conscious parents and families.

VG Gourmet Vegetarian Foods Inc. St. Laurent, QC: VG Gourmet's mission is to make better, healthier and more gourmet food products. Products contain only ingredients you can pronounce because you deserve to know what you're eating. It's not just plant-based, it's just plants.

Wolfe Co. Apparel and Goods, Huntsville, ON: Proudly made in Canada, Wolfe Co. casual clothing is rooted in its uncompromising commitment to quality domestic product and now has customers across the country and abroad.

The Visa She's Next Grant Program and initiatives like the Visa Canada Small Business Hub, which has resources and solutions to support small businesses in driving efficiency, fraud mitigation, and sales through the expansion of e-commerce, digital payments, marketing, and more, are part of the Visa commitment to supporting Canadian businesses.

To learn more about the program and recipients, visit: Visa.ca/grantprogram.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

Media Contact:
Tracy Truong, Visa Canada
[email protected]

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¹ Maru BizPulse survey was conducted by Maru/Matchbox on behalf of Visa Inc. in June-July 2023, looking at over 676 business owners and 104 Business Decision Makers in Canada