Vancity Unity Women Entrepreneurs Program

WeBC has partnered with Vancity on the Unity Women Entrepreneurs Program, which provides financing from Vancity with support services provided by WeBC.

Initially, the program was not effective as many barriers to accessing capital still existed in the process. However, through this partnership the Vancity team recognized the unique needs of women entrepreneurs and created new policies to address these needs, including redefining timelines and creating two new products. The program re-launched successfully in February 2021 with 75% of its goals being realized in the first week.

This is an excellent example of an internal policy shift contributing to a systemic change to better serve the different growth pathways of women entrepreneurs.

Enhancing the Mosaic of Women Entrepreneurs (EMWE): 2019 – 2023

With funding from the Government of Canada’s “Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund,” WeBC delivered a four-year project to strengthen the mosaic of diverse BC women entrepreneurs. The “Enhancing the Mosaic of Women Entrepreneurs” (EMWE) project improved access to our services throughout BC for under-represented segments, specifically:

• Geographic – Women entrepreneurs on Vancouver Island, in the North and rural BC
• Sectoral – Diverse suppliers and exporters
• Demographic – Indigenous, immigrant and rural women entrepreneurs

In October 2023, we were awarded an Inclusive Growth Award from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in recognition of the EMWE project’s impact! Read the announcement >>>