Visa Canada Announces Recipients of its Fourth She's Next Grant Program

For this fourth round, Visa's She's Next Grant Program saw a 32% increase in applications in Canada. Among them, 10 exceptional women-owned businesses were selected to receive a grant and mentorship to grow their enterprise.

TORONTO, Jan. 19, 2023 /CNW/ - Visa Canada announced the recipients of its She's Next Grant Program. The initiative aims to uplift women business owners, support local entrepreneurship, and empower growth and innovation. Each of the 10 winners will receive a $10,000 CAD grant, one year of business coaching through IFundWomen, and access to an accelerated mentorship program through York University.

According to Visa Canada's Small Business Pulse report, funding is particularly important for women-owned businesses, with eight in 10 anticipating the need for financial support this year.¹

"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and as we manoeuvre yet another difficult economic period, we're proud to support those who are working hard to contribute to their communities and our country," said Stacey Madge, President and Country Manager, Visa Canada. "The Visa She's Next Grant Program is grounded in uplifting women entrepreneurs with the support they need to thrive, and we congratulate the 10 recipients selected who all come from diverse backgrounds and industries."

For this fourth round, the grant recipients span industries such as education, FemTech, Wellness, Fashion, Food & Beverage and beyond, each with unique offerings:

BEAUTYINKtm, Vancouver, BC: BEAUTYINK was created in Canada in 2008 to provide safe and specialized custom reconstructive permanent makeup for men and women of all ethnicities that are suffering from disease and disorders.

Crying Out Loud, Toronto, ON: Crying Out Loud promotes mental wellbeing through a thoughtful selection of self and community care items, curated care packages, workshops and community events promoting wellness through learning and social connection.

DiveThru, Edmonton, AB: DiveThru is on a mission to ensure no young person struggles alone by connecting today's generation with therapy, community, and self-guided resources through their tech-enabled studios.

Eight50 Coffee, Ottawa, ON: Eight50 Coffee is a BIPOC-owned, purpose driven coffee company which offers responsibly sourced, locally roasted speciality coffee from around the world.

Lesley Hampton, Toronto, ON: Lesley Hampton is an Indigenous-owned, size-inclusive, Canadian clothing and accessory brand, with an aim to create space for empowerment and representation in fashion, film, and media.

Marlow, Toronto, ON: Marlow is a BIPOC-owned menstrual wellness brand that has created the first-ever lubricated tampon for smoother and more comfortable insertion.

Meditation Works, Toronto, ON: Meditation Works is Canada's first mobile meditation studio dedicated to providing Workplace Wellness experiences that are convenient, easy and accessible.

Peko, Vancouver, BC: Peko is a BIPOC-owned online grocery marketplace that is on a mission to fight food waste and promote access to affordable, healthy food. It delivers "peculiar" or surplus groceries at up to 40% off retail prices.

SheFighter, Toronto, ON: SheFighter is the first self-defence studio for women started in Jordan back in 2012 to empower women physically and mentally through self-defence which has grown to 35 countries globally.

The Wright Success, Amaranth, ON: BIPOC-owned, The Wright Success, makes learning about Crypto, Blockchain and Web3 easy by providing simple educational courses, resources and workshops.

Through its She's Next Grant program, Visa has awarded 40 grants to women-owned small businesses, totalling CAD $400,000 and countless hours of coaching to women founders across Canada. Visa furthers its commitment with the Canadian extension of this Grant Program and with initiatives like the Visa Canada Small Business Hub, which has resources and solutions to support small businesses in driving efficiency and sales through the expansion of e-commerce, digital payments, marketing, and more.

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

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 each year. 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.ca.

SOURCE Visa Canada