BDC Promises More For Women Entrepreneurs
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has signed a pioneering partnership with Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) to better support women entrepreneurs.
WEOC members have developed innovative programs to help women at all business stages. The partnership will allow BDC to engage more closely with five WEOC member organizations and the growing 90,000 women business owners WEOC members work
with at a national level.
WEOC’s member organizations provide learning and networking opportunities, management advice and coaching for women entrepreneurs. “Through this partnership, after receiving sound, tailored advice, women entrepreneurs who will have optimized
their business plan are given a better chance at getting financed,” says Laura Didyk, BDC’s Vice-President, Alberta South and National sponsor for the Bank’s Women Entrepreneur strategy.
“At BDC, we believe that women entrepreneurs have enormous untapped potential, so we provide WEOC member organizations the ability to either enhance or create access to capital for women entrepreneurs,” she says.
The agreement adds on to BDC’s commitments to support women entrepreneurs, namely new targets of $1.4 billion in lending to women-led businesses by 2021 and $200 million in investments in women-led technology firms over the next five years.
“We are very excited about partnering with BDC and being part of its initiative to better support women entrepreneurs, who are one of Canada’s greatest resources,” says Sandra Altner, CEO of the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba and WEOC Chair. “This partnership will give our members fantastic opportunities to access financing that will help them attain their business dreams.”
The agreement is signed between BDC and five of WEOC’s member organizations: the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba, the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan, and Women’s Enterprise Organization, British Columbia.
