Government-backed initiative will match founders with senior leaders at companies like Interac, Loblaw Digital, National Bank, and more.
The National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) has rolled out a new initiative backed by the Government of Canada geared towards helping entrepreneurs across Canada strengthen their networks.
The six-month program, which was announced at Toronto tech conference Elevate Festival on Oct. 3, matches Canadian founders with mentors that are relevant to their business and sector, drawing from a pool that includes senior leaders at companies like Interac, Loblaw Digital, National Bank, Porter Airlines, and WestJet, among others.
“What we’ve done is we’ve created an environment where entrepreneurs that are accepted into the Fellowship program can build community, can build peer-to-peer support with each other, and also with senior business leaders that are relevant to their business,” NACO CEO Claudio Rojas told BetaKit in an interview.
Participants include Altitude Accelerator, Centech, DMZ, Invest Ottawa, North Forge, Platform Calgary, and Propel.
The program is powered by a network of angel investors, accelerators, incubators, and partners from across the country. Participating organizations currently include Altitude Accelerator, Centech, DMZ, Invest Ottawa, North Forge, Platform Calgary, and Propel. This group will nominate entrepreneurs for this program, and NACO and its advisors will review those nominations and select participants.
Rojas noted that the launch of this Fellowship is being funded by the Government of Canada through its Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Going forward, he said the program will be financially supported by NACO partners and members across the country.
The entrepreneurs in the program’s first wave will be featured on Season 19 of Dragons’ Den. This group includes Hello Hair founder Anita Grant, Boardball co-founder Amanda Nguyen, Guess Where Trips founder Jess Off, Bold Helmets founder Tina Singh, Trèsolz founder Judy Stewart, Ryercat co-founders Samantha McConnell and Melanie Eng, Mint Cleaning co-founders Monika Scott and Robyn Mair, Lux Bio co-founder Paige Whitehead, Lash Artisan founder Michelle Bong, and Oraki founder Cynthia Savard.
Image courtesy NACO.
The Fellowship recently kicked off with a full-day session for entrepreneurs and mentors to meet, followed by a reception with members of the broader community, and will involve additional gatherings every month, Rojas said.
NACO is Canada’s professional association for angel investors, comprising 4,000 angel investors and more than 100 organizations, including accelerators, angel groups, incubators, early-stage venture capital funds, and innovation hubs from across the country.
Feature image courtesy NACO.