Toronto, January 12, 2017 – Ranked the city with the most female entrepreneur-focused culture in the world, Toronto will celebrate the impact of its female entrepreneurs next week at an event aimed at the local tech community.

The inaugural Move the Dial event, part of the Women’s Founder’s Night Series, will spotlight successful women entrepreneurs and examine how women can be equally represented in Canadian tech.

The 2016 Dell Women Entrepreneur Cities Index that saw Toronto take the top spot as the city with the most female entrepreneur-focused culture was based on a number of criteria, including the prevalence of relevant mentors, networks and role models, and the existence of policies that enable women to achieve business success.

Today, women are occupying more leadership roles in technology. In early 2016, over 32 per cent of tech startups in Ontario had women founders, up from 26 per cent the previous year, according to a survey by MaRS Data Catalyst.

Despite these gains, women still face unequal barriers. The Move the Dial event will feature a panel of accomplished women founders and investors addressing these challenges, including the fact that women-led businesses receive only 4 per cent of venture capital funding, according to Toronto-based SheEO.

Over 400 people are expected to attend the sold-out event, with representation from top Canadian startups and venture capital funds, and over 100 female founders. The event will take place at MaRS Discovery District on Monday, January 16 starting at 6:00 p.m.

Quotes:

“I am very proud to participate in Move the Dial to find immediate, practical steps to help entrepreneurs build connections across the industry. A major contributing factor to our business’s success was driven by building connections with strong advisors, mentors, and investors. They’ve helped guide and support us on our path to serving global retail brands with our mobile-first team performance software”. – Lindsey Goodchild, Co-Founder and CEO, Nudge Rewards

“Move the Dial is exactly the kind of initiative that the City of Toronto aims to support and encourage. As part of our strategy for the high tech and knowledge sector, we need to encourage coordination and collaboration; help Toronto attract and retain talent; and champion diversity within this sector, including better representation of women.” – Michelle Holland, Toronto City Councillor, Mayor’s Advocate for the Innovation Economy

“Move the Dial came out of a real need to help the Canadian tech industry promote greater connectivity to leaders, founders and investors. Tonight’s event in Toronto is just the start of what will be a national drive to promote real change for the benefit of the entire tech sector and the economy.” – Jodi Kovitz, CEO, AceTech Ontario

“Toronto has an incredible support network for women leaders, and can continue to set an example for other cities the world over. Engaging women equally in our tech talent pool is more than just an issue of equality. When companies embrace diverse voices, they adopt the type of competitive mindset required to thrive globally.” – Daneal Charney, Talent Lead, MaRS Venture Services

“RBC is proud to be a sponsor of the Toronto’s Women Founders Night Series. Our Knowledge Based Industries (KBI) Group is well aware of the opportunities and need for female entrepreneurs in the tech space. Diversity & Inclusion is one of RBC’s five core values. We believe in promoting gender equality in the world of technology entrepreneurship and are pleased to play a role in supporting this ecosystem.” – Eric Leblanc, Vice-President – KBI GTR, RBC

For more information, contact:

Jodi Kovitz
CEO, AceTech Ontario
jkovitz@acetechontario.com

Daneal Charney
Talent Lead, MaRS Venture Services
437.777.2008
dcharney@marsdd.com