The University of Toronto Mississauga is gearing up to host its second annual Pitch with a Twist business pitch competition for women-identifying entrepreneurs.
The event, which falls on International Women's Day and helps kick off U of T's annual Entrepreneurship Week, gives women entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their work, network with top companies and win cash prizes as well as in-kind legal services.
Organized by ICUBE, U of T Mississauga's social entrepreneurship hub, along with Sheridan College, the city of Mississauga and other local partners, PITCH 21 aims to reward promising and diverse ideas while breaking down barriers facing women who want to start their own business.
"At ICUBE, we are advocates of supporting underrepresented groups by helping them access entrepreneurship opportunities," says Ignacio Mongrell, assistant director of ICUBE.
He cites a growing body of research that suggests that women are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting financial investment to their enterprises because of persistent gender biases. The main factor is an overwhelmingly male venture capitalist community, which contributes to the prioritization of male-led startups and a stifling of ideas by women entrepreneurs.
PITCH 21 will feature a panel of women-identifying judges. They include: Anishinaabe educator Deanne Hupfield; alumna Pamela Uppal, a policy adviser for the Ontario Nonprofit Network who uses a gender-based intersectional lens; and event planning business co-founder Karlena Waugh. As well, to mark International Women's Day and its importance for spurring broader social and economic progress, the event asks entrepreneurs to demonstrate how their business could help meet one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
PITCH 21 began in January with a call for applications from women with businesses in any industry or sector. It attracted more than 50 applicants. A primary round of judging on Feb. 19 resulted in four finalists with startups in either early or later stages. Up for grabs is a total of $10,000 in cash prizes, plus $10,000 of in-kind legal services from corporate law firm Cassels.
Among the late-stage pitchers is Chris-Beth Cowie of Empowered 4X, an entrepreneurial leadership training company that helps systemically excluded business owners build wealth. In the early-stage category, Elsie Amoako will present Mommy Monitor, an app that provides customized on-demand support for pre- and post-natal parents and can help predetermine pregnancy complications.
