The Firehood

Wow! Thank you UBS and the judging panel for selecting me as the winner of the UBS Female Founder Award. Huge congrats to all the finalists and their impressive companies. I look forward to us being part of the Project Female Founder Accelerator!🎉 Danielle Brewin Graham Jodi Kovitz Amoye Henry, MBA MaRS Discovery District BKR Capital Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) Yung Wu Deloitte Deloitte Ventures Canada Aiden Dinsdale, CFA Marilena Danelon, MA, GSEC, GCIH Rick Huijbregts Protexxa The Firehood Ray Williams, ICD.D, LL.D Black Opportunity Fund Karlyn Percil-Mercieca BRANDTALK MEDIA Chelsey Korman Fab Dolan Ryan D'Souza Nathalie Gahimbare Michelle S. SickKids Foundation Graphite Ventures Sandpiper Ventures Bell Ventures Export Development Canada | Exportation et développement Canada Myriam FRANCISQUE, LLM

Thank you UBS for sharing the surprising (and joyful) news that I’ve been shortlisted for the UBS Female Founder Award 2024!🤯 Kudos to the entire UBS team for your groundbreaking work aimed at bridging gender funding gaps, shining a global spotlight on women founders, and providing top-quality programs for networking and mentorship. It’s truly an honour to be nominated and to become part of your worldwide community!🙏🏾 #UBSFemaleFounder #ShareUBS #TheFirehood Deloitte Deloitte Ventures Canada Aiden Dinsdale, CFA Sandpiper Ventures Graphite Ventures The Firehood Danielle Brewin Graham Export Development Canada | Exportation et développement Canada Bell Ventures Protexxa MaRS Discovery District Yung Wu Armughan Ahmad Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR) Ryan D'Souza Fab Dolan Advisory Natalia Dolan Nathalie Gahimbare Amoye Henry, MBA Karlyn Percil-Mercieca BRANDTALK MEDIA Jodi Kovitz Colleen Ward Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson Caroline Gayle, BSc, MBA Andrew Ward Brilliant Catalyst BlackNorth Initiative BKR Capital Michelle S. Rick Huijbregts Coralus Sonya Shorey Juliet Daniel LakeheadU Alumni Women's Executive Network (WXN) ROCKLINC Investment Partners Matr (matter) Ventures

firestarter is here! Thank you BetaKit for this article: https://lnkd.in/efgXRWRz The Firehood's firestarter program, powered by BDC Thrive Lab, supports women-led startups with mentorship, resources, and funding. What began as a pilot in Atlantic Canada is now a national initiative helping founders build resilient and scalable businesses. Thank you to our partners Sevrine Labelle Olga Cruz Sony Nguyen Anna Ciprick Neha Lalany! Why firestarter?  💡 firestarter is designed to address critical entrepreneurial challenges through specialized tracks:   ✔️ Going Global: Navigate international trade and market entry strategies with Myriam FRANCISQUE, ✔️ Strategic Leadership by Certain Genius: Develop decision-making skills and team trust with ZJ Hadley and Luke Galea ✔️ Cybersecurity by Protexxa: Strengthen your venture’s digital defenses with Claudette M. ✔️ Go-To-Market by Samantha L.: Master product launches and sales strategies  🌟 Program Benefits - Gain access to expert mentorship and tailored resources.   - Join a community of women founders transforming industries.   - Prepare for a high-impact pitch for $100K at our International Women’s Day event in Toronto.  📅 Info Session    Women entrepreneurs can learn more at our live virtual session on Friday, Dec 6th at 1 PM. https://lnkd.in/e5HMr2Ud Take the next step in scaling your startup and making a global impact. Applications are now open! https://lnkd.in/e4hthKTV Deloitte NACO Canada TD Protexxa Missanabie Cree Business Corporation Certain Genius #firestarter #WomenEntrepreneurs #TheFirehood #BDCThriveLab #Innovation #Leadership

Claudette McGowan, Founder and CEO, Protexxa and Co-Founder, the Firehood, joins Kim Parlee to share her experiences as a tech entrepreneur. She also talks about the work she’s doing to support female founders and why it’s so important for women to uplift each other — whether that’s through funding, access to networks, mentorship or guidance around how to manage your business and personal finances. TD has created an entire strategy dedicated to supporting women: Women in Enterprise bankers and TD Wealth’s Women Champions are trained to understand the unique needs of female entrepreneurs. https://go.td.com/3AQcVQN

"If you don't know what you have there's no way you can be managing and protecting it." Claudette M., CEO of Protexxa, spoke about understanding assets in order to enhance cybersecurity at the 2024 #ForbesCIO Summit in New York City.

A huge thank you to our incredible host #KarlynPercil-Mercieca, CEO of #KDPMEquityInstitute, for inspiring the next generation of female leaders in #STEAM. Your insights and passion ignited the spirit of #TheFirehoodSummit.

Protexxa CEO Claudette M. spoke about understanding assets in order to enhance cybersecurity at the 2024 #ForbesCIO Summit in New York City. https://trib.al/YsMNhd6

What an inspiring day of hands-on learning at #TheFirehoodSummit! The energy and creativity of the girls was unmatched, and we’re excited to see them apply the skills they learned today to shape their future. Let’s keep pushing boundaries and empowering the next generation of women in STEAM! #GirlsWhoInnovate

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended #TheFirehoodSummit and helped create an empowering experience. Your participation made a significant impact as we worked together to champion the future leaders in #STEAM. A special shoutout to our incredible sponsors for their unwavering support: #ASONEFOUNDATION, Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women's Empowerment, #SummersAndCo, Build a Dream, TD Bank Canada Trust, The Knowledge Society (TKS), Protexxa, #MCBC, Deloitte, PS43 Foundation, and #DarcShield. We would also like to recognize the incredible work of our co-founders Claudette M. Danielle Brewin Graham

Thank you to everyone who made the #FirehoodSummitforGirls a success! We are grateful to our incredible mentors for their guidance and to our sponsors for their support. To our girls: your creativity, enthusiasm, and drive were truly inspiring. We'd like to take a moment to recognize our mentors, including: Andrea Stapley Anika Forde Bobbie Racette Cindy Diogo Claudette McGowan Cynthia Ene Danielle Graham Daphne van der Vaart Dejana Dua Feyisayo Enuiyin Garima Ghale Hanh Nguyen Hilary Kilgour Hillary Lane Jessica Flynn Jigna Shah Kai Algar Kate Tomen Liza Akhvledziani Carew Nathalie Gahimbare Nicole Strauser Nkechi Nwafor-Robinson Rebecca Spour Roma Lyon Roshni Wijayasinha Serena Mandla Shirley Wu Stacey Noronha Taheera Fidaali Tali Remennik Tashuka (Tash) Shah Tehmina A Chaudhry Theresa Evanoff Zavosh Zaboliyan ZJ Hadley