SSFPA x M51: Early-Stage Investing in Canadian Food and Agriculture
Why is impact investing crucial to the success of women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs?
Women-owned businesses receive just 2% of global venture investment, despite making up 27% of Canada's angel investor community and outperforming their male-led counterparts 63% of the time. The underinvestment in sectors like impact investing, food, and agriculture is equally glaring—especially in the Canadian landscape.
The challenge for aspiring investors is knowing where to start in order to support and grow these critical areas and businesses.
The key to making a difference? Education.
That said, Movement51 is thrilled to partner with the Small Scale Food Processor Association (SSFPA) for Venture-Capital Ready: Investment Training for Women Entrepreneurs.
About Venture-Capital Ready: Investment Training for Women Entrepreneurs
Venture-Capital Ready is a new two-year national training program funded by the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy’s Inclusive Venture Capital Program.
Aimed at food industry women and intersectional entrepreneurs ready to grow their agri-food business but fear the barriers in finding financing, this Canada-wide program provides the insight, know-how, and resources needed to become venture capital ready.
Industry specialists empower participants with the skills and confidence to enter the investment process, and they support entrepreneurs as they prepare for challenges, create their pitch strategy, and present to potential investors.
Partnership between SSFPA and M51
Within the program, M51 is working with aspiring investors to help women entrepreneurs and founders get investor ready through a four-module online course, Unlocking Impact: Early-Stage Investing in Canadian Food and Agriculture.
The course will guide participants through the world of early-stage investing as it applies to impact investing and the Canadian food and agriculture sector.
Four 2-hour virtual sessions hosted between November 2023 to September 2024 will include a variety of cases, speakers, and interactive sessions, covering concepts like:
The fundamentals of early-stage and impact investing
Due diligence procedures specifically for startups and businesses in food and agriculture
Basics of venture math tailored for impactful and sustainable investments
Creating an investment thesis that aligns with your personal and societal goals
Evaluating pitches, with live sessions to practice learned skills
Intended for investors at any stage—aspiring angels, seasoned and accredited investors, or individuals merely interested in the promising realm of early-stage and impact investing—the in-depth programming allows participants to gain insights from leading experts in the field and connect with a community of investors that share the same interests and values.
Early-Stage Investing Course Modules
Beyond the course content, the four modules are a continual flow of topics that build one onto the next:
Module 1: Knowing Where You’re Going - Operating at the Intersection of Impact & Innovation
November 22, 2023 from 10 AM - 12 PM MT
Module 2: Core Principles of Early-Stage Investing in Food & AgTech
March 6, 2024 from 10 AM - 12 PM MT
Module 3: Opportunity Evaluation using Prudent Due Diligence
May 29, 2024 from 10 AM - 12 PM MT
Module 4: Let’s Make a Deal! Ventures, Vehicles and Valuations
September 11, 2024 from 10 AM - 12 PM MT
Crafted by women for everyone, Unlocking Impact: Early-Stage Investing in Canadian Food and Agriculture will equip participants with an inclusive, women and gender-diverse perspective—essential for today's investment landscape.
Last but not least to know about the program: we are pleased to announce that Unlocking Impact: Early-Stage Investing in Canadian Food and Agriculture has been generously funded by Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED), enabling us to provide this course completely free of charge.
Registration closes on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM MT. Don’t miss out on enrolling—we’d love to have you join us!
