The51 Founder Community Launch — Part I: Celebrating the Evolution of Our Founder Ecosystem

 

In March, The51 was delighted to announce the evolution and new era of our nationwide founder ecosystem: The51 Founder Community.

At The51, we're not just investors; we're partners, advocates, and champions for the incredible founders we've had the privilege to support. Our mission is to democratize access to capital for women and gender-diverse founders throughout Canada. And to do that, community is key.

To date, we’ve invested in 37 incredible founders who are invaluable role models and have given insights into the meaningful ways that we and our ecosystem partners can help propel their success. 

Community is at the heart of all that we do at The51, which includes how we support our founders. Knowing how tough it is to be a founder—especially as a woman—we wanted to play our part in providing founders with the support, guidance, and resources they need to help their businesses thrive.

So, to begin bringing this vision to life, we hosted a Founder Community Launch on March 27, 2024, here at home in Calgary. Check out the snapshots of the evening and keep reading to hear how it went.

 
 

Bringing Innovative Founders Together Across Canada

Our newly established Founder Community is a supportive ecosystem designed to bridge founders with investors, providing opportunities to learn strategies to activate capital, and creating a marketplace of ideas, products, and opportunities that propel the Financial Feminist future.

What sets us apart? We understand our founders' businesses. We do the work to dive deep into their visions, challenges, and aspirations, forging connections that go beyond the boardroom. This intimate understanding allows us to offer not only financial capital but also leverage our human capital. We're in the trenches with our founders, rolling up our sleeves and doing the work alongside them.

And now, we’re thrilled to be taking the next step to scale the championship of the founder community across the country to help founders cross the chasm from Pre-Seed to Series A and beyond.

March 2024: The51 Founder Community Announcement Event

The launch event, hosted and moderated by our Community Director, Iva Kubickova, was all about sharing the exciting news of how this next step highlights our position as a catalyst for venture growth, wealth activation, and fostering an influential environment of guidance and collaboration—ensuring that ALL founders have the support they need to succeed.

From a network reception and connecting with experts, community builders, and supports available in the ecosystem to hearing from a panel of experts unpacking IP strategies for securing startup growth and building investor confidence, the evening set a solid foundation for what The51 Founder Community is and how it will transform the early-stage venture landscape.

Mix and Mingling and Getting to Know the Ecosystem

Kelsey Hahn, Founder of Monark

Kelsey Hahn, founder of Monark and a portfolio founder with The51, kicked off the evening agenda by eloquently capturing the essence of community support. She shared her journey of navigating the challenging landscape of raising capital while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood—one of the hardest things she’s ever done. 

A familiar journey that many women founders face, these are the types of conversations we’re looking forward to having more of in our ecosystem.

With gratitude, she gave a nod to The51 for streamlining access to capital and providing a supportive environment for women founders to thrive—exactly what the Founder Community is all about.

A Panel Discussion on Intellectual Property and Navigating the Landscape

The main event of the evening was a panel discussion on the ‘Founder's Roadmap: IP Strategies for Long-Term Growth and Investor Confidence.’ The powerhouse panelists were:

Founder Community panel discussion

A pivotal aspect of any startup's journey is safeguarding its intellectual property. Moderated by Arielle, the discussion illuminated various facets of IP protection and commercialization. Insights ranged from debunking misconceptions about patenting research to emphasizing the importance of comprehensive IP strategies encompassing patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. 

In short, attendees appreciated the abundance of valuable information shared and appreciation for making a complicated topic better understood through the panel of experts. 

We’ll be sharing more highlights and takeaways soon!

Check out Part II and the panel insights from the launch event recap here.

The Partnerships That Helped Make It Happen

A major kudos to our partners—without them, the launch wouldn’t have been the success that it was. It truly takes a village to generate such impressive traction!

  • ElevateIP Alberta is delivered on behalf of the University of Calgary, by Innovate Calgary and Economic Development Lethbridge, with support from The51. ElevateIP Recipient is a program of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada.

  • BDC Thrive Lab is part of BDC’s $500M Thrive Platform. Announced in Fall 2022, it is the largest investment platform in the world supporting women-led businesses. It includes three components: the $300M Thrive Venture Fund, a $100M Indirect Investment Envelope, and the $100M Thrive Lab.

  • Work Nicer was the beautiful backdrop to the event. Founded in 2015 and born out of the foundational belief in community, Work Nicer has since grown to Alberta’s largest coworking community with outposts in Calgary and Edmonton. 

  • Movement51, our sister organization, is eliminating gender disparity in financial knowledge through capacity building, innovative educational programs like the Financial Feminism Investing Lab, accessible community events, and strategic partnerships. From aspiring to experienced investors and founders, there’s a pathway and place for them within The51 and Movement51.

What’s Next?

Founder Community audience

The Founder Community launch event served as a testament to the transformative power of community and collaboration in the realm of entrepreneurship.

The feedback from participants had us beaming, and there was such great praise for having access to panels and experts who were able to address real-life business questions related to IP during the panel.

We’re already itching to do it all over again—in fact, that’s the plan.

To keep the momentum going, we’re planning more events in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and beyond to continue amplifying the spirit of collaboration and support. And we’d love to have you along for the ride.

Join the waitlist to stay in the loop for when we’re coming your way and be among the first wave to rush in when we officially launch the always-on The51 Founder Virtual Community.

We hope to see you soon!

Kelly Tidalgo