Financial Feminism Investing Lab

Intimidated by investing? Not anymore

Learn how your dollars can power the next generation of future-fit, feminist businesses. This program, jointly run by Movement51 with the University of Calgary, is a safe, non-judgemental space to introduce you to the ins and outs of early-stage investing, and get your journey started.

Virtual sessions, built around your schedule.

Registration for our Spring 2024 cohort is closed. Class is in session from April 4 - May 9, 2024.

Be the first to know when registration opens for our Winter cohort!

Built by Women, for Everyone

Here’s what our community is saying

  • Kewen Wood

    “The hands-on interactive approach, real-world case studies, and focus on value-aligned investing make this program invaluable.”

    Kewen Wood
    ETCH Sourcing

  • Sylvia Louie

    “Although I may not be the next dragon on Dragons’ Den, FFIL is fully packed with interesting topics, presenters, and information about early-stage investing. I learned a lot and will be looking forward to being involved in my first venture start-up adventure soon.”

    Sylvia Louie
    Pembina

  • Lukasz Aleksandrowicz

    “For someone new in this space, FFIL was a fantastic entry point for learning about early-stage investing. The content was a great balance of depth and comprehensiveness, and the instructors were incredibly engaging.”

    Lukasz Aleksandrowicz
    Weston Family Foundation

  • "FFIL provided more fluency and literacy with financial terms, allowed me to be vulnerable in a comfortable setting, and more importantly, I became more informed and confident on how to build my investment thesis that best reflects my values."

    Nannette Ho-Covernton
    Spartan Controls

  • “The most valuable thing was the way it made early stage investing seem really accessible”

    Sajna Massey
    Neo Financial

  • “If we look at wealth as an area of self-care, this program provided expert yoga sessions with prudent financial knowledge of early-stage investing.”

    Namendra Anand
    The Northpine Foundation

  • “If you have spent the past year or two wondering how in the world the investment world actually works - this course is for you. The Lab will connect you with like-minded and intelligent individuals and help you build your toolkit when it comes to financial management, diversifying your portfolio and understanding risk.”

    Hannah Castle
    Cultivator

  • “The FFIL provided an exceptional academic program to introduce early-stage investing and a platform to learn how to advocate for female founders.”

    Stephanie Bailey
    Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN)

  • “I can be a part of the change I want to see in the world through how I decide to deploy capital and my own investments”

    Meghan Vallance-Morin
    Mark’s

  • “What I appreciate the most about FFIL is the community they create. I met so many brilliant, values-aligned women who believe that we can change the world through our investments.”

    Devon Krainer
    Raven Indigenous Capital Partners

  • “FFIL takes such a deep look at the fundamentals of angel investing, through a variety of instructors, academic articles, and practical scenarios, and with the gender lens. I found the content to be new and very practical.”

    Carollynn Schafer
    OKGN Angel Investments Society

  • “....very satisfied with knowing what I can do when I activate my capital in a way that aligns with my values and benefits the community.”

    Jacquelyn DeGreeve
    BLG

What will you learn?

Everything you need to begin investing with confidence. What does it mean to make an investment? How do you find a worthy business? What are investment vehicles? From evaluating business models to negotiating term sheets and ownership on the cap table — we’re here to demystify your entire investment journey.

Built by experienced angel investors, venture capitalists and academics

We’ve hand-crafted programs with experienced professionals and educators from both corporate and academic worlds to create accessible, equitable education. And we’re growing, fast…

200+
Graduated

$856K+
Capital Activated

40
Cities

88%
NPS 

30% Increase in Investment Confidence 

Meet Your Instructors

Shelley Kuipers

  • Shelley Kuipers, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The51, is an activist in business, entrepreneurship and investment, driving business models that are more equitable, diverse, corporately, and ecologically sustainable. Shelley is a co-founder of IOVIA and Adventure Capital, and previously founded crowdsourcing company, Chaordix, and was a co-founder of Stormworks, which was acquired by Solium. She is also the co-founder and an active board member of a sustainable direct-to-consumer clothing brand House Kuipers.

    Shelley is a serial private investor of companies, startups and entrepreneurs who embody the type of future she wants to see across the economic universe: namely, those that are sustainable, feminist, purpose-driven, and unafraid to disrupt old systems. She has been early-stage investing for the better part of 20 years, with investment experience that started in energy, but quickly diversified into the tech sector with a focus on innovation-driven companies. Shelley is considered a global thought leader in crowdsourcing and community, and she is highly sought after as a champion and mentor for entrepreneurs from around the globe.

    As an avid brand leader and marketer, Shelley believes in the power of brand, community and participation as a differentiator in newly emerging business models. Shelley has led global brands such as LEGO, IKEA, Nike and Unilever to be participative brands, companies and business models to drive insights, ideas and innovation.

carolyn schafer

  • Carollynn Schafer is an active angel investor with a background in law. She obtained her law degree from the University of Victoria and spent her first 8 years as a lawyer at a corporate firm in Winnipeg, focusing on Technology, IP and Privacy law. From there, she went in-house and worked with LemonFree.com, a start-up in the automotive marketing space, until their acquisition/merger with LotLinx in 2015.

    Carollynn is currently the CEO of Accelerate Okanagan, a General Partner of OKGN WMAN, a past director and Fund Manager of the OKGN Angel Summit and acted as the investor facilitator for their 5th fund. She also is an advisor for Trellis Social Enterprises and assists other technology start-ups. Carollynn has developed her knowledge of start-ups from her involvement as a shareholder, fund manager, general partner and an advisor and this combination gives her a unique perspective into the challenges faced by start-ups.

judy fairburn

  • As Co-founder, Co-CEO and Fund Managing Partner, Judy is a change-maker with a proven track record of building cutting-edge business ventures.

    Judy also sits on corporate and entrepreneurial boards, including women-CEO led organizations: deNova (protein technology) and Tundra Oil & Gas. She is also a mentor to numerous women-led startups and emerging women leaders in numerous corporations.

    Her career includes executive roles as Chief Digital Officer, EVP Business Innovation and President Environmental Opportunity Fund. She was also the first female Board Chair of Alberta Innovates, an agency of the Alberta government that supports innovators across the health, clean energy, agriculture, and digital sectors. Judy is also a pioneer in corporate/entrepreneurial innovation, including co-founding a first-of-its-kind $100 million cleantech / digital venture fund and a multicompany environmental innovation alliance. She also participated in a unique executive exchange into the Privy Council Office of the Federal Government, gaining a rare first-hand understanding of how government works while advancing Canadian innovation and immigration policy.

    Judy holds an MSc degree (Chemical Engineering), an MBA, and Institute of Corporate Directors designation. She is also an award-winning Creative Destruction Lab mentor, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and recipient of the 2020 Calgary Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021 Schulich School of Engineering Alumni Leadership Excellence Award and WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100.

george damian

  • George Damian is a design strategist working at the intersection of creative and technical fields to help founders better understand, articulate and launch their ideas. Having worked on some of the world's largest industrial projects as an energy industry executive, George pivoted into the start-up world in 2017, first as a business coach and later as co-founder of a sports supplement brand.

    Today he serves as a strategic advisor to a host of deep tech founders and as an MBA instructor in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation. Through his work with global tech incubator Creative Destruction Lab he has designed programming to help nurture promising start-ups. As an investor he seeks to champion under-represented founders, helping them scale their companies with confidence.

alice reimer

  • Alice Reimer is a trailblazer in Alberta’s tech startup community, having helped build the innovation ecosystem in Alberta for the last two decades. Her long list of roles includes co-founder and CEO of Evoco Inc., CEO of Chaordix, and Site Lead of Creative Destruction Lab Rockies. She is also co-founder of The51, an organization pushing to raise the percentage of women-founded startups and financing for women-led startups.

    She has been recognized for her work in the startup community, being named one of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs by PROFIT W100, and one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People in 2013. She has led the boards for the A100 and Startup Calgary and acts as mentor for Venture Mentorship Service of Alberta. Alice currently serves as CEO of Fillip, a fintech startup designed to help fleet-based businesses pay for fuel and maintenance via a prepaid Visa card.

Danielle Gifford

  • Throughout her career, Danielle has been heavily involved in the start-up world, working with companies focused on B2B and B2C technologies in AI, AR, and cloud platforms from pre-seed to both acquisition and failure. She is currently the Executive Director at Movement51, an education platform from The51 that focuses on entrepreneurship and early-stage investing for female founders and investors.

    Prior to joining Movement51, Danielle was responsible for building an AI Talent and Experimentation Accelerator, where she trained over 140 individuals, partnered with Microsoft, and developed proof-of-concept models for 70 AI use cases across diverse industries. Earlier in her career, she served as a Venture Manager and Head of Site Recruitment at the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), where she managed a portfolio of ventures across industries such as energy, agriculture, fintech, and health, contributing to over $250M in equity value creation.

Not the lecture halls you remember

Our immersive and welcoming courses are the only learning programs of their kind. All classes are led by accomplished instructors, and combine traditional lectures with hands-on learning to help you build your tool-kit.

Learn concepts and apply them directly in the same week

Our courses are built to meet the demands of your busy schedule! Courses run over a 5-week period with 1 hour virtual sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

  • Participants will develop their knowledge of the capital landscape and explore the role of developing their investment thesis as an investor.

    • Current capital landscape Nationally and Internationally

    • The nature of venture finance and the role it plays for entrepreneurs and investors

    • Explore the types of investors. What are their roles, and what are they looking for?

    • Learn what an investment thesis, and how to develop your own

    • Finding deal flow and the art of sourcing

Module 1

  • Participants will examine various valuation methodologies to evaluate early-stage investment opportunities from end-to-end

    • Explore the end-to-end process of an individual deal and define the path of an investment

    • Discover the 2 different types of investment vehicles used by Angels (SAFEs and Convertible Notes)

    • Learn the pros and cons of each form of financing as well as what/why one should consider one type of structure over another

    • Explore how valuation occurs at different stages and why it is important

Module 2

  • Participants will take a look behind the curtain into the details of the business and learn different business models and how to develop their investor lens

    • Discover the due diligence process from the perspective of both an angel and venture capital from pre-meeting, to meet, to post-meeting

    • Examine mock data rooms and learn what to look for

    • Review fundraising decks and learn different evaluation methods for business models in B2B, B2C, and Services

Module 3

  • Participants will get a closer look at the technical side of venture investing

    • Explore term sheet economics: price, liquidation preference, pay-to-play, vesting, exercise period, employee pool, anti dilution, dividends, voting rights,

    • Learn the various controls terms of the term sheet from the Board of Directors to conversions

    • Understand the importance of the cap table, when to review, and what to look for

    • Learn common legal structures in early-stage investing

Module 4

  • Provide participants the opportunity to ‘practice’ evaluating early-stage funding pitches to synthesize learning.

    • Discover your investment thesis and determine the fit of different investment opportunities within your portfolio

    • Learn how to ask questions and hear feedback on investment opportunities

    • Reflect on the nature of investing and the role it plays for entrepreneurs and investors

Module 5

You’ve got questions?

We’ve got answers

  • No! Our course is open to everyone and anyone interested in early-stage investing. To learn more about being an accredited investor in Canada click here.

  • Most if not all of our participants have other jobs and/or educational demands on their time. We’ve worked hard to make our program accessible and possible to add to a busy schedule; all our classes are virtual and delivered around lunch time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

  • Yes! In their pursuit of gaining advanced skills and knowledge, we find 25% of participants is sponsored by their employer. If you would like to approach your company with a sponsorship request form, we have a customizable template you can use. Email heythere@movement51.org for your template.

  • Currently we offer three cohorts a year: in the Winter, Spring and Fall respectively. We understand schedules and demands change throughout the year, and we encourage you to pick the time that works best for you.

  • We encourage you to attend as many sessions as possible.

  • Yes! You will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Calgary, as well as a Badge you can add to your LinkedIn profile.

  • Yes, there’s homework. But, hopefully, this is the type of pre-class reading and prepping you’ll find easy and interesting. After all, the more you learn about the worlds of investing and entrepreneurship, the more you’ll be ready to confidently take part. You can expect about 2 -3 hours of reading a week.

  • Some companies and organizations reimburse FFIL as part of their professional development programs, however, others do not. Check with your HR department, and feel free to pass on our contact information should they have any questions.

  • We’d love to hear from you. Email us anytime, at: heythere@movement51.org and we also encourage you to attend an information session.

Upcoming Dates

Spring 2024

April 4, 2024 - May 9, 2024

Registration closed

Winter 2024

October 29, 2024 - December 5, 2024

Registration opening soon

The Financial Feminism Investing Lab wouldn’t be possible without our partners:

Be the first to know about the next cohort — join the mailing list for the Investor Lab!