Road to the Summit 2027 begins in St. John’s and Halifax, bringing together the founders, investors and institutional leaders shaping Canada’s next economy.
The51 is launching its 2027 Road to the Summit series in Atlantic Canada, putting ownership at the centre of a year-long national conversation about who holds capital in Canada, who decides where it goes and who shares in the value it creates.
Coinciding with the launch, The51 is announcing 16 new women co-anchor investors to Fund III. They join BMO, the fund's lead anchor investor, and the 17 women co-anchors announced in June to put institutional capital and women's wealth to work side by side in companies shaping the future of Health, Wealth and Work.
Canadian women are projected to control nearly $4 trillion in financial assets by 2028¹. Yet women remain underrepresented as investors and capital allocators in private markets, and women founders receive just 2–4% of venture capital in Canada. Road to the Summit 2027 is built on a simple premise: activating women’s capital is economic infrastructure for Canada. Through its investment platform, education programs and national community, The51 is connecting more women with opportunities to invest and more ambitious Canadian founders with capital to grow.
In 2026, nearly 1,000 people joined Road to the Summit in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary to think bigger about their relationship with capital. In 2027, the conversation moves from possibility to participation: from being adjacent to capital to directing it, and from contributing to the economy to owning a share of what it creates. National in ambition and local in relevance, each stop brings investors, founders, executives and institutional leaders together around the people and companies shaping their regional economies.
“If we’re serious about building Canadian prosperity, we need to be just as serious about who will own it,” said Shelley Kuipers, Co-Founder and CEO of The51. “Canadian women will soon control nearly $4 trillion. Whether that capital builds Canadian companies depends on the infrastructure that connects it to them. That’s what we’re building, starting in St. John’s and Halifax, where founders and investors have already proven what’s possible, and carrying it across the country.”
Why the series starts in Atlantic Canada
Opening Road to the Summit 2027 in Atlantic Canada reflects the strength of the region's entrepreneurial and investment community. The51 has seen it first-hand through Movement51's Founder Lab, its engagement with ambitious founders and the commitment of regional investors, including Fund III co-anchor Anne Whelan, President and CEO of Seafair.
St. John's is also home to Fund III's first investment, SiftMed. Co-founded and led by CEO Holly Hill, SiftMed develops AI-powered software that helps insurers, independent medical examiners and legal teams review complex medical records and claims, with the potential to reduce review times by up to 70%. The51 participated in SiftMed's July 2026 financing, led by Staircase Ventures, alongside existing investors Pelorus VC, Sandpiper Ventures and the founders of Verafin.
“We've always believed we could build SiftMed in St. John's and take it into much bigger markets,” said Holly Hill, Co-Founder and CEO of SiftMed. “Newfoundland and Labrador has an incredibly resilient and innovative startup community, with people who genuinely get behind the founders building here. But turning that ambition into a growing business takes capital and the right investors in your corner. Having The51 backing us makes a real difference, helping us continue to grow from St. John's while reaching customers far beyond the province.”
Road to the Summit opened in St. John's on November 3 with Investor and Founder Bootcamps, bringing both sides of capital together for practical sessions on early-stage investing, capital readiness and curated founder-investor matchmaking. Speakers included Sarah Murphy, Partner at Pelorus VC, and Johanna Brown, Founder of Rivet and Past Chair of TechNL.
In Halifax on November 5, the series brings together investors, founders and business leaders from across the Atlantic economy. Jen McCain, family office principal and Fund III co-anchor, joins Shelley Kuipers to open the day, followed by a keynote from Carolyn Lawrence, Impact Strategist at Clear Path. Other speakers include Victoria Sopik, CEO and Co-Founder of Kids & Company, and Ashley Orser, Vice President, Market Development at COVE, alongside a showcase of Movement51's Founder Lab Cohort 8. An Investor Bootcamp follows on November 6.
The series continues to Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Victoria before culminating at the XX Summit in Calgary in September 2027, advancing The51's ambition to activate $2.5 billion in women-led capital by 2030.
Expanding women’s ownership through The51 Fund III
Fund III’s co-anchor model is itself a statement about ownership. By bringing women investors in at the anchor level alongside BMO, The51 is creating the change it sets out to catalyze: more women holding decision-making power over where capital flows, and more of the resulting value owned by the people helping to build it.
Led by Shelley Kuipers, CEO and General Partner, and Lauren Robinson, Managing Partner, Fund III is targeting a $30 million fund size and invests in early- to growth-stage companies led by women founders across Canada. The newly announced co-anchors bring experience across business, investing, leadership and wealth creation, reflecting the growing community of women choosing to deploy capital into Canada's innovation economy.
Voices from Women Co-Anchors
"Having worked in the venture capital sector for much of my career, I've seen the important role it plays in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation. What particularly appeals to me about The51 is its commitment to expanding opportunities for women, both as founders and as investors. I'm delighted to be part of Fund III and to support that vision."
Christa Plumley, Commercial & Technology Lawyer
“I’m excited to back a fund that recognizes the potential of women founders and opens doors for more women to invest in the themes and companies shaping our future.”
Francisca Quinn, Founder, Quinn+Partners
New Women Co-Anchors
Jodi Bloomer-Kaput - Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer, Canadian Fiber Optics Corp. and Director, Bloomer Capital Corp.
Leah Boyd - Business Executive, Board Director, Investor
Tiziana Casciaro - Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Joanne Cuthbertson, Kate Fischer and Lindsay Fischer
Rachel Davies - Vice President, Investment Counsellor, Burgundy Asset Management
Laura DiStefano - Partner, Cerco Developments
Lindsay Jephcott - Co-Founder, Lume Women + Health
Carolyn Lawrence - Impact Strategist, Founder, Clear Path
Daisy Orser - Co Founder, Raintree Holdings
Christa Plumley - Commercial & Technology Lawyer
Francisca Quinn - Founder and President, Quinn+Partners
Kerry Rizzo - Founder, Speaker, Author, KerryKnowsMoney
Carrie Russell - Independent Director, Strategic Advisor
Patricia Saputo - Co-Founder, Executive Chairperson and Strategic Advisor, Crysalia