Leveraging Queen's resources and critical funding from the government of Canada, through its Women Entrepreneurship Strategy Ecosystem Fund administered by FedDev Ontario, Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI) and partners offer several programs and services to help women entrepreneurs who identify as Indigenous.
Following a rigorous Request for Proposals process, QPI contracted the Tyendinaga- and Kingston-based Okwaho Equal Source to co-develop and deliver several programs and services in 2020-2021-2022 to help increase the number of and provide support to women entrepreneurs in Eastern Ontario who identify as Indigenous, with priority given to women who live in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and the greater Kingston area. Okwaho Equal Source is a 100% Indigenous owned and operated and headquartered on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. The company is co-founded by Shyra Barberstock (President) and Rye Barberstock (VP and COO).
We invite you to browse our list of programs and services in the table below. If you are interested in accessing a specific service, please click on the associated link.
You may also be interested in exploring programs and services for Women entrepreneurs in a Technology Sector or Women entrepreneurs from diverse or underrepresented groups.
We invite you to visit our WE-CAN Resources page to find valuable information and resources to help you with your business needs.
Veuillez nous contacter pour discuter de vos intérêts et des services que nous pourrions offrir en français.
Programs and services for women entrepreneurs who identify as Indigenous
The QPI team has reserved space for women entrepreneurs who identify as Indigenous in its physical incubation program at 310 Bagot Street in Kingston, Ontario, that includes co-location with the QPI team, Launch Lab, the Southeastern Ontario Angel Network, and St. Lawrence College. The Startup Runway provides participants with access to shared workspaces, meeting rooms, event spaces, numerous resources and various amenities and services. Additionally, entrepreneurs can network with other entrepreneurs and connect and collaborate with members of the Startup Runway and the Seaway Coworking community.
The Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneurship Mentorship program weaves entrepreneurial business principles with the traditional values and contemporary worldviews of Indigenous cultural groups in Eastern Ontario, with priority given to those who live in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and the greater Kingston area. Both one-on-one and small group mentorship options will be offered in the traditional territories of the Kanien’kehá:ka and Anishinaabe. The purpose of the mentorship program is to provide support to Indigenous women (18 years+) who are looking to start and/or grow their own business. This program will be offered in Kingston and Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
The Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneurship Workshop series provides women entrepreneurs and business owners who identify as Indigenous and reside in Eastern Ontario, with priority given to those who live in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and the greater Kingston area with a range of basic, intermediate and advanced entrepreneurship training and experiences. This interactive workshop series is designed to be entry-level, accessible, relevant, inclusive of Indigenous culture(s), knowledge, business intelligence and skill sets.
Now accepting applications!
This program is open to Kingston area woman entrepreneurs who are looking to grow their business. Meeting one-on-one with the WE-CAN Project Manager, WE-CAN clients create a focused Growth Plan to help move their business forward.
Priority is given to women entrepreneurs who identify with one of the following WE-CAN core service groups.
To learn more about the program contact Kerry Ramsay, WE-CAN Project Manager.
The WE-CAN Masterminds runs twice a year (June – December and January – June). There are two Mastermind groups: one for companies in the early stage of business (1-2 years) and one for those in the growth stage of their business (3+ years). Each Mastermind will be comprised of 8-10 participants. Priority is given to women entrepreneurs who identify with one of the following WE-CAN core service groups.
IMPORTANT: Participants must commit to consistent Mastermind attendance and engagement in order to ensure the highest possible quality of participation and results for all group members.
Why join a Mastermind?
1. To become a part of a supportive micro-community of women entrepreneurs
2. To challenge yourself to think differently about your business and its tactics/strategies
3. To brainstorm ideas with other women business owners to work through a specific business challenge
4. To discover and address your business blind spots
5. To gain valuable feedback from a group of women entrepreneurs in a supportive environment
6. To work through your business challenge through regular, focused group discussion
7. To make more confident decisions and move your business forward
To learn more, contact Kerry Ramsay, WE-CAN Project Manager.
PropelHER is a 5-person cohort, 20-week accelerator program crafted to remove the barriers to scale-up experienced by women entrepreneurs. This program recognizes the unique attributes of each enterprise, and the needs of individual founders. The programs’ value proposition leverages the synergy of group lived experience, plus individual business and personal development learnings, translated to implementation.
Priority is given to women entrepreneurs who identify with one of the following WE-CAN core service groups.
To learn more about the program contact Kerry Ramsay, WE-CAN Project Manager.
The QPI team employs an on-staff mentor/advisor to specifically work with women entrepreneurs, helping them to tap into networks and resources in Kingston and the region as well as providing advice on how to get their business to the next stage of development.
Services
The Queen's Business Law Clinic (QBLC) provides legal services, via its Director and Queen’s Law students, to entrepreneurs who would otherwise have difficulty affording legal counsel. The QBLC helps eligible entrepreneurs with ideas to establish proprietorships or partnerships or to incorporate companies, and startups to establish shareholder agreements, confidentiality agreements, employment agreements, and other legal documents as appropriate that provide a company with a solid foundation.
QBLC has a strong history of working with Indigenous businesses from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, and looks forward to continuing to support the development of Indigenous businesses in Eastern Ontario.
Workshops, Events and Other Resources
The many partners in the Kingston innovation ecosystem offer numerous workshops and events. For information about the workshops and events available for Queen’s students, please visit the Queen's events calendar . For information about workshops and events for women who identify as Indigenous entrepreneurs in the Kingston community and surrounding areas, refer to the following sources:
QPI is located in the Seaway Coworking building in downtown Kingston. Our incubation and acceleration clients have access to the amenities available such as private Zoom rooms, a podcast studio and workshop and event space.
Please note COVID-19 restrictions are currently in place. Contact Rick Boswell to learn more.
There are many resources available for women entrepreneurs. The QPI team has curated a list of resources, which you will be able to find on our WE-CAN Resources page.
Visit our WE-CAN Resources page
In addition, the QPI team has compiled a list of resources to help regional entrepreneurs and startups, which you can find on our Resources page.
For resources specific to assisting entrepreneurs during the pandemic, please visit our COVID-19 Resources page.
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Nous reconnaissons l'appui du gouvernement du Canada à travers l’Agence fédérale de développement économique pour le Sud de l’Ontario.
While all of the following programs and services will be delivered in English, certain programs and services will be made available in French in accordance with the terms of the Contribution Agreement between Queen’s University and the Government of Canada. Please contact us to discuss your interests and needs.
Alors que tous les programmes et services seront offerts en anglais, certains programmes et services seront accessibles en français conformément aux modalités de l’accord de contribution entre l’Université Queen’s et le gouvernement du Canada. Prenez contact avec nous pour discuter de vos intérêts et de vos besoins.