Welcome to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub

The Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) shares research and resources on women entrepreneurs in Canada.

Made up of 10 regional hubs, WEKH operates in both official languages and includes a network of over 250 organizations, reaching more than 100,000 women entrepreneurs.

WEKH is a part of the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy that aims to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to financing, talent, networks and expertise. Using a methodology developed by the Boston Consulting Group and the Cherie Blair Foundation (2019), it is estimated that closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship in Canada could add $41-$81 billion to Canada’s GDP

Our Partners

Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute and the Ted Rogers School of Management are leading a team of researchers, business support organizations, and key stakeholders to create a more inclusive and supportive environment to grow women’s entrepreneurship in Canada.
“Everyone benefits when women have the resources they need to participate fully in our economies and societies. Our Government is determined to help women gain the tools they need to be successful entrepreneurs and leaders.” – Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Women represent enormous untapped potential and there is no limit to what they can accomplish. As investors, we need to run as fast as women entrepreneurs do. It is our job to help them unleash that potential.” – Michael Denham, Business Development Bank of Canada President and CEO
“It should be a point of pride that more and more Canadian women are starting and running independent businesses. But female entrepreneurs often have additional hurdles to overcome when making the choice to start or grow a company. Starting or growing a business is tough enough – we need to do more to ensure equal access to financing and finding good quality, affordable advice.” – Dan Kelly, President and CEO, Canadian Federation for Independent Business
“We would add $150B to the Canadian economy if we supported women entrepreneurs to their male counterpart. It’s time to break down the systemic barriers so we can all benefit from the equal participation of women in society.” – Vicki Saunders, Founder SheEO
“EDC is proud to be working to help remove the unique barriers women entrepreneurs often face when looking to grow their business. An important part of that is investing in research that will enable us to better understand the challenges women face and the opportunities to better support them in their exporting journey.” – Mairead Lavery, President and CEO at EDC