ABOUT US
Our Mission
Our mission at IEF is to support, educate, and celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship among business owners who belong to racialized and/or equity deserving communities across Canada.
Who We Serve
The communities we serve include but are not limited to:
- Members of racialized communities
- Women
- Immigrants/Newcomers
- Indigenous and Métis Peoples
- LGBTQ2S+
- Persons with disability(ies)
- Youth, to age 29
- Age 55+ new business entrepreneur
- Canadian Armed Forces Military Veterans
2025 and Beyond: Looking Forward with IEF
Education
IEF is pleased to offer industry-leading training & development opportunities to its network:
- Flip the Script: Specialized skill training + AI-enabled simulation feedback software = endless real-time feedback to help entrepreneurs practice how they answer investor questions to land more deals and close up to 60% more funding.
- Business Financing Fundamentals: Financial Literacy training for business owners and entrepreneurs who are looking to develop the right capitalization strategy for their goals.
- The Collective: A Mastermind program for emerging leaders.
Research
Support
IEF is thrilled to be launching its flagship program with the IEF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. Apply today to receive access to our educational programs thanks to subsidies by supporting partners, donees, and the IEF Fund.
Watch out for our monthly newsletters to hear about events and programming that includes webinars, AMAs, and more.
- Information critical for running a thriving innovation business, tech startup or entrepreneurial venture in Canada
- Connections to Capital: reverse pitch presentations, topics related to funding and financial literacy
Micro-grants coming 2026.
Celebrate
Be sure to join our Inclusive Canadian Business Directory so we can promote your venture!
The CANIE Awards will be back.
2019 – 2023: Our History of Service:
Support
Based on the most current and in-demand needs of those we serve, the charity develops and adapts its support programs and offerings to best serve our network.
Our Support Programs Include:
- MICRO-GRANTS provide Canadian equity-deserving entrepreneurs simple and quick access to funds to aid in boosting their businesses.
- ROUNDTABLE PANEL DISCUSSIONS provides peer to peer networking, exchange of ideas and resources, and provides a voice to Canadian business owners to express their biggest needs from the charity, and our nation’s policy makers.
- Access to FREE AND DISCOUNTED SERVICES that reduce business operations expenses.
- IEF’s MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, providing easy access to relevant and impactful resources, and stories of success and celebration. The charity uses this platform to communicate critical information our network does not have time to research on their own and delivers it in a quick one-stop resource.
- MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES & SUPPORT designed specifically for entrepreneurs. The charity has engaged therapists who specialize in entrepreneur mental health to develop programming and access to in-demand resources and coping tools, workshops, 1:1 therapy sessions and peer group talk sessions.
- CANADIAN SMALL BUSINESS DIRECTORY the charity has developed a directory that allows searchers to find Canadian SMEs by region and by equity-deserving group.
- MONTHLY ENTREPRENEUR FEATURE SPOTLIGHT featured on our Small Business Directory.
Celebrate
With over forty years of celebrating our nation’s excellence in innovation and business achievement, the Canadian Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CANIE Awards) are one of the most prestigious and longest standing national awards of its kind. It has been an honour for IEF to host these distinguished national awards.
Education
We provide relevant and impactful education workshops and resources to aid our network in business development and growth. Education is provided via formal training workshops, webinars, and asynchronous business training modules.
Education is provided through a variety of partnerships the charity has made with industry experts, and private & public sector training and coaching facilitators.
Education topics have and will continue to be based on feedback provided through IEF’s research and network, and include how to access grants and financial support, digital literacy and transformation, inventory management, navigating supply chain challenges, human resources, people development, diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging training, financial literacy, and marketing.
Research
Leveraging the strong relationships that the charity has developed with other like-minded national organizations, IEF relies on current research relevant to the equity-deserving groups we serve to design our services & programs, and to steer advocacy.
IEF’s Roundtable Insights Reports summarize industry research and combine the insights and knowledge gained from:
- Hosting Roundtable Sessions with our advisory board and network program engagers to share their experience, views, challenges and strengths unique to their equity-deserving community.
- Anonymized demographic and other data obtained with permission through the charity’s CANIE Award and Micro-grant applicants that provide insights on the greatest strengths, challenges, and needs per region and per equity-deserving communities.
Using reliable external research and data provided by Statistics Canada, our partners, and established entrepreneurial ecosystem supporters, the quarterly
Roundtable Insights Reports identify trends, challenges, successes, and greatest needs of the communities we serve. We use this research to shape the charity’s programs and services, and to steer advocacy with key national policy makers.
Our Team
Catherine Chan
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Catherine is a serial entrepreneur, mentor, consultant, and writer. A graduate of The University of Western Ontario Master of Arts program, she started her career in marketing in the entertainment industry before finding her home in management. Catherine has been a successful retail store manager, sales manager, hiring manager, and training manager.
On the entrepreneurship side, Catherine founded and built FitIn, a marketplace-enterprise software solution for the fitness and wellness industry. She has also supported small business owners in a consultant capacity for over 25 years, most recently as a fractional COO. This wide experience plus her talent for growing and organizing teams with “excellent bedside manner” is what makes Catherine such an effective leader.
Catherine is a long-time lover of running, has competed in kettlebell competitions as well marathons, and has her Grade 4 sash in Wing Chun Kung Fu. Most recently, she returned to her musical roots, learning to play the ukulele and now the guitar. No garage band auditions are planned as yet, but she’ll keep you in the loop.
Ashleigh Gilbert-Lonsdale
Executive Assistant
Ashleigh Gilbert-Lonsdale, a resident of Peterborough, ON, originally from Kingston/Sydenham, brings a unique blend of academic prowess and practical experience to the world of finance. Armed with a BSc in Psychology from Trent University and a current pursuit of an Accounting Diploma from Sir Sanford Fleming, Ashleigh has over a decade of accounting expertise.
Founder of “AGL Bookkeeping and Virtual Assistance,” Ashleigh transitioned from a corporate Operations Manager role to entrepreneurship, driven by a commitment to creating a more inclusive environment, especially for women. This is why Ashleigh is especially excited to begin working with CanWCC.
Certified with various accounting and bookkeeping credentials, including QBO Pro Advisor, Ashleigh’s skills are matched by her passion for causes like human rights, climate activism, and animal welfare. In her downtime, she indulges in reading, art, games, and relaxation with her feline companions.
Beyond the professional realm, Ashleigh aspires to own a hobby farm filled with rescued animals. This dedication extends to her volunteer work with the Peterborough Humane Society, aligning her values with hands-on contributions to animal welfare.
Join Ashleigh on a journey where numbers meet empathy, and every balance sheet tells a story.
Board of Directors
Catherine Chan
Board President
Brenda Halloran
Board Member
Jenn Juby
Board Member
Nancy Wilson
Board Member
Natasha Hope Morano
Board Member