BC Business
Meredith Powell, left, is spearheading the Founders Collective event that aims to offer inspiration to Vancouver's female entrepreneurs.
Meredith Powell, left, is spearheading the Founders Collective event that aims to offer inspiration to Vancouver’s female entrepreneurs.
As Vancouver continues to grow as an entrepreneurial hub, particularly in the tech space, the city is also seeing similar growth in gatherings for creative professionals. From the imminent arrival of TED to the upcoming GROW Conference, the city is becoming a bustling destination for gathering the innovative elite. And another such upcoming event is being hailed as part TED, part Summit Series and is geared toward female entrepreneurs. Founders Collective, a non-profit initiative, is hoping to gather the city’s female thought leaders on April 20 for a little inspiration. And Vancouverite Meredith Powell, a startup mentor at Launch Academy, is helping lead the charge. “Less than five per cent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Less than four per cent of startups are led by women,” she says. “I’m more than happy to help disrupt those numbers.” The event will feature a combination of panel speakers, Q&A forums and solo talks. And the business elite form around the metro area will be in attendance. According to TechVibes, some of the participants will include CEOs and founders from up-and-comers such as Strutta, Spokal and Lunapads as well as reps from more established successes like Hootsuite, Vision Critical and BuildDirect. Powell hopes the connections forged at the event will not only breed inspiration, but also engagement between members of the creative community. “In broad strokes, we aim to support attendees and facilitate new opportunities by fostering authentic, engaging conversations. Our participants are successful, creative and inspiring A-Types–we know they’ll take charge and shape the day, making it their own.”
To participate, email the Founders Collective with your info and why you’d like to be in on this meeting of the minds.