For proof that female entrepreneurs face unique challenges compared to their male counterparts, one need look no further than Katie Wilson.

The entrepreneur and founder of Belli Welli, a plant-based baked nutrition bar company that caters to people with irritable bowel syndrome, was one day away from the official launch of her business last year when she unexpectedly went into labour with her second child, two-and-a-half months before her due date.

91裸聊视频淲e did launch the business the next day, but we launched it from the hospital room,91裸聊视频� Wilson said.

Now, 18 months later, the California-based Belli Welli is a thriving small business 91裸聊视频� one of 30 ventures so far across Canada and the U.S. that have received funding from The51, an Alberta-based venture capital fund which aims to harness the power of 91裸聊视频渇inancial feminism91裸聊视频� by getting investment dollars into the hands of women entrepreneurs. The fund, so named because women represent 51 per cent of the population, aims to 91裸聊视频渄emocratize access91裸聊视频� to capital for women.

It91裸聊视频檚 a mission Wilson endorses, because she said female founders like herself still face gender-related biases and barriers.

91裸聊视频淭he biggest and most obvious example for me is the fact that I fundraised pregnant, and I didn91裸聊视频檛 share that fact with any investor,91裸聊视频� Wilson said. 91裸聊视频淚 got nothing but support from our male investors when I had to write that email saying, `hey guys, not only did I not tell you I was pregnant, but it turns out I91裸聊视频檓 now going to be launching the business from the hospital.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淏ut I think there91裸聊视频檚 something to be said about the fact that I didn91裸聊视频檛 share it. There was some part of me that felt it might hurt my chances of closing the round.91裸聊视频�

The51 was launched last year by Shelley Kuipers, Alice Reimer and Judy Fairburn 91裸聊视频� three Calgary women who combined have decades of experience as company founders, board chairs, community leaders and investors. It has since developed into a community of female accredited investors, entrepreneurs, and those who support them.

The5191裸聊视频檚 first $9-million, sector-agnostic fund closed earlier this year, with 90 per cent of the investment dollars coming from private women91裸聊视频檚 capital. Fairburn 91裸聊视频� a former executive vice-president at Cenovus Energy Inc. who sits on the boards of several prominent energy companies and technology firms 91裸聊视频� said that91裸聊视频檚 nearly unheard of in Canada, and yet there91裸聊视频檚 no good reason that should be the case.

She points to investment industry statistics that say that by 2030, 65 per cent of Canada91裸聊视频檚 wealth will be in the hands of women. Yet women remain under-represented at venture capital firms, around corporate boardroom tables, and within the startup investment space.

91裸聊视频淲hat we hear from a lot of our investors 91裸聊视频� and we have some incredibly qualified women 91裸聊视频� is they91裸聊视频檒l say `yeah, my husband gets invited to get involved with these emerging companies 91裸聊视频� but I91裸聊视频檓 not even invited to be at the table,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Fairburn said.

The response to The5191裸聊视频檚 first fund was so enthusiastic (the founders met with 300 female-led companies seeking funding) that it is now actively seeking investors for its second fund, which will focus specifically on women-led and diverse businesses in the food and agricultural technology space.

The decision to focus in on agriculture and food was made because of what The5191裸聊视频檚 founders believe is an 91裸聊视频渦nprecedented economic opportunity91裸聊视频� in the space. The agriculture industry generated $143 billion and accounted for 7.4 per cent of Canada91裸聊视频檚 GDP in 2018, according to Statistics Canada. And with global population growth and climate change pushing the issue of food security to the forefront, the industry is only expected to grow 91裸聊视频� with the projected market size for food and Ag Tech globally expected to reach US$8 trillion by 2025.

In addition, the face of agriculture is changing. Statistics Canada says nearly one in three farm operators between the ages of 35 and 54 are women. And in the Agri-food technology space, female entrepreneurs are working on everything from the way food is grown and harvested, to the development of plant-based proteins, to blockchain and traceability innovations.

Yet according to the Silicon Valley-based venture capital platform AgFunder, only seven per cent of agri-food tech deals went to women-founded teams in 2018. And a 2015 study from the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council found that 95 per cent of women in agriculture felt 91裸聊视频渟ignificant barriers to their success.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭he sector91裸聊视频檚 diversifying quickly, the capital isn91裸聊视频檛. So we are trying to provide that diversity of capital,91裸聊视频� said Kuipers, who has founded several companies herself and calls herself a 91裸聊视频渟erial private investor.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e really trying to find those founders who are really being innovative in this sector, and not receiving funding 91裸聊视频� and go there.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淔undraising is really challenging for everyone, and there91裸聊视频檚 no doubt that women face another form of challenge that maybe male entrepreneurs don91裸聊视频檛 have to face,91裸聊视频� said Bethany Deshpande, founder of SomaDetect, a Halifax-based agritech company that benefited from an investment from The5191裸聊视频檚 first fund. 91裸聊视频淭he dairy industry is not known for its diversity, for example.91裸聊视频�

SomaDetect uses optical sensors, artificial intelligence and deep learning to monitor herd health and milk quality on dairy farms. It91裸聊视频檚 just one example of the kind of cutting-edge work female founders are doing in the agritech space. And it91裸聊视频檚 the kind of work that women investors 91裸聊视频� with their money, but also their intellectual capital and networks 91裸聊视频� want to be part of, Kuipers said.

91裸聊视频淥n the investor side, what we91裸聊视频檙e consistently hearing from women is, 91裸聊视频楾here91裸聊视频檚 a place I can activate my capital, in a way that is meaningful to me,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Kuipers said. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e saying, 91裸聊视频楩inally. Thank you.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

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