As the number of women entrepreneurs grows each year, there are always new and upcoming business leaders we can learn from for our entrepreneurial endeavours to inspire and shape our startup journey.
Despite 2020 being a rocky year, there are many women tech leaders emerging from the storm in 2021. Many are leading the way in solving problems with technology to help heal our world from the effects of the pandemic, lingering political tensions, and our current socioeconomic status. There is still a lot of work to do, but we would love to highlight some women in business that are at the forefront of change and innovation.
Let’s explore the top women in tech for 2021 in Canada:
Carol Leaman, CEO of Axonify
Carol Leaman is the president and CEO of Axonify based in Waterloo, Ontario. Axonify is a learning solution that is used by frontline workers. This modern solution enables employees at 160 companies in 150+ countries to learn critical information for their jobs in a fun, fast and personalized manner. The company’s goal is to improve employees’ on-the-job performance, on-boarding process, communications, compliance and ongoing development– to name a few. Axonify is reinventing the way people perceive learning systems and makes it easier for companies to provide adequate and quality training that works.
Leaman received the Sarah Kirke Award 2010 and Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Intrepid Award 2011 and the Profit500 Award which is given to Canada’s Leading Female Entrepreneur 2017.
If you want to learn more about Axonify, check out their website here: https://axonify.com/
Evelyn Allen, CEO of Evercloak
Evelyn Allen is the founder and CEO of Evercloak based in Waterloo, Ontario. Evercloak is a patented technology that manufactures continuous coating of single layer nanomaterials over large areas in an economical and energy efficient process. Large area films from monomolecular layers are currently not obtainable to manufacture in any other way and are solving some of the world’s most vital environmental challenges by taking advantage of the growing demand for low-cost manufacturing solutions. The wide range of applications for the films include smart packaging, energy storage, electronic devices, corrosion inhibitors, and membranes.
Allen was a finalist in NRCan/MaRS Women in Cleantech, fixing $800,000 of support for their startup and an opportunity to win a $1M investment. Also, Evercloak won the Ontario Power Generation Ignite Pitch competitions worth $25,000 (Environmental and Electrification Category).
Learn more about the company and their progress in Allan’s LinkedIn article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evercloak-accepted-prestigious-nyc-clean-tech-evelyn-allen/?trackingId=V9b3MzjzSzqThQuoecU4sA%3D%3D
Sage Franch, Co-Founder and CTO of Crescendo
Sage Franch is the Co-Founder and CTO of Crescendo, based in Toronto, Ontario. Crescendo is an application that integrates directly with communication apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams to engage employees with bite-sized content that is delivered to each user on a weekly basis. The embedded content consists of helpful videos and short-form articles talking about diversity and inclusion which teaches employees to become more collaborative with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds within their organizations.
Sage takes time to be an active mentor to early-stage startups and early-career developers, and documents her entrepreneurial experiences on her blog www.trendytechie.ca.
If your startup is interested in what Crescendo has to offer, please visit their website here: https://crescendowork.com/.
Jodie Morgan, CEO of GreenMantra
Jodie Morgan is the CEO of GreenMantra based in Brantford, Ontario. GreenMantra is a clean technology company that manufactures polymer additives and synthetic waxes by upcycling post-consumer and post-industrial recycled plastics. These products are then reused for industrial purposes and applications which creates a sustainable circular economy where plastics are repurposed instead of being put into landfills. Many of the additives are found in asphalt roofing, asphalt roads, polymer processing, and plastic composites which reduces costs, improves manufacturing efficiencies and product performances for businesses, and benefits the environment as well.
Morgan has been awarded as the Women in Impact Winner for 2021, and GreenMantra was recognized by the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) in the Innovator category and was awarded in 2018 as the fastest-growing companies by Growth 500.
If you want to read more about Morgan’s successes through the various companies she has grown throughout the years, review her bio here: https://greenmantra.com/our-team/.
Key Takeaway
No matter what stage your business is in, there is always an opportunity to learn from female entrepreneurs in Canada that are following their passions and solving some of the world’s most pressing problems. Each companies’ advancements are shaping our future and creating a positive change. We are all a piece of the puzzle.
We love to find new inspiring women to share with you, check back to our blog frequently to ensure you never miss a beat!
Did you get the chance to meet our 2020-21 cohort for this year’s ScaleCamp with the help of our knowledge partner Accenture?
Take a look here: https://ciaccelerate.com/introducing-the-ciap-2020-21-cohort/