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Vegan food producer ordered to drop the word ‘cheese’ from its marketing
Blue Heron, a small vegan cheese shop in Vancouver, has been told by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that it must stop using the word “cheese” to market its products. Story
Supporting female entrepreneurs begins with putting business sense before bias
Fundraising isn’t easy for anyone, but it can be especially challenging for women. Most gender equality studies focusing on fundraising indicate that female entrepreneurs struggle to obtain equal access to finance compared with men. And, to top it off, the cheques written to female founders tend to be smaller; the average deal size for female-led companies in 2017 was just over $5-million while, for male-led organizations, it was just shy of $12 million. Story
For small businesses, gaining media coverage takes a deft touch
Getting attention for your business in the media – television, newspapers and Web publications – is the stuff of entrepreneurial dreams. But what does it take? Story
iNovia raises $600-million for two new funds
iNovia Capital has raised one of the only private-sector funds in Canada geared toward making large investments in fast-growing “scale-up” technology firms, a move hailed as a significant step for Canada’s flourishing tech sector. Story
Toronto startup Peraso takes bold step in wireless market with US$42-million raised in VC deal
A Toronto startup looking to challenge computer chip giants Qualcomm Inc. and Intel Corp. in the wireless market has raised US$42-million in a venture capital deal. Story
Mojio raises US$40-million in latest round of financing
Mojio Inc., a startup founded in Vancouver that makes wireless technology for cars, has raised US$40-million in series B financing, close to double the money it had originally attracted in the round. Story
WHAT WE’RE READING ELSEWHERE
Whitehorse tech startup gets ‘big deal’ business mentorship in Toronto
A Whitehorse startup company has been chosen as one of 10 companies to participate in Techstars Toronto Accelerator — a business mentorship program that also equips companies with $120,000. CBC
Pollock’s Hardware co-op members vote to keep Winnipeg institution open
Pollock’s Hardware has dodged another bullet. Members of the 97-year-old Winnipeg hardware store voted Saturday to reject the co-op board’s recommendation to shut down the business over financial woes. CBC
Local governments working to attract immigrant entrepreneurs
Local governments on the Sunshine Coast are working with their economic development agency to attract new entrepreneurs to the community through the Entrepreneur Immigration-Regional Pilot. Coast Reporter
Jason Kenney floats idea of lower minimum wages for young workers and alcohol servers
United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney is looking at the possibility of separate wage rates for youth and alcohol servers should his party form government in the upcoming provincial election, although labour advocates suggest the idea is misguided. The Star
Sarah Efron