If you are a self-identified woman or non-binary entrepreneur from an underrepresented group, and want to give your business a serious boost, you should definitely apply to be featured in the Startup & Slay digital series, sponsored by CIBC, with partner Rogers Sports & Media.

Created by Emily Mills, founder of How She Hustles, Startup & Slay began as an event series in Toronto to provide a platform for diverse women entrepreneurs to amplify their lived experiences, share their business expertise with others and help to nurture a peer-community. Those objectives remain true, but the series has grown significantly.

Entrepreneurs selected will receive national media exposure, small business consultation, network expansion, deepened connections with other entrepreneurs, and much more. Being part of the Startup & Slay series is a game changer, and can be the opportunity that takes your business to the next level.

“In 2018, I chose to leave my corporate communications job and became a full-time entrepreneur – I wanted to keep building How She Hustles into a leading network for diverse women in Canada through events and digital content. I attended start-up events that had great information but didn’t offer the diverse and inclusive community I was also seeking as a woman of colour, so I created Startup & Slay to meet that need,” says Mills.

From Luna Float, a therapeutic float business in Chilliwack BC to Beam, a gaming company in downtown Toronto, the range of companies featured last year was wonderfully unpredictable, and impressive. “These six entrepreneurs from British Columbia to Nova Scotia are still earning national press coverage as recently as last week!,” says Mills. “That tells me there is a need for us to keep changing the narrative about what an entrepreneur looks like in this country – and I hope Startup & Slay plays a pivotal role in that work.” 

You have until July 31 to apply. Put this on your to-do list today.