The Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development and the Centre for Women in Business help companies led by women, newcomers, rural entrepreneurs flourish

“Inclusion and diversity are the building blocks of strong, resilient communities. By supporting businesses owned by under-represented groups, organizations like the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development and the Centre for Women in Business are helping to create jobs and grow a thriving economy that benefits all Canadians."
- Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for ACOA

“The federal government has committed to doubling the number of women entrepreneurs and founders by 2025. Programs offered by CEED and the Centre for Women in Business are tackling barriers faced by women when starting, growing and scaling their companies, and helping to ensure they are part of the supply chain.”
- The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West

“For the last 30 years, CEED has been working toward our goal of a more prosperous and entrepreneurial Nova Scotia. Entrepreneurs break barriers and when they succeed, it benefits us all, so there should not be any barriers to entrepreneurship. The funding announced today has enabled us to extend our services throughout Nova Scotia, and build inclusive programming, in conjunction with our entrepreneurship ecosystem partners, that turn the dreams of entrepreneurs into benefits for all Nova Scotians.”
- Craig MacMullin, President and CEO, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Education & Development (CEED)

“Through these contributions, the Centre for Women in Business has been able to directly connect with more female entrepreneurs, and in turn connect them with access to capital, supplier diversity chains, and advisory services to support the growth of their businesses.”
- Nora Perry, Business Advisor, Growth, Centre for Women in Business (CWB)

“People often think about the core concept or idea of a new business as being key to success or failure. But the skills required to navigate the business world as a whole are equally important. The experts at CEED and Ignite selflessly helped me enter entrepreneurship with confidence and success.”
- Ashley Hickey, Chief Technical Officer, Enzebra

• The Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Development began in 1993 as a division of the Nova Scotia Department of Education. In 2002, CEED became a not-for-profit organization. Sixty-seven per cent of its clients are women. CEED provides advisory services, startup financing and venture development programming to assist entrepreneurs in building their businesses.

• CWB’s Atlantic Mentorship Program is a training program with Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada). Since the beginning of the program, the number of certified Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia has doubled.

• The Mentorship Program has three virtual cohorts with 10 participants each. The first cohort, which is in its final month, has participants from Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Participants have signed meaningful contracts, hired staff and begun to offer new products and service lines. Cohort number two began in February and cohort number three, which begins in September 2023, is now recruiting.

• Twenty women business owners in Nova Scotia were selected for the Growth Incentive Funding Solution (GIFS), a pilot non-repayable microloan program. Participants include business owners working in tourism, agri-food, creative industries, retail, and consulting services. They are a diverse group of entrepreneurs including Black, Indigenous, newcomers, rural residents, women in trades and women with a disability.

• The funding announced today is provided through ACOA’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program.

Associated links

• CEED
• CWB
• Partnering to Build Capacity: Atlantic Canada Mentorship Program 2022-2023 – Centre for Women in Business
• Enzebra
• Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program

Marianne Blondin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Official Languages and of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Marianne.Blondin@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

Lauren Sinclair
Director of Communications
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
782-641-6365
Lauren.Sinclair@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

Priyanka Kakkar
Senior Manager, Communications & Engagement CEED
902-536-3597 (cell)
pkakkar@ceed.ca

Jennifer Robeson
Communications Officer
CWB
902-209-6493
Jennifer.Robeson@msvu.ca

Ashley Hickey
Chief Technical Officer
Enzebra
902-814-0466   
ashley@enzebra.com

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