BDC and Compagnie F are proud to present Women's Entrepreneurship Day - Les industries technologiques: les femmes prennent leur place! (The technology sector: women take their place)

MONTREAL, April 18, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Compagnie F, a non-profit organization dedicated to women's entrepreneurship, are proud to present another edition to mark Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED) that will take place on Thursday, April 28, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 1550 Metcalfe Street in Montreal.

This 8^th annual edition will focus on women's entrepreneurship in the field of technology. These innovative industries that belong to very varied sectors, including IT, transportation, biotechnologies, video games, green energy sources, etc., are playing an ever-increasing role in our economy. However, women are not very prominent players in technology industries (accounting for less than 10%, according to recent studies). 

In the course of this day-long forum, we will try to gain a better understanding of this situation and to identify courses of action that could inspire women to take up the business opportunities offered in technology industries. To support us in this initiative, we have brought together researchers, women entrepreneurs and various organizations that are ready to provide concrete support to women's entrepreneurship.

BDC, the proud sponsor of this event, believes that women entrepreneurs represent an important economic force and an ebullient market in Canada. Nevertheless, SMEs owned by women earn less than half of the revenue of comparable businesses owned by men, according to data from BDC client companies.

If women entrepreneurs are faced with such a gap in earnings, it is due, in part, to their reluctance to borrow money for expansion and to their risk-averse approach to their businesses. According to Statistics Canada, SMEs belonging to women are less likely to seek financing than are SMEs owned by men.

Some questions

• What are the obstacles to success for women in technology industries? Where do these obstacles come from?
• What are the challenges and opportunities offered to women?
• How can this industry be transformed so that women can integrate more easily?
• Can women change the development of the technology sector, or give it a different orientation?

Guest speakers

• Isabelle Bettez: President and CEO of 8D Technologies, a leader in the field of intelligent wireless communications solutions.
• Monique Chartrand, CEO of Communautique, a hub dedicated to learning, collaboration, research and experimentation in social and technological innovation.
• Noémie Dupuy: founder and Co-president of Budge Studios, created in 2010 and now a world leader in smart phone and tablet applications for children.
• Lisa Fecteau: Cofounder and CEO of Régitex, a company specialized in the development and production of high-tech yarns used in a number of industrial sectors.
• Mathilde Gosselin: President and founder of Materium, a company that has developed a diversified range of advanced materials using hollow silica and graphene microspheres.

About Compagnie F

The first Montreal-based organization dedicated to women's entrepreneurship, Compagnie F has developed expertise in training, consulting, and financing, taking into account women's values, from the creation phase into the growth phase of their businesses. With a focus on women of all ages and nationalities, Compagnie F is the instigator of projects and approaches that aim to support women in their entrepreneurial careers.

Compagnie F is a unique and inclusive resource that has enabled more than 3,000 women to create and develop their businesses and give a new orientation to their careers, thanks to the right kind of support at the right time. It is also networks in a complementary way with other organizations to give women access to the appropriate services.

About BDC

We are the only bank that invests exclusively in entrepreneurs. With more than 100 business centres and over 32,000 clients, it offers loans, investments and advisory services. BDC's purpose is to support Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. To learn more, visit www.bdc.ca.

SOURCE Business Development Bank of Canada

Source: Compagnie F, Media contact: Nadine Pirotte, CEO of Compagnie F, [email protected], Tel.: [phone] ext. 211; Maria Constantinescu, Public relations, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), [email protected], 1-844-625-8321