What went down at the TL Insider x Women4ClimateTO Knowledge Lab

The Women4Climate Mentorship Program supports and empowers women working on climate issues to create a healthier, more sustainable and resilient future, by providing participants with networking, collaborative learning opportunities and a pitch competition. On Tuesday, February 23, TL Insider partnered with Women4ClimateTO on the program’s fourth and final Knowledge Lab, centred around building meaningful relationships in the start-up world. 

Kicking off the virtual event, Jason Maghanoy, head of business development at St. Joseph Media, shared a presentation on perfecting your pitch. The presentation spotlighted the importance of storytelling and understanding your competitors, and tips for identifying your first case study. Following the planning and execution of a perfect pitch, Jason raised the question of what comes next, before introducing the Thought Leadership Panel. 

Comprised of Fatima Zaidi, CEO and co-Founder of Quill Inc., Alex Gill, director of the Social Ventures Zone at Ryerson University, and Erin Bury, co-founder and CEO at Willful—the Thought Leadership Panel went into detail on how to transform a business idea into a successful enterprise. In using their own business experience as case studies, members of the panel shared important takeaways on fundraising, communication and even how to handle rejection. “I’m a big believer in the foundational process taking place early on” said Bury, who discussed the role that certain baseline starting points played in the success of Willful. “It made our business approach present that much more confidently.”

Later in the discussion, Alex outlined his bulletproof metaphor for building a confident and secure pitch. Fatima shared the partnerships that changed her business—highlighting the importance of building relationship capital. Audience members, which included the 12 participants in this year’s mentorship program, later engaged in a Q&A. The panel’s answers included tips on receiving grants and accessing digital tools, and some of their favourite business literature. 

Toronto is the 16th city and third city in Canada to launch a Women4Climate Mentorship Program. Click here to watch the recorded TL Insider event. To learn more about Women4ClimateTO, visit www.w4c.org.