(TORONTO, ONTARIO — March 8, 2022) A group of Canadian women in technology have launched Phoenix Fire, an angel stage investment fund with a systematic approach to investing in women entrepreneurs across Canada. The fund will invest $100K to $250K in early-stage technology start-ups with high-growth potential and the ability to scale globally. Phoenix Fire is powered by Archangel Network, which launched in 2020 with a first close of $10 million.
The women of Phoenix Fire, also known as “The Firehood™” consists of over a dozen women with diverse backgrounds, mostly in technology. Founding members include Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, Founder and CEO of Profound Impact.
Happy Women’s History Month! March is a time to celebrate the countless women who have made significant contributions to our society. This year, we’re honouring women in a month-long celebration who #BreakTheBias and have a Profound Impact™ on communities globally. From scientists and entrepreneurs to artists and activists, women have broken barriers to inspire the next generation of leaders and prove that the possibilities are limitless.
The first event of this month-long celebration was held on March 1, 2022, in collaboration with the Women in Communications and Technology Waterloo Region (WCT-WR) and 15 other organizations from across the Waterloo Region including Perimeter Institute, Vidyard and OpenText. This event was hosted on WCT-WR’s Women Empowering Women’s Digital Community powered by Profound Impact. Highlighting this year’s theme – #BreakTheBias, the opening event featured several esteemed speakers: Bardish Chagger, MP Waterloo, Jean Becker, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations, University of Waterloo; Deborah MacLatchy, President, Wilfrid Laurier University; Madhu Ranganathan, EVP, CFO, OpenText and Kate Paul, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, Bruce Power on how they have overcome bias in their respective industries.
Don’t worry if you missed the March 1st event (watch the recording here!); the second will be on March 8th, International Women’s Day, beginning at 12:00 PM EST (register here). Last year’s successful online event drew nearly 400 participants from all across Waterloo Region and demonstrated how virtual gatherings can be a powerful tool for learning and connecting people.
We will conclude the month-long celebration with an event on March 22nd, beginning at 12:00 PM EST (register here) with a conversation about a topic that is extremely important to me – Angel Investing and Early Stage Funding for Women Owned/Founded Businesses . To discover more about these upcoming events, discussion subjects, and panelists, I encourage you to visit the Women Empowering Women platform for the most recent information. To further participate in the discussion and share your impact, register on the platform here.
Our March Impact Story highlights a woman who is breaking barriers for women in the world of crypto, Web3 and NFTs — Janelle Hraiki Chalouhi, Co-Founder of Venuseverse. Please continue to read the rest of our Profound Connections newsletter to learn more about the first Canadian female-founded, female-focused educational program, incubator and NFT collection as well as how Janelle is using this opportunity to help women increase their digital financial literacy.
Welcome to our February edition of Profound Connections!
Our team at Profound Impact™ has been busy working on our upcoming webinar in partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University. I’m pleased to let you know that on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 12:00 pm EST, we will be hosting our first Profound Insights webinar of 2022: ‘How to Effectively Communicate and Match Research Funding Opportunities’.
Towards the end of 2021, our team partnered with Wilfrid Laurier University and their research department to better understand how Research Service Offices (RSO) across Canada communicate grant opportunities, partnerships and research policies. Searching for insight into how research across Canada is conducted effectively, we surveyed 23+ universities and research institutions and received 40 responses from across the country!
Our upcoming webinar will be able to provide insights into how RSOs can more effectively communicate and match research funding opportunities. Moderated by our very own Sherryl Petricevic, Account Executive, we will be discussing the findings of our Research Matching Survey and highlighting key takeaways from the report with our panellists Dr. Jonathan Newman, Vice President of Research, Wilfrid Laurier University, Shawna Reibling, Knowledge Mobilization Officer, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Rob Darling, Strategic Advisor, Profound Impact.
Know someone who might be interested? Please invite them to attend and RSVP through our registration page here. Webinar attendees will be provided with a free copy of the final Research Matching Survey report.
Thank you for your ongoing support, and I look forward to seeing you all on February 22nd for our first Profound Insights webinar of the year. Additionally, our team, in partnership with WCT Waterloo Region, looks forward to hosting you for a series of virtual events held exclusively on our Profound Impact platform throughout the month of March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022: #BreakTheBias and the women in our Waterloo Region community. For more information, read on and check out the IWD 2022 WR webpage hosted on WCT WR’s Women Empowering Women Digital Community to stay up to date with all of the latest information about panelists, conversation topics and entertainment.
FROM THE RELEASE: To make an even greater impact in gender equity, the founders of Venusverse are collaborating with Profound Impact™ Corporation and CivicAction, to build a community where women are empowered with the knowledge required to advance successfully in the next-generation wealth economy. In true community-building fashion, Chalouhi will join Profound Impact Corporation as an advisor in partnership engagement. Profound Impact is a Toronto-Waterloo innovation corridor-based startup that helps education, research and social impact community organizations leverage data to measure program impact, tell their stories and inform strategies.
“Our collaboration with Venusverse aligns perfectly with our long-term stakeholder engagement strategy,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, founder and CEO of Profound Impact Corporation. “Venusverse will use Profound Impact’s business intelligence and engagement tools to measure the increased involvement of women in NFT, Web3 and crypto. Our shared goal is to measure the global impact of connecting great people to do great work in these growing fields.”
Happy New Year and welcome to the first 2022 edition of Profound Connections!
I hope that you all had a restful holiday season. With a new year underway, the team here at Profound Impact™ can’t wait to share with you what we have planned for 2022 but before we do that…let’s look back at 2021.
To close out 2021, our team launched a new initiative: 12 Days of Impact, designed to encourage people and organizations to contribute their time, resources and talents to help address local challenges. Our 12 Days of Impact calendar outlined daily challenges that focused on spreading the giving spirit during the holiday season. Not only did our team members at Profound Impact contribute to these daily challenges, but as an organization, we took it one step further.
Through our efforts, we were able to give back to organizations doing vital work in our greater community. Additionally, based on the social media engagement and votes of our followers, Profound Impact was able to support Actua, Canada’s largest STEM outreach organization. Profound Impact’s contribution will support the delivery of impactful hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experience to youth across Canada. Many youth including Indigenous youth, girls, and at-risk youth face barriers that prevent access to education opportunities. Through Actua’s national inclusion and diversity programs, they are hard at work to remove these barriers.
Now on to 2022…coming in March is International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 with the theme #BreakTheBias. We are thrilled to once again be working with the Women in Communications and Technology Waterloo Region Chapter (WCT WR) and 18 other organizations representing this vibrant community to present during the month of March several IWD 2022 events and amplify over 10 other events in celebration of women in the Waterloo Region.
For more information on this event and additional exciting news from our team, read on and enjoy this edition of Profound Connections!
Happy holidays and welcome to the December edition of Profound Connections!
I hope that you all have enjoyed being a part of the Profound Impact™ community this year and have benefitted from our regular Profound Connections newsletters.
The season of giving has arrived — and with it, we are reminded of the importance of giving back to our local communities. This is an opportunity for all of us — whether it be through donating our time, in-kind items or funds — to give back to those in need. Our team believes deeply that encouraging small acts of generosity can have big impacts on those who experience undue hardship. Read on to learn more about how we have chosen to make an impact this giving season.
Building on the global #GivingTuesday movement, we launched Profound Impact’s 12 Days of Impact campaign on November 30, designed to encourage people and organizations to contribute their time, resources and talents to help address local challenges. For the last 12 week days, our team has committed to daily challenges that focus on spreading the giving spirit.
Further, our team has been running a special 12 Days of Impact giveaway on our social channels. For every entry (like, comment, share or follow) that our 12 Days of Impact Instagram giveaway receives from November 30, 2021 – December 15, 2021, Profound Impact will commit a $1 donation to Actua Canada — Canada’s largest STEM outreach organization preparing youth to be innovators and leaders.
As our campaign wraps up later today, we will be announcing shortly the final amount that will be donated to Actua Canada as a result of our community’s engagement.
Before we draw 2021 to a close, we challenge you to do something that will make a difference in your community. Download our 12 Days of Impact calendar here and participate in our daily challenges at any point using the hashtag #12DaysOfImpact!
Thank you for your continued engagement and your ongoing support. From our team to yours, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season.
Welcome to the November edition of Profound Connections.
The past few weeks have been an exciting time for our team at Profound Impact™.
We are proud to announce that our very own Sohail Ramzan, Technical Program Manager, was selected as the Toronto Region’s Best Tech Manager for the 7th annual Timmy Awards. Sohail’s contributions to Profound Impact have been immeasurable and we are thrilled that his talent and leadership are being recognized through this prestigious awards program. Congratulations, Sohail!
In addition, Sherryl Petricevic, our Business Development Consultant at Profound Impact has been named a recipient of the 2021 Leading Women, Leading Girls — Building Communities Recognition Award from MPP Laura Mae Lindo. This recognition program acknowledges and celebrates women-identified Kitchener Centre residents who have demonstrated exceptional leadership to improve the lives of others and who have made substantial contributions to the community.
Also new this month — I am thrilled to have been elected to CANARIE’s Board of Directors. It’s an honour to be joining such an esteemed group of professionals, all of which bring unparalleled expertise in technology, innovation, finance and academia. More on these announcements below!
This week is an exciting one as we celebrate National STEM Day (November 8) and Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 8-14). Here we are, 20 months since COVID-19 emerged, and we are working harder than ever to reboot our economies for a better, more sustainable and equitable post-pandemic world. These two national and global events signify how we can be rethinking our approach to build back stronger and regenerate growth.
This past Monday, we had the opportunity to watch a special screening of the 3M produced documentary film “Not the Science Type” by the 3M Women’s Leadership Forum in celebration of National STEM Day. I invite you to watch the preview here. And don’t forget to check out the tens of thousands of activities, competitions and events hosted by millions of people all over the world in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Thank you for your continued engagement and support.
WATERLOO, ON | NOVEMBER 1, 2021 —Profound Impact™ Corporation, a Waterloo Region-based startup, is pleased to announce that its President and CEO, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone has been elected to CANARIE’s Board of Directors.
Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation that supports the evolution of Canada’s digital infrastructure. Together with its thirteen provincial and territorial partners, CANARIE forms the National Research and Education Network, enabling researchers, educators and innovators to leverage a range of advanced technologies to support a growing digital economy and catalyze innovation.
October 27, 2021 Q&A: Serial STEM entrepreneur Sherry Shannon-Vanstone on launching and scaling a social network. Here’s how she managed her business through the pandemic. Read the article online.
Welcome to the October edition of Profound Connections.
Celebrating Women of Impact
October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a month dedicated to celebrating the contributions of Canadian women in building the country we know today.
At Profound Impact™, we are celebrating the talented women who help to make up our exceptional team. We are proud to be a Canadian, woman-led company as we continue to connect great people to do great things.
This year’s theme for Women’s History Month — Women Making History Now — recognizes the women who are making a lasting impact for our country today — including addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and moving us forward on the path of reconciliation.
Our October Impact Story highlights Jean Becker, Senior Director of Indigenous Initiatives and Interim Associate Vice-President of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Waterloo. A woman of impact, indeed — read on for the full story!
How can you join in the celebration for Women’s History Month?
We will be using the hashtag #WomensHistoryMonth all month long to celebrate the significant contributions that women have made, and continue to make, in shaping our society. We invite you to join in the conversation and do the same.
You can nominate a woman of impact here. Women of Impact in Canada is an online gallery celebrating women’s achievements and contributions to Canadian society.
Do you have an Impact Story to share about a woman who has made a difference in your life? Reach out to us at connections@profoundimpact.com for a chance to have your story featured in an upcoming newsletter!
Women have long been trailblazers in creating a better, more inclusive, and equal Canada. Today and every day forward, we must support, uplift and celebrate the women changing our world for the better.
Thank you for your continued engagement and support.
