Asper School of Business

Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub - Manitoba

The Asper School of Business is home to the Manitoba Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), a national network and accessible digital platform for sharing research, resources and leading strategies.

Who we are

With nine regional hubs and a network of more than 75 partners, WEKH is designed to address the needs of diverse women entrepreneurs across regions and across sectors. WEKH’s advanced technology platform, powered by Magnet, will enhance the capacity of women entrepreneurs and the organizations who serve them by linking them to resources and best practices from across the country.

With the support of the Government of Canada, WEKH will spread its expertise from coast to coast, enabling service providers, academics, government, and industry to enhance their support for women entrepreneurs. Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute, in collaboration with Ryerson’s Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship and the Ted Rogers School of Management, is leading a team of researchers, business support organizations and key stakeholders to create a more inclusive and supportive environment to grow women’s entrepreneurship in Canada.

Three women standing at the front of a classroom, one appears to be talking to the audience (not visible).

Strategy and network

As part of the Government of Canada’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, the network will:

Benchmark and report on the progress of women entrepreneurs in Canada.
Collect, analyze and disseminate research.
Assess and share best practices and knowledge on how to advance women entrepreneurs.
Engage women business support organizations across the country and provide a platform to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and connect women entrepreneurs to resources.
Support the implementation of more inclusive policies, programs, and practices across the innovation ecosystem.
Challenge stereotypes and build awareness of women’s entrepreneurial success.

The State of Women’s Entrepreneurship Report

The State of Women’s Entrepreneurship (SOWE) annual report is a go-to resource for the most complete picture of research on women’s entrepreneurship in Canada.

The report provides valuable insights and recommendations for policymakers, business leaders and other stakeholders on how to support women entrepreneurs.

We can drive economic growth, create jobs and build more inclusive societies by supporting women entrepreneurs.

Want to learn more about the barriers, enablers and progress in women’s entrepreneurship? These and many more essential insights—and proposed solutions—can be found in SOWE2023.
- To read the complete report, please visit WEKH website.

50 %

of all businesses started today are started by women
18 %

of all businesses are majority owned by women in Canada — with more than 99% of these small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
988,400

women in Canada were self-employed in 2022
100,000

businesses in Canada owned by people who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, contributing more than $22 billion in economic activity