Female Founders Panel: Got What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur?

We've invited a few fabulous female founders to give us the 411 on their entrepreneurship journey. We'll discuss the ups, the downs, the struggles, the victories and everything in between. If you've ever thought about launching your own startup - or just admire women who do - this event is for you!

Are we in a golden age of female entrepreneurship? What are the biggest struggles women face when launching their ventures? We'll answer this and much, much more...

Introducing our panelists:

Jen Lee Koss (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lee-koss-771a10) - Co-Founder & Builder of Business - Brika (https://brika.com/)

Jen is a Juilliard-trained cellist, a mother of three, and a graduate of Harvard University, Oxford University, and Harvard Business School.

She spent over a decade working in management, consulting, investment banking, and private equity before becoming the business lead at BRIKA, a creative community where you'll find exceptional artisan-made & designed gifts, accessories and home goods.

Nancy Peterson (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/nancypeterson) - Founder & CEO - HomeStars.com (https://homestars.com/)

Nancy founded HomeStars.com in 2006 to help homeowners find reputable home improvement professionals by sharing their experiences with fellow homeowners. Nancy created HomeStars because she found it so hard to find reliable contractors during her own home renovation. HomeStars was the first review site in Canada focused exclusively on home improvement and it has ‘raised the bar’ on the accountability and quality expected of contractors, repairmen, renovators, and retailers. HomeStars.com has become a successful private company that has been recognized for the past five years on two distinguished lists: The Profit 500 ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies and the W100 List of Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs.

Lily Tse (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lilytse) - Founder & CEO - Think Dirty (http://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/)

Lily is the Founder and CEO of Think Dirty, a mobile-first, social commerce platform that connects ingredient-conscious beauty shoppers to natural beauty brands. Think Dirty's mission is to make reading cosmetic and personal care product labels simple, easy and fun. Think Dirty is the winner of Mastercard Women Entrepreneurship Competition, MaRS JOLT Cohort 6, Digifest It's a Start Competition, Canadian Youth Business Foundation/Spin Masters Innovation Fund, Canadian Film Centre Media Lab IdeaBOOST and Launch Festival Demo pit scholarship."

Kelly Shaw (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kelly-shaw-8a255764) - CEO & President - Ooka Island (http://ookaisland.com/)

Kelly brings 20+ years experience in senior strategy, marketing, and technology development roles to Ooka Island. She successfully built and scaled a $10M business to a $182M digital business while an executive at Pearson. Kelly speaks at conferences as a leader in educational technology and is frequently consulted on innovation in learning and early education.