Invest Ottawa’s Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) is hosting a 5 a 7 in honour of International Women’s Month (IWM) at Bayview Yards with a special guest.

Join us for an evening with a seasoned social entrepreneur, Jenn Harper, who built a highly successful e-commerce cosmetic business. Cut through the fluff and gain practical and actionable insights into the strategies that helped drive her business triumph.

This is more than your average networking event – it’s an opportunity to learn, connect, and discuss the real challenges and victories in the world of e-commerce.

Along with many opportunities for casual networking, enjoy a laid-back atmosphere – complete with refreshments ranging from wine and beer to non-alcoholic drinks accompanied by delicious appetizers.

Let’s skip the clichés and focus on genuine conversations, practical takeaways, and the chance to build real connections that matter.

The Agenda

5:00 PM – Networking at Bayview Yards

5:30 PM – Welcome from Paula Hopkins, Director of Entrepreneurship at Invest Ottawa (Live Stream Stream Starts)

5:40 PM – Keynote Fireside Chat with Jenn Harper, Founder & CEO, Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics Inc. and Komal Minhas, CEO & Founder, Karseva

Jenn Harper is an award-winning social entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC. Cheekbone Beauty is a digitally native direct-to-consumer brand that is helping Indigenous youth see themselves in a beauty brand while using the concept of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) in the brands’ ethos and in developing products. Creating a new segment in the beauty industry – Sustainable Socially Conscious Beauty.

Komal Minhas is a contributor for Fortune magazine and CTV News and the founder of Karseva; a company focused on building individual, economic, and societal resilience through advisory, media production, and investing. She curates powerful experiences and conversations as an interviewer, business strategist, resilience educator, and investor and was named to Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100 list for this work.

As an interviewer, she has been in conversation with Michelle Obama, Glennon Doyle, Rupi Kaur, Angela Duckworth, and more. As a business strategist and resilience educator, Komal supports the leaders behind the brands, companies, and organizations you love to scale their revenue, impact, and protect their well-being as they work to transform the systems we live in.

6:25 PM – Closing Remarks (Live Stream Stream Stops)

6:30 PM – Networking

Refreshments will be served in the RBC Foundry of Bayview Yards.

#IWM2024 #InspireInclusion

Special Thank You

We are incredibly grateful to the BDC Capital’s Thrive Venture Fund for their generous support as our title sponsor for IWM 2024 and their unwavering commitment to our shared goals and community.

Important Event Details to Ensure a Great Experience for You

If you are joining us in person, we are delighted to share the following information on transportation to our innovation hub and the support available upon your arrival.

• Cycling: Located beside the Ottawa River Pathway and many other routes, Bayview Yards is easily accessible via bicycle. We offer ample bike racks at the front and back of our building throughout all seasons.
• Parking: 50 spaces along Bayview Station Road offer 2 hours of free parking, and 27 spaces along Stonehurst and Burnside offer 1 hour of free parking.
• Transit: Bayview Yards is 600m away from Bayview Station, which serves multiple routes. It is also the O-Train stop.
• Driving: 50 spaces along Bayview Station Road offer 2HR free parking, and 27 spaces along Stonehurst and Burnside offer 1HR free parking.
• Parking: Complimentary parking is available onsite.
• Inclusive & Accessible: Should you have any specific mobility requirements, please contact Audrey Willsey at [email protected]. Our team will be pleased to work with you to make all the arrangements required for a great experience.

Registration

If you’re an aspiring or current small business owner who wants to build or expand your business through online sales, this is the place to be on March 26, 2024. Join us at Bayview Yards or stream the event online (you get the ticket; we will provide the link!). All are welcome, and it’s all free.

By registering for this event, you accept that:

• You may be photographed or video recorded as we capture special moments during this event and share memories with our community via our website and social media.
• You will receive event-related emails and an invitation to subscribe to our mailing list.

REGISTER NOW