Entrepreneurs participate in a panel discussion at a pre-opening reception for Visa Canada’s “The Art of Entrepreneurship” exhibit. Photos courtesy Visa Canada/Jenna Hum

When Visa Canada launched its “She’s Next” grant initiative for women entrepreneurs in 2019, it had intended the program to be “very in-person and connective,” according to Heather Nobes, head of marketing for the financial services company. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the vision for the program was adjusted.

Four years and more than 40 recipients later, She’s Next has finally realized that initial vision, hosting an experiential pop-up, “The Art of Entrepreneurship” exhibit, at Stackt Market on Wednesday. The pop-up is part of a broader, community-oriented strategy for the initiative that also ladders up to Visa’s grander ambitions for small business in Canada.

“On a macro level, Visa is on a mission to connect the world through payments. Empowering woman entrepreneurs is one of our business imperatives,” Nobes explains. “So we’ve been very thoughtful about how we’re trying to stand up our macro plans in individual events.”

The exhibit showcases the most recent recipients of the She’s Next grants. Before its opening to the public, the company hosted a private reception for its program alumni, as well as financial partners and other stakeholders. That reception featured moderator Sasha Exeter, a popular content creator, as well as businesswomen in other key roles at the event, such as photographers and DJs.

“We were purposeful in hiring women who have their own small businesses,” Nobes says. “We were very purposeful about creating opportunities because we know how important that is to woman-led businesses.”

Along with the panel discussion, which enabled the attendees to learn from female entrepreneurs how they advanced their own businesses while emphasizing the importance of woman-owned enterprises, Visa also used the event as an opportunity to connect its grant recipients with each other and with mentors whom they had already been interacting with digitally.

“People who had only seen each other on Zoom calls finally had the chance to meet, and people were making plans to connect again beyond the event,” Nobes says. “There are so many women in similar category verticals who I think can learn a lot from each other and welcome the opportunity.”