SVI Virtual

February 2025

What do investors, CEO’s, entrepreneurs and change-makers have in common?

SVI Virtual is a 2-day online program designed to support, uplift, and create space to collaborate towards eliminating barriers to equity and economic access for women and non-binary entrepreneurs. 

It is founded in the SVI model of peer-to-peer learning, vulnerability, and generosity, woven together with a somatics and arts-based facilitation.

 

Speakers

Hollyhock presenter, Vanessa Richards

Vanessa Richards

SVI & SVI Virtual Lead Facilitator
Director, vanessarichards.com

Meet Your Team

SVI Virtual is proudly shaped by an advisory circle of entrepreneurs and business leaders who are committed to convening, building access and opportunities for women-identifying business leaders, and dismantling oppression everywhere.

 

Hollyhock presenter, Vanessa Richards

Vanessa Richards

SVI & SVI Virtual Lead Facilitator
Director, vanessarichards.com
Practical Feet Advisors CEO, Pamela Chaloult

Pamela Chaloult

SVI & SVI Virtual Advisory Circle & SVI Virtual Co-Founder
Founder & CEO, Practical Feet Advisors
cynthia_billops

Cynthia Billops

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Direct Service, Director, ICA Fund

Maggie Chan

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Director, Tech Adoption Programs, InnovateBC

Melissa Allen

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Executive Director, League of Innovators

Carla Heim

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Director, Sustainability, BDC

Jackee Kasandy

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Founder | CEO, Black Entrepreneurs & Businesses of Canada Society
Alexia McKinnon smiling

Alexia McKinnon

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Director of Indigenous Programs, Beedie School of Business (SFU)
Brianne Miller headshot

Brianne Miller

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Director of Community & Regenerative Capital, Coralus
Kel Moody

Kel Moody

SVI Virtual Advisory Circle
Founder, Alluvium Gatherings
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SVI Virtual weaves together:

A happy student from the SVIW Virtual Hollyhock program sitting on the garden floor
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Story Telling

True Confessions We start each SVI with a True Confessions presentation because it helps create a safe environment for truth telling, and people usually learn the most from hearing other people’s stories (not from listening to a lot of theories that aren’t linked to real experiences).

Case Studies At SVI we will feature a case study of an entrepreneur who presents specific strategic challenge facing their business. Together a panel of experts, along with all attendees, will help provide invaluable insight, considerations and support. The Case Study model provides an opportunity for all attendees to strengthen their business acumen and learning while providing feedback and advice to a fellow business leader attendee. It’s a structured format with proven results.

Woman journaling at the Hollyhock Campus | Hollyhock
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Skill Building & Mentorship

Workshops 90 minute interactive skill-building workshops. Receive practical skills through the generous sharing of knowledge and expertise throughout our time together on topics like marketing, HR, finance, leadership, operations.

Peer Coaching We gather in small groups for these interactive problem solving sessions. Each person can share a challenge and receive loving peer reflection in a safe, intimate space with support from SVI leaders and experts.

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Community Building

Marketplace of Ideas Fast paced two-minute presentations allow SVI attendees to pitch an idea or make that ask for what you really need.

Entrepreneurship can feel isolating, especially in this unsettled world. The magic of SVI is in the people you meet. This is an inclusive cross-generational, cross-cultural, cross-sectorial gathering, designed to generate insights and real connection.

Agenda

Sample agenda from 2023, 2025 program agenda coming soon!

8:00 am
8:30 am
9:00 am
9:30 am
10:00 am
10:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
12:00 pm
12:30 pm
1:00 pm
1:30 pm
2:00 pm
2:30 pm
3:00 pm
3:30 pm
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
5:00 pm
5:30 pm
6:00 pm
6:30 pm
7:00 pm

Wednesday, June 14
Wednesday, June 14

Welcome to SVIW
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Welcome to SVIW!

At our opening circle we will set our intentions for the gathering, go over our agenda and community agreements, and connect for the first time. This session is available as a walk and talk, it will also be recorded and archived here following the session.

True Confessions Speaker: Chrystel Cornelius, Oweesta
2:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Chrystel Cornelius, President & CEO of the Oweesta Corporation, a national Native CDFI intermediary will be joining us as a True Confessions speaker!

Chrystel Cornelius Since the pandemic began Oweesta Corporation has raised $100 million dollars to support economic growth in Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native communities through the creation, development and capitalization of Community Development Financial Institutions. Chrystel has worked with Native communities the entirety of her professional career, with more than 26 years of direct experience working within the Native economic development field. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians located in North Dakota
 
Chrystel is also a founding steering committee member for the Native CDFI Network (NCN), a former board member of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), a current board member of the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) and holds the position of Board Chair for the Red Feather Development Group. She is a BALLE (Common Future) Fellow, Skoll Fellow, and recipient of the 27th Heinz Award for the Economy in 2022.

Closing Circle

Closing circle, reflections, and plans for tomorrow before breaking for the day.

Thursday, June 15
Thursday, June 15

MOVEMENT OR MEDITATION
8:00 am - 8:45 am
Morning movement or meditation to start your day with SVIW

Case Study: Megan Sheldon, Be Ceremonial
9:00 am - 10:45 am
Meet SVI Women Case Study presenter: Megan Sheldon of Be Ceremonial!

Megan Sheldon is the co-founder of Be Ceremonial, the world's first guided ceremony app and online community. Be Ceremonial inspires and empowers people to create their own ceremonies across the life cycle, with a focus on grief, loss and end of life. As a Cultural Mythologist, Secular Celebrant and End of Life Doula, Megan is also striving to change the cultural conversation around death and dying.
 
With a background in journalism and marketing, Megan ran a successful brand storytelling agency for 13 years. Her own experiences with grief and loss led her to explore the role of ritual in a secular society. She has since co-created hundreds of ceremonies for people around the world, exploring the essential elements of ceremony. These experiences led her to build Be Ceremonial with her husband, making these tools, techniques and rituals accessible to anyone wanting to acknowledge a time of change in their lives with intention and meaning.
 
About the Case Study format:
 
At SVIW we will feature two entrepreneurs chosen from our attendees that have identified a specific strategic challenge to a panel of experts, who along with all attendees, will help provide invaluable insight, considerations and support. The Case Study model provides an opportunity for all attendees to strengthen their business acumen and learning while providing feedback and advice to a fellow business leader attendee. It's a structured format with proven results.

Break

Take a quick movement and body break then rejoin us ready for a fast paced Marketplace of Ideas session!

Marketplace of Ideas
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Opportunity to take the mic for 60-90 seconds and make an ask, offer, or share about your work.

This is your opportunity to share in front of the entire group. These fast paced presentations allow you to share inspiring news about your business. This is your chance to pitch an idea or make that ask for what you really need. What have you come to SVIW to raise awareness about?

Lunch & Roundtables
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
Take a lunch break and join in peer led roundtables with fellow attendees.

Registered participants are invited to sign up to host a casual, unstructured conversation with your fellow participants. Whoever shows up for the conversation are the right people there, and people are welcome to pop in and out.

Workshops
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
90 minute interactive skill building workshops

The SVIW Producer team curates workshops so that we have a mix that includes a variety of skills (e.g. marketing, HR, finance, leadership, operations.) Please note that we continuously strive to uplift the voices and leaders from equity-denied communities and will prioritize submissions from these communities.

Some of our SVIW 2023 workshops include:

Breaking Cycles & Moving out of Survival Mode
Presenter: Amrita Ahuja, Groundwork

We’ve inherited a survival pattern from generations of being in survival mode. But the pathway to greater creativity, joy and productivity requires us to move out of survival mode and into more ease. When there is a lot at stake, how do we shift out of the vicious cycles that perpetuate our stress, overwhelm and worry?

What if we could get things done from a place that is not based on survival mode?

Join us in exploring and unlearning your survival pattern. Learn some new practices that help cultivate more well-being, clarity and joy. This workshop is a live discussion with a workshop component and Q&A session.

Financial Empowerment Workshop: Unlocking the Secrets to Thriving Business Finances
Presenter: Jacinthe Koddo, Koddo & Co. Consulting Inc.

In this interactive and empowering workshop, we will dive into the essential knowledge and skills needed to take control of your business finances. We will address the common challenges faced by small business owners when it comes to financial management, and equip you with practical knowledge and tools to navigate this crucial aspect of your business, enabling you to take control of your finances with confidence.

We will cover a wide range of topics, including bookkeeping, tax management, and business financial planning. Our focus is to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of these areas, breaking them down into digestible concepts that you can apply directly to your own business.

True Confessions: Caryl Levine with Konda Mason
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
True Confessions: Caryl Levine with Konda Mason

Presenter:Caryl Levine, Lotus Foods
Presenter:Konda Mason, Jubilee Justice

Facilitator: SVIW Production Team

Respondents: TBA


“It is not just a business — it is a moral imperative.” Caryl Levine, Lotus Foods
What happens when business is a moral imperative and force for good?

We are honoured that Caryl Levine is joining us to share her journey as co-founder and co-CEO of Lotus Foods as a True Confessions speaker in conversation with Konda Mason of Jubilee Justice.

Lotus Foods is one of the most innovative, organic and fair trade specialty rice brands in the country. Since 1995, along with husband Ken Lee, they have reshaped how Americans think about and eat rice. Their vision was to preserve the biodiversity of rice by partnering with small family rice farmers who were growing rice more sustainably, and by giving them access to a global marketplace at a fair-trade price.

Caryl was responsible for leading Lotus Foods’ marketing and sales, including the image and positioning of the Lotus Foods brand, the development of all packaging and merchandising materials, and new product development. Lotus Foods products have received many awards from the Specialty Food Association and Natural Products trade groups. Caryl holds a MPA in Public Administration from the University of Hartford.

Day Two Wrap Up and Closing
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Closing circle, reflections, and plans for day 3 before breaking for the day.

Friday, June 16
Friday, June 16

MOVEMENT OR MEDITATION
8:00 am - 8:45 am
Morning movement or meditation to start your day with SVIW

Case Study: Dominique Waters, Ziva Naseer
9:00 am - 10:45 am
Case Study: Dominique Waters, Ziva Naseer

Presenter:Dominique Waters, Ziva Naseer

Meet our SVI Women Case Study: Dominique Waters of Ziva Naseer!

At SVI Women we feature two entrepreneurs that have identified a specific strategic challenge to a panel of experts, who along with all attendees, will help provide invaluable insight, considerations and support. The Case Study model provides an opportunity for all attendees to strengthen their business acumen and learning while providing feedback and advice to a fellow business leader attendee. It's a structured format with proven results.

Dominique Waters is a trailblazing entrepreneur, founder, designer, and CEO of Ziva Naseer, a luxury brand that specializes in unique and one-of-a-kind mosaic handbags. With a passion for creativity and a keen eye for design, Dominique has turned her love for refurbishing vintage handbags into a thriving business that has gained attention from fashion lovers around the world.

Born and raised in San Mateo, CA, Dominique spent her early years traveling across Asia with her mother and sister before settling in Sacramento, CA. She holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from UC Davis and a masters in applied mathematics from Hampton University. In 2014, Dominique moved to Abu Dhabi where she worked as a professor of mathematics and engineering before launching Ziva Naseer.

Inspired by her love of travel and art, Dominique's handbags are designed to be an expression of wearable mosaic art. Each bag is meticulously crafted with exquisite detailing, beautiful symmetry, and luxurious lining, making them truly unique and special. Dominique's commitment to quality and craftsmanship has earned her a reputation as a leader in the luxury fashion industry.

As the CEO of Ziva Naseer, Dominique is dedicated to growing her brand and inspiring young creatives to pursue their passion for design. She aims to continue creating beautiful and innovative handbags while providing mentorship and encouragement to aspiring fashion entrepreneurs

Peer Coaching Circles
10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Share your challenge or problem and find real support

We gather in small groups for these interactive problem solving sessions. Each person can share a challenge and receive loving peer reflection in a safe, intimate space with support from SVIW leaders and experts.

Break

Take a quick movement and body break then rejoin us ready for peer coaching circles

Final Closing Circle
12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
Closing circle, reflections, and goodbyes before ending SVIW

Closing circle, reflections, and goodbyes before ending SVIW

Pricing

Social Venture Institute Women Virtual 2023

Tuition: (all prices are in CAD)

  • Generous $425
  • Standard $205
  • Subsidized $55
  • If the subsidized ticket is not accessible to you, please contact us at [email protected] for a fully subsidized ticket.

Our Partners

Thank you to our community partners for helping support, uplift, and work together to eliminate barriers to equity and economic access!

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Community Amplifiers

Thank you to our 2023 community amplifiers for helping support, uplift, and work together to eliminate barriers to equity and economic access!