$100,000+ Prize Package
$100,000+ Prize Package
The Capital Elle Business Impact Award
The future of women's entrepreneurship won't be built by funding alone.
It will be built by access.
Women Own Nearly 40% of Canada's Small & Medium-Sized Businesses, Yet Only 2% Will Ever Surpass 7-Figures in Revenue!
That's not a talent problem. It's not an ambition problem. It's an access problem.
The distance between a founder's potential and her proximity to decision-makers, capital, strategic relationships, and acquisition opportunities determines how quickly, and how far, her business can grow.
We call it the access gap. And it's the reason so many exceptional women founders never reach the scale their businesses deserve.
2026 Key Dates
June 15: Award Partner Deadline
September 2: Applications Open
October 28: Applications Close
November 10: Finalists Announced
November 16: Finalist Videos Due
December 2: Winners Announced
The Largest Founder-Led
Business Impact Award
in North America
The 2026 Prize Package is $100,000!
We are carving a new path. This is a new model for helping women entrepreneurs build businesses with greater value, greater opportunity, and greater choice.
Built from lived experience rather than institutional policy, the award is designed to give women founders what they need most: access, opportunity, and momentum.
The 2026 Business Impact Award initiative would not be possible without the generous support of our 40+ incredible partners, showcased below:
2026 Award Partners
Who This Award is Created For
This award is designed for women entrepreneurs who know they're capable of more but have struggled to access the relationships, funding, or opportunities that move businesses to the next level.
It's for founders who have been overlooked by traditional funding systems, who have been told they're "too early," "too small," or "don't fit the criteria."
It's for women building businesses with vision, resilience, and the determination to create something that lasts.
The Capital Elle Business Impact Award is just one part of a bigger mission.
While the award bridges the access gap, the Elleiance Network helps founders bridge the value gap, the difference between what a business is worth today and what its owner wants it to be worth when it's time to sell.
Together, they help women build businesses that don't just generate income, but create wealth, opportunity, and lasting enterprise value.
Why We Created This Business Impact Award
Our Founder's Story
For 15 years, Erin Sisko worked as a commercial banker, helping businesses secure the financing they needed to grow. Every day, she reviewed business plans, assessed risk, and approved loans.
Looking back, one realization has stayed with her: almost every business she funded was owned by a man. At the time, she didn't question it. She assumed she was simply seeing the applications that came across her desk.
Then she became an entrepreneur herself.
When she applied for financing to grow her own business, she was asked to provide her husband's signature and use their matrimonial home as collateral. Despite spending her career evaluating businesses and understanding lending inside and out, she suddenly found herself on the other side of a system that wasn't designed with women founders in mind.
That experience changed everything.
Erin realized the greatest barrier facing women entrepreneurs isn't a lack of ambition, talent, or knowledge. It's a lack of access.
Access to capital. Access to decision-makers. Access to strategic relationships. Access to acquisition opportunities.
The Capital Elle Business Impact Award was created to help change that.
The Prize Ecosystem
We invest in the three forms of capital that create lasting business value.
Social Capital Meaningful relationships, influential introductions, sponsorship, and access to decision-makers who can change the trajectory of a business.
Growth Capital Grants, financing, investment, and financial resources that help businesses expand with confidence.
Acquisition Capital Opportunities to acquire businesses, customers, talent, intellectual property, and market share to accelerate growth.
Recipients gain far more than financial support:
Visibility and recognition
Strategic introductions
Business resources
Opportunities to raise capital
Connections that continue creating value long after the award is announced
More importantly, they become part of an ecosystem committed to helping women succeed through sponsorship over mentorship.
How The Elleiance Network Involved
The Capital Elle Business Impact Award is powered by The Elleiance Network — a Canadian mastermind network for women entrepreneurs.
We believe in social capital, collaboration, and women funding women.
As a member of Elleiance, you’ll gain access to strategic mentorship, curated mastermind groups, and powerful programming that helps Canadian women grow bold, profitable, impactful businesses..
You don’t need to be a member to apply — but there are perks and it is worth considering!
2025
Here’s What Happened In
2025
Winners
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Danielle Skogen | Danielle Skogen Coaching + Consulting
Danielle is a feminist life and leadership coach and the founder of a coaching and consulting practice that helps women build confidence, overcome systemic barriers, and lead with clarity and purpose. Her work supports women through evidence-backed coaching frameworks and strategic guidance that strengthen leadership skills, expand impact, and create meaningful personal and professional transformation. Danielle also partners with purpose-driven organizations to design programs that advance gender equity and empower women to lead change in their communities.
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Kimberly Manning | Wealth Inside Out
Kimberly is a Financial Empowerment Coach and the founder of Wealth Inside Out, a trauma-informed financial coaching and advising practice that helps women build confidence, clarity, and control with their money. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in finance, she teaches women how to transform their relationship with money, release fear, and make financial decisions that align with their goals and values. Through her coaching programs, Kimberly blends practical strategy with mindset and emotional healing, guiding women toward greater independence, empowered choices, and long-term financial confidence.
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Jessica Flynn | The YOU Power Project
Jessica is an award-winning educator and the founder of The YOU Power Project, a social enterprise that helps youth ages 10 to 18 develop real-world skills, build confidence, and launch operational businesses or community projects. Through experiential programs like Passion to Purpose and Student Ventures, she teaches young people how to turn their ideas into action and become leaders in their communities. The YOU Power Project partners with schools, municipalities, and nonprofits to deliver entrepreneurship and leadership training that consistently produces high venture launch rates and prepares youth for future-ready pathways.
2025
Top TEN
Learn More about Our Winners on Our Blog
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Autumn Wilson | Simply Social Media Society
Autumn is a social media strategist and social media agency owner, having supported over 25 international brands to date. With a decade of experience in marketing and a background in communications, Autumn creates simplified systems to make social media more manageable and less draining. Inside her membership, the Simply Social Media Society, she teaches solopreneurs how to use their social media strategically, create powerful content that attracts followers who are ready to buy, and manage it all with systems that make it feel doable.
-

Amber Sperling | Amber Sperling Social Work and Psychotherapy Services
Amber is a registered social worker, psychotherapist, and founder of a women-led mental health practice that supports mothers and families across Ontario. With a focus on trauma-informed care for pregnancy, postpartum, and major life transitions, she provides evidence-based therapy that helps women heal at the root instead of managing symptoms. Inside her practice and online community, EmpowHERed in Health, Amber offers accessible education and support that help women feel more grounded, connected, and empowered throughout every stage of motherhood.
-

Helen Yin | Inoki Bathhouse
Helen is the founder of Inoki Bathhouse, a wellness company creating heritage-inspired bathing rituals that support mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Drawing on botanicals, teas, and cultural traditions passed down through generations, her team crafts elevated bathhouse experiences designed to help people slow down, restore balance, and reconnect with themselves. Through intentional products and modern ritual design, Inoki Bathhouse brings a new standard of care to the wellness industry, making restorative bathing both accessible and deeply meaningful.
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Danielle Skogen | Danielle Skogen Coaching + Consulting
Danielle is a feminist life and leadership coach and the founder of a coaching and consulting practice that helps women build confidence, overcome systemic barriers, and lead with clarity and purpose. Her work supports women through evidence-backed coaching frameworks and strategic guidance that strengthen leadership skills, expand impact, and create meaningful personal and professional transformation. Danielle also partners with purpose-driven organizations to design programs that advance gender equity and empower women to lead change in their communities.
-

Christine Aarlaht | Sapphire Virtual Fitness
Christine is the founder of Sapphire Virtual Fitness, a coaching practice that helps women over 40 build strength, mobility, and confidence through sustainable movement. Using her functional fitness methodology, she supports women through virtual training, on-demand classes, and preparation for her Executive Hiking Retreats in Newfoundland and Muskoka. Christine’s programs help women feel strong, pain-free, and capable of fully enjoying the lives they’ve built.
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Jessica Flynn | The YOU Power Project
Jessica is an award-winning educator and the founder of The YOU Power Project, a social enterprise that helps youth ages 10 to 18 develop real-world skills, build confidence, and launch operational businesses or community projects. Through experiential programs like Passion to Purpose and Student Ventures, she teaches young people how to turn their ideas into action and become leaders in their communities. The YOU Power Project partners with schools, municipalities, and nonprofits to deliver entrepreneurship and leadership training that consistently produces high venture launch rates and prepares youth for future-ready pathways.
-

Kimberly Manning | Wealth Inside Out
Kimberly is a Financial Empowerment Coach and the founder of Wealth Inside Out, a trauma-informed financial coaching and advising practice that helps women build confidence, clarity, and control with their money. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in finance, she teaches women how to transform their relationship with money, release fear, and make financial decisions that align with their goals and values. Through her coaching programs, Kimberly blends practical strategy with mindset and emotional healing, guiding women toward greater independence, empowered choices, and long-term financial confidence.
-

Jenelle Peterson | Wild Life Outdoor Adventures
Jenelle is the founder of Wild Life Outdoor Adventures, a women-owned Canadian company that creates outdoor tools, toys, and field guides designed to help kids and their grown-ups reconnect with nature. With 15 years of experience in marketing and sales, she develops products that spark curiosity, build confidence, and inspire real outdoor play. Through Wild Life’s award-winning kits and educational resources, Jenelle helps families explore outside with ease, making adventure accessible, engaging, and unforgettable for kids everywhere.
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Nichole Yamchuk | Advocate Fundraising
Nichole is the Founder and CEO of Advocate Fundraising, a social-purpose consultancy that helps ethical and values-driven non-profits build sustainable fundraising systems grounded in integrity, inclusion, and impact. Her firm supports small and mid-sized organizations through ethical grant writing, fund development planning, and donor engagement strategies that strengthen capacity and secure long-term funding. Nichole partners with non-profits across Canada to advance missions in refugee settlement, mental health, accessibility, and arts and culture, ensuring they have the resources needed to grow and serve their communities with confidence and stability.
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Winnie Hsu | NexGen Accounting Inc.
Winnie is the Founder and CEO of NexGen Accounting Inc., an accounting and advisory firm supporting more than 250 small businesses across Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. She leads a multicultural team that provides flexible bookkeeping, payroll, and advisory services designed to help entrepreneurs understand their finances, make confident decisions, and grow sustainable businesses. Through NexGen’s social impact initiative, Vision2Reality Foundation, Winnie also supports newcomer entrepreneurs by offering free education and community support.
Meet Our 2025 Award Sponsors
Silver & Promotional Partners
In-Kind Partners
Community Partners
Here’s What Happened In
2024
In 2024, we awarded $20,000 to ONE incredible business!
$5,000 in cash money plus $15,000 in additional impactful business services!
Social Capital for Canadian Women Entrepreneurs
Welcome to The Elleiance Network, where visionary women entrepreneurs come together to create, innovate, and succeed. We're thrilled to announce the Capital Elle Business Impact Award, an exclusive opportunity designed to support and fund Canadian women in business through community and capital.