Fueling Women-Led Innovation: North Forge™️ and WeMB Open New Paths to Growth

There is no shortage of innovative ideas in Manitoba.

What is often missing is access.

Access to funding. Access to support. Access to the kind of ecosystem that helps entrepreneurs move from possibility to progress before momentum disappears.

For many women founders in technology and innovation, those gaps can feel even wider.

That is why the newly formalized partnership between North Forge™️ and WeMB matters.

Officially signed on Thursday, May 14, 2026, the Memorandum of Understanding brings together two organizations focused on helping entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses in Manitoba. North Forge™️, known for helping startups commercialize and scale, and WeMB, formerly the Manitoba Women’s Enterprise Centre, are aligning their efforts to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs working in innovation-driven industries.

At the centre of the partnership is the launch of the WeTech Loans Program, a one-year pilot initiative supporting businesses within the North Forge™️ ecosystem that are at least 51 per cent owned by self-identifying women+, including cis, trans, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse founders.  

Through the program, qualifying founders may access loans of up to $25,000, helping entrepreneurs move market-ready products closer to commercialization and revenue generation. WeMB has designated up to $250,000 from its loan portfolio toward the initiative.  

But this partnership is about more than financing.

It is about timing.

Too often, founders reach a critical point where they have proven their concept, built a prototype, or found early traction, only to encounter the financial barriers that prevent them from taking the next step. For startups operating in technology and advanced manufacturing, that pause can be the difference between growth and stagnation.

This collaboration is designed to prevent promising companies from losing momentum before they have the opportunity to scale.

North Forge™️ will work closely with founders to help ensure products are market-ready and positioned for growth, while WeMB will provide financing and business advising throughout the process.  

“Women entrepreneurs are driving some of the most innovative ideas in Manitoba, but access to early-stage capital continues to be a challenge for many founders,” said Joelle Foster, President and CEO of North Forge™️. “This partnership with WeMB is about creating more pathways into the innovation economy and ensuring women-led companies have the support, resources, and opportunities needed to scale and succeed right here in Manitoba.”

The partnership also reflects something larger happening across Manitoba’s innovation economy.

There is growing recognition that innovation cannot thrive if opportunity remains limited to only a few. Strong ecosystems are built when founders from different backgrounds are able to participate fully, bring new perspectives forward, and build companies capable of creating long-term economic impact.

Women remain underrepresented across Canada’s technology sector, particularly in industries connected to commercialization, advanced manufacturing, and high-growth startups. Expanding access to support and capital is not simply about representation. It is about ensuring that strong ideas are not overlooked because founders lack access to the right resources at the right time.

For North Forge™️, the partnership aligns naturally with its broader mission: helping entrepreneurs move ideas into action and keeping that growth rooted in Manitoba.

As the province continues building its reputation as an emerging innovation hub, partnerships like this help shape the kind of ecosystem Manitoba wants to become — one that is practical, collaborative, and increasingly inclusive.

The organizations are already working toward a target of ten completed loans during the pilot year while jointly promoting the initiative throughout the province.  

For women entrepreneurs building technology-driven businesses in Manitoba, this partnership represents something many founders spend years searching for: a door that is finally opening at the right moment.

Because innovation moves further and faster when more people are given the chance to build it.