WEL recommends the Canadian Government invest $10 million over five years to activate more than 1,000 women angel investors and spur $50 million in new private capital for Canadian-owned companies
September 14, 2026: Last week on September 8, Women’s Equity Lab (WEL) submitted its recommendation for the 2026 Pre-Budget Consultations, calling for $2 million annually over five years to expand WEL’s capacity to recruit, educate and activate women as angel investors across Canada.
WEL’s submission highlights the role women’s capital can play in strengthening Canada’s innovation economy. Women are expected to manage more than $4.7 trillion in private wealth in Canada by 2028, yet relatively little of that capital currently reaches early-stage companies.
Since 2017, more than 500 women investors through WEL have invested $7 million across 97 investments in more than 75 early-stage companies. WEL’s model brings women into angel investing through education, access to deal flow and hands-on participation in sourcing, due diligence and investment decisions.
The submission also outlines WEL’s plans to expand its work in artificial intelligence, including a free bilingual AI investor education program, a national AI-focused Investment Group and increased AI due diligence capacity across WEL’s regional Investment Groups.
WEL has demonstrated that government funding can help catalyze significantly more private investment. The submission notes that approximately $250,000 in WAGE funding helped unlock $1.5 million in angel investment last year, a 1:6 ratio.
Through the proposed five-year investment, WEL aims to grow its network beyond 1,000 women investors and mobilize more than $50 million in private early-stage capital, supporting Canadian companies that create jobs, generate revenue and retain intellectual property in Canada.