Applications are open now! Five women-founded
businesses will be awarded a $25,000
CAD grant and access to a mentorship program with leadership from
PepsiCo Foods Canada and Frito Lay North America
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 9, 2023
/CNW/ - With a long history of empowering women business owners,
Stacy's® Pita Chips is proud to continue championing women
entrepreneurs through the launch of the 2024 Stacy's Rise Project.
Despite there being one million women entrepreneurs in Canada, women-owned businesses only receive
four percent of venture capital (VC) funding1. To help
them rise this year, the brand has increased the number of Canadian
recipients and funding, awarding five founders a $25,000 grant along with mentorship and community
resources.
The Stacy's Rise Project opened applications in Canada for the first-time last year,
partnering with Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) to support women founders who
are still experiencing a lack of the resources and funding needed
to help them rise. In January 2023,
the program recognized four Canadian women founders from
British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and New
Brunswick, enabling them to join the extensive community of
Stacy's Rise Project winners in North
America.
"There are so many women entrepreneurs who need more
opportunities for funding, mentorship and resources. Stacy's Rise
Project offers an opportunity to make goals a reality," said
Carolyn Simon, founder of Choose
Life Foods, Patty Queen, and one of
the four Canadian winners of the 2023 Stacy's Rise Project.
"Stacy's Rise Project was an unforgettable opportunity for
entrepreneurs. From the grant funding to the ongoing mentorship
opportunities, being chosen as a Stacy's Rise Project grant
recipient was crucial in tackling the challenges of post-pandemic
trends and inflation."
Stacy's Rise Project is Back –
Apply Today
Applications for the 2024 Stacy's Rise Project are officially
open from now through December 15.
Women founders across the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to apply for
consideration on the Stacy's Rise website. The ten winners in the
U.S. and five winners in Canada
will be announced in early 2024 and each will receive a
$25,000 grant, mentorship from
Frito Lay and PepsiCo leadership and
a built-in community of powerful women.
"The Stacy's brand is proud to continue the work we begun last
year, in service to women entrepreneurs across Canada," said Jess
Spaulding, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo Foods Canada.
"We know access to funding and resources can dramatically change
the trajectory of these businesses, so this year we're excited to
be able to expand the program and provide increased support to five
incredibly deserving women founders."
As a woman-founded business that grew from a humble sandwich
cart to a household snack brand, Stacy's Pita Chips has invested
over $1 million in over 60
women-owned businesses since 2017.
To learn more about the Stacy's Rise Project, how you can apply
(or share the application with your favourite woman founder!),
visit www.StacysRiseProject.ca.
About Stacy's®
Snacks
Stacy's Snacks is one of the many brands that make up Frito
Lay North America, the $23 billion
convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is
headquartered in Purchase, NY.
Learn more about Frito Lay at the
corporate website, www.fritolay.ca.
About Women's Enterprise
Organizations of Canada
Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC) is an association of
organizations that work directly with women entrepreneurs. WEOC
members support women entrepreneurs through a variety of services
and initiatives, including business training, advising, financing,
and mentorship. WEOC supports its members by providing learning and
networking opportunities, sharing best practices, and curating a
variety of resources so members have the tools needed to support
their clients.
About PepsiCo Foods
Canada
PepsiCo Foods Canada is comprised of the Frito Lay Canada and
Quaker Canada businesses. The company employs over 6,000 Canadians
with seven manufacturing plants and sales and distribution
facilities from coast to coast. Frito Lay Canada is the country's
largest snack food manufacturer and the company's brands include
Lay's, Doritos, Tostitos, Ruffles, Smartfood and Cheetos. The
Quaker brand portfolio includes a wide range of wholesome cereals,
oatmeal, rice and corn snacks and snack bars, and features other
prominent brands such as Quaker Life, Quaker Chewy, Quaker Harvest
Crunch and Crispy Minis. For more information, please visit
www.pepsico.ca.
About Frito Lay North
America
Frito Lay North America is the
$23 billion convenient foods division
of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in
Purchase, NY. Frito Lay snacks include Lay's® and Ruffles®
potato chips, Doritos® and Tostitos® tortilla chips and branded
dips, Cheetos® snacks, Stacy's® pita chips, PopCorners® popped-corn
snack, SunChips® multigrain snacks and Fritos® corn chips. The
company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and
Canada, more than 200 distribution
centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its
direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito Lay at the corporate website,
www.fritolay.ca, on X (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on
Facebook (Frito Lay).
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1 Government
of Canada, Minister Ng launches call for applications to
deliver the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative
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SOURCE PepsiCo Foods Canada