Monica Dodi at Women in Technology Event

Monica Dodi speaks to young Montreal entrepreneurs.

Eager to highlight the essential and diverse roles women occupy in today’s technological landscape in both Canada and the U.S. and to kick off Montreal’s International Start-Up Festival, the Consulate partnered with Montreal New Tech and Montreal Girl Geeks on July 8 to present a “Women in Technology” meetup event. Each month, Montreal New Tech hosts a themed event to bring together hundreds of developers, designers, students, potential investors and other entrepreneurial community members. This month’s “Women in Technology” theme attracted a sold out crowd of over 300 people to UQAM’s Coeur des Sciences pavilion to watch female-led startups demonstrate their innovative new businesses and participate in an interactive discussion with American keynote speaker Monica Dodi, Co-Founder of the Women’s Capital Venture fund, about the benefits of gender diversity and key investment criteria for entrepreneurs.

The U.S. Mission in Canada is participating in events such as these across the country with the goal of encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship – two recognized economic drivers whose growth are beneficial to the shared prosperity of Canada and the U.S. The Consulate would like to thank Montreal Girl Geeks, Montreal New Tech, Monica Dodi, all of the startup presenters (Vain Pursuits, Decode Global, Workland, Fabule, and Breather) and everyone who attended for taking part in this memorable evening. See photos of the event here.