Lift-Off Program

Lifting women-led companies to 
new heights


Grow and scale your company 6 ways with our Lift-Off Program, an innovative funding and expert resource program aimed at helping women-led companies at the pre-seed and seed stage reach their desired business goals one growth plan at a time.

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Actionable, Measurable Growth Plans 

We do the heavy lifting for you

For early stage, women-led technology companies with a product in market. 
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  • Comprehensive Business Review

    An online or in-person comprehensive review and assessment of your business plan by senior business and technology experts of The Big Push

  • Expert Matching

    Matching your business with a dedicated experienced growth professional in one of 6 areas of business (Marketing, PR, Business, Product, HR and Finance) 


  • Customized Growth Plans
    • 5 hours of 1:1 professional support to help design a customized growth plan
    • Fully outlined 3 month growth plan with specific milestones and deliverables in one particular area of your business
  • Funding
    • Up to $30K in funding conditional on 50% matching by founder 
    • Innovative, equity-based and success-driven remuneration to cover matching funds where needed
    • Intros to The Big Push venture and angel funding partners

Growth Plans

Public Relations

Increase awareness for your business and establish thought leadership through earned communications opportunities in a variety of channels
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Marketing

Prioritize your marketing efforts, optimize your online presence, attract qualified leads through online relationship building
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Human Resources

Attract, select and onboard suitable candidates for your organization. 

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Product Management

Identify buyer personas, optimize user engagement and retention, evaluate operational performance
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Finance

Create cashflow projections and identify key metrics you need to measure the early stages of success
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BD/Sales

Shorten sales cycles, increase order size and create sustainable revenue streams. 
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"The Big Push really understands what 
it means to be - day in and day out - on the frontlines of accessing capital, growing a team and trying, through it all, to hold onto your north star."
- SALIMAH EBRAHIM
Co-founder of Artery

What Investors Have to Say

ISAAC SOUWEINE
Partner at Real Ventures
We love The Big Push because it offers a unique take on mentorship and builds innovation within the financial ecosystem. 
ELAINE KUNDA
Managing Partner, Disruption Ventures
Our missions are aligned, and together we are creating a winning formula that positions our portfolio companies for success.

FAQ's

  • What is The Big Push?

    The Big Push is a business accelerator that bridges the funding gap for women led-companies.

  • Who is involved in The Big Push?

    The Big Push is led by serial tech entrepreneur, Sharon Zohar and a founding team of 8 senior level women executives with expertise across various industries and skill sets. There are currently over 500 experts and mentors within the network who offer their time and resources to support women-led/founded companies.

  • What is the Lift-Off Program?

    The Lift-Off Program is an innovative funding and expert resource program designed to provide early stage women-led technology companies with access to free consultation and assessment of their business plans along with a clear roadmap that connects them to a network of highly vetted business and technology professionals. The program is focused on the development and execution of business growth plans in 6 key areas: finance, marketing, sales, PR, product and recruitment along with an investment of up to $30K towards the activation of their growth plan.

  • What stage does the business need to be at to apply for the Lift-Off program?

    Those eligible for the Lift-Off Program are pre-seed to Series A companies who must meet the following criteria:  

    1. Women-led/founded;  

    2. Team of 2 or more; 

    3. Pre-seed to seed stage;

    4. Product in market; 

    5. Tech-enabled


  • When does the Lift-Off program launch?

    The Lift-Off Program will launch in conjunction with TD and The Big Push's  official partner/sponsorship announcement at a Pitch and Pair event on January 16, 2020 in Kitchener/Waterloo. 

  • What is included in the Lift-Off program?

    Participants receive startup toolkits, 1:1 mentorship, and a business growth plan in one of six key business growth areas, including finance, public relations, marketing, sales/business development, product, and recruitment. Participants may also be eligible to receive an investment of up to $30K towards the activation of their growth plan(s).

  • What is the application process?

    The application process requires the online application form to be completed,. This form can be found on the The Big Push website. Those businesses that meet the identified criteria  will be notified via phone and email within 5 business days to schedule a consultaiton review of their business plan. Those busineses plans which are not accepted will be provided feedback via email as to why they did not qualify

  • Is there a program fee to participate?

    There is no program fee to participate. 


  • How do you determine if a founder is eligible?

    A representative from The Big Push will review the  online application and follow -up with an in-person or online, one hour comprehensive assessment with the founder to determine eligibility.

  • What happens after the application process?

    After the initial consultation, those applicants that are determined to be eligible for the program are matched  with the appropriate expert who will provide five (5) hours of strategic advisory support, including  introductions as appropriate, objective input and advice, and a written, actionable growth plan for the participant to take away.

  • Is the participant committed to activate the growth plan?

    No. The founder/leader can choose whether or not to activate the growth plan.


  • What does it mean to activate a growth plan?

    Founders have the option to put the growth plan into action and opt to implement the strategies outlined within it. Activating the growth plan requires the participant to match 50% of the value of the growth plan; the remaining 50% of the value is provided through The Big Push and corporate sponsors participating in the Lift-Off Program.

  • What does it cost to activate one growth plan?

    Average cost to activate one growth plan is $10K


  • How long does it take to execute on a growth plan?

    Individual growth plans  range approximately three months and includes specific deliverables, milestones, pricing, and timelines.

  • What other value is provided to participants beyond the written growth plan?

    Introductions to venture and angel funding partners of TBP, including Disruption Ventures, Real Ventures, Panache, Female Funders, and other VC and angel funds across Canada. Additionally, founders/leaders are given access to a community of like- minded women founders, Big Push event tickets and/ networking programs (Pitch and Pair, TBP Mentor Series, etc.), corporate offerings/credits through TBP partners and access to TBP mentors 


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