The51 Joins BDC as Investment Partner in $100M Thrive Lab for Women-Led Ventures

A national collaboration mobilizing capital and opportunity for early-stage women-led businesses shaping Canada’s social and economic future.

The51 is proud to partner with BDC as an Investment Partner in the $100 million Thrive Lab, a national initiative designed to accelerate women-led ventures delivering solutions to Canada’s most urgent social and environmental challenges.

Over the past nine months, BDC has built a first-of-its-kind platform that brings together capital, capability, and community. Through Thrive Lab, at least 100 women-led businesses will receive equity or equity-like investments, along with expert training and support, to help them grow scalable, high-impact ventures.

In its first phase, Thrive Lab will co-invest up to $35 million, alongside 25 partners from across the country, including The51, focusing on founders at the earliest stages of development, where access to funding remains most constrained.

For The51, this partnership aligns directly with our mission to unlock the economic power of women by moving capital into ventures shaping industries and economies of the future. Together with BDC and fellow investment partners, we’re strengthening the pipeline for women-led innovation, building long-term market opportunity, and expanding who gets to influence the future of capital in Canada.