Who We Support

The Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Technology (RWEIT) program is dedicated to supporting self-identified women and non-binary entrepreneurs in rural Alberta who are in the process or have developed a tech enabled, scalable product or service that can demonstrate value and desirability in the marketplace.

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Self-identified women and non-binary individuals in technology or a related field interested in entrepreneurship.

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Self-identified women and non-binary entrepreneurs interested in exploring technology and/or innovation in their respected fields.

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Self-identified women and non-binary individuals in Alberta interested in starting or growing their technology-based business.

What We Do

We collaborate with the entrepreneurial ecosystem across rural Alberta to build a succinct and clear client journey from Discovering, Ideating, Conceptualizing, Committing and Validating to Scale Up and Growth.

We will ensure that you are supported and guided every step of the way!

Tailored & High Touch Supports

We offer targeted and culturally relevant supports to help entrepreneurs navigate, mitigate, reduce or eliminate barriers to entrepreneurial success.

Ecosystem Partnerships

By developing collaborative partnerships with regional innovation networks, organizations serving under-represented groups, entrepreneur support service providers, funders, investors, pre-accelerators and accelerators across the province, RWEIT supports our clients in easily accessing programs and information across the ecosystem.  Working in partnership also allows us to identify gaps in the ecosystem and to collaboratively develop solutions to best serve our clients.

Dedicated Entrepreneur Ecosystem Navigators (EEN)

The EEN is dedicated to the entrepreneur from intake throughout their entrepreneurial journey, supporting and guiding them every step of the way providing a smooth and barrier free experience. Our EENs work closely with RWEIT clients as they  develop, grow, and scale their business.

Meet our team

Entrepreneur Ecosystem Navigators (EEN)

An EEN is a business advisor, coach, cheerleader, and advocate that has experience with technology centric start-ups and is well versed in the network of supports available in Alberta that will help you grow your business.

 Wendy Muise

Wendy Muise

Master of Business Administration
Certified Information Technology Professional
Head of Strategy of Ground Floor Labs

Wendy Muise, is a serial entrepreneur who has past successes in bringing a startup to a 120 million dollar IPO and working across various provinces and the US. She is a Business Designer, Coach, Strategist, Facilitator, and Mentor.

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Cathy Forner

Cathy Forner

Certified Management Consultant (CMC)
Project Management Professional (PMP)
National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP)

With more than 30 years’ experience in virtual and in-person projects and business management, Cathy specializes in tackling complex organizational challenges with clear, actionable steps. Cathy has coordinated building brand new business ventures to large national projects scaled across a diverse range of industries.

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The RWEIT Team

Our team is ready and happy to support you on your entrepreneurial journey.

You have a vision.
We can help you get there.

In order for us to streamline programming best suited to your needs, please complete the following survey:

Join the Community!

Join our RWEIT community and get all of the latest news and updates. You’ll be the first to know about events, programs, and get access to resources that will help your business grow!

About Us

The Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Technology (RWEIT) program is mandated to support rural women entrepreneurs in tech across Alberta through Economic Development Lethbridge’s WESTEM (Women Entrepreneurs-in-STEM) program powered by Alberta Innovates.

RWEIT is a provincial program promoting the building of collaborative partnerships with Regional Innovation Networks (RINs) and other ecosystem service providers across Alberta to ensure self-identified women and non-binary entrepreneurs have equitable access to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, specifically technology related start-ups.

The RWEIT program builds on the experience and learnings gained over the last three years of the WESTEM pilot project, and supports innovative technologies that create wealth in communities by facilitating rapid growth, job creation and scaling. This program supports self-identified women and non-binary entrepreneurs living in rural/remote areas as well as offering niche programming for Indigenous and under-represented groups.

The RWEIT program is delivered across rural Alberta and addresses barriers to entrepreneurial supports through the building of a an equitable and inclusive entrepreneur ecosystem.

Contact Information


In order to get started, please reach out! You can contact us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by traditional email or phone!

rweit@chooselethbridge.ca
587-220-7471

Let’s Talk