Just how important are financial smarts and fiscal literacy to the success of a startup? That’s the topic a Startup Canada event will explore on Monday, Mar. 4th in Ottawa.
Hosted by Startup Canada in partnership with Intuit Canada, “Bridging the Fiscal Literacy Gap” will tackle one of the major factors influencing startup survival rates: financial literacy. According to a recent Intuit survey, 50 per cent of Canadian small business owners indicated they understand financial management is important, but just 83 per cent have a basic (or lower) grasp of financial fundamentals.
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The event, which will be hosted in Microsoft’s Ottawa office and also live-streamed, will include opening remarks from Maxime Bernier, federal minister of state for small business. Intuit Canada’s managing director Jeff Cates will deliver a keynote, and industry experts from the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, the MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, and the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education will take part in a panel discussion.
There will also be a pitch session from four Canadian entrepreneurs who have developed tools to address the financial literacy challenge.