In a province known for innovation, some of the most exciting ideas aren’t coming from boardrooms—they’re coming from women who spotted everyday problems and decided to solve them.
This year, Mastercard’s 2026 Small Business Fund awarded $10,000 grants to three British Columbia entrepreneurs whose businesses are helping families hydrate better, making healthy treats more joyful, and creating more inclusive workplaces through Indigenous-led research and education.
From Vancouver to Port Coquitlam, these founders are proving that purpose and profit can go hand in hand.
Helping Kids Hydrate—Without the Sugar
For Elec’trik Kids founders Laura Chodola and Carmen Worsfold, the idea was born from a simple observation.
After more than two decades working in beverages—and years watching her own children navigate sports practices, school days, and birthday parties—she noticed something missing.
“I realized there weren’t any healthy beverage options for kids,” Chodola says. “The entire hydration boom had been built for adults and endurance athletes. Nobody stopped to ask what hydration should look like for a seven-year-old at recess or an eleven-year-old at hockey practice.”
That realization became Elec’trik Kids, a line of clean-label electrolyte powders made specifically for children. The formulas feature coconut water powder, natural colours from ingredients like beetroot and spirulina, and no artificial ingredients.
The challenge? Making something parents would approve of and kids would actually drink.
“Most healthy kid products fail one of two tests,” Chodola explains. “Either the label is clean and the kid won’t touch it, or the kid loves it and you don’t want to read the ingredients out loud.”
One of her favourite moments came during an in-store demo when two ten-year-old baseball players sampled the drink.
As they walked away, one whispered to the other: “Dude. This is fire.”
For Chodola, it wasn’t just validation that the product tasted great—it was a reminder that entrepreneurship can inspire the next generation, too.
“We’re not just making a drink kids love,” she says. “We’re showing them what’s possible.”
The Cottage Cheese Glow-Up Nobody Saw Coming
If cottage cheese wasn’t on your dessert bingo card, you’re not alone.
But Vancouver-based Fromage Protein Pops is betting that one of the most unexpected ingredients in your fridge can also become one of the most craveable.
Founders of the fast-growing frozen treat company spent more than 170 recipe trials transforming cottage cheese into creamy, protein-rich popsicles that taste indulgent while offering significantly less sugar than traditional ice cream.
“We saw potential in a naturally high-protein food that most people only associated with diet culture,” the team explains. “Our biggest challenge was helping people see it differently.”
Instead of disguising the ingredient, they embraced it.
“The result is a frozen treat that’s as nourishing as it is indulgent.”
For skeptics, they recommend starting with Milky Chocolate.
“It’s like a fudgesicle—but richer, creamier, and healthier.”
The founders believe consumers are becoming more intentional about what they eat and increasingly want foods that deliver both enjoyment and nutrition.
“People are looking for foods that not only taste good, but also make them feel good.”
The Mastercard funding will help the company scale production and expand distribution beyond British Columbia, bringing their frozen treats to more Canadians nationwide.
Their larger mission? Creating what they call a new category of “nourishing indulgence.”
“Healthier options shouldn’t have to compromise on taste, texture, or joy.”
Building Better Workplaces Through Indigenous Leadership
For Alicia Hibbert, founder of Port Coquitlam-based Edified Projects, entrepreneurship was deeply personal.
A 100 per cent Métis women-owned consulting firm, Edified Projects specializes in Indigenous-focused research, workplace training, and program evaluation, helping organizations create more meaningful and equitable systems.
Hibbert’s inspiration came directly from her own experiences navigating corporate environments while managing a chronic illness.
“I saw how many organizations struggle with meaningful inclusion,” she says. “Companies often want to be inclusive, but leaders lack the practical training and structural understanding to do better.”
Rather than trying to change systems from within, she decided to build something new.
Today, Edified Projects places Indigenous knowledge and lived experience at the centre of its work, helping organizations move beyond performative diversity efforts and toward meaningful change.
One project stands out as a defining moment.
In March, the company facilitated a qualitative research engagement for Métis participants connected to the child and family services system.
The team intentionally designed every aspect of the experience—from the facilitators and food to the music, books, medicines, and décor—to reflect Métis culture.
“We created a beautiful, sensory Métis kitchen-table experience for participants that truly resonated,” Hibbert says. “I felt so grateful to be able to lead projects like this.”
Her leadership philosophy is rooted in the Métis principles of otipemisiwak—self-determination—and wahkohtowin, which emphasizes kinship and interconnectedness.
That people-first mindset extends to how she runs her company, creating flexible work environments and ensuring equitable compensation across projects.
The Mastercard funding will help expand Edified’s digital workplace-learning platform, allowing the company to bring its work to a broader national audience.
The Future Is Female—and Local
While their businesses couldn’t be more different, these three founders share something important: they saw gaps that others overlooked.
Whether it’s helping children stay hydrated, reinventing frozen desserts, or transforming workplace culture, each has built a company rooted in purpose, innovation, and community impact.
The Mastercard Small Business Fund provides more than financial support. It helps accelerate ideas that have the potential to create lasting change.
And if these founders are any indication, the future of Canadian entrepreneurship looks bright, creative, and distinctly female-led. —Noa Nichol
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