BMath’84, Pure Mathematics and Computer Science
About Jennifer
Jennifer Francis is an active angel investor, advisor and board member with over 30 years of experience in the technology industry. She held executive roles at IBM, Cognos and Watchfire with experience in enterprise software, SaaS and business development. Jennifer is co-founder of SheBoot, an investment ready bootcamp for women, Chair of the Board of Capital Angel Network and sits on the boards of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and MindTrust. Until 2025 she was the Canadian Ambassador for Technovation, a technology entrepreneurship program for girls, launching the program in Ontario and growing it to an alumnae of over 5000 girls. Jennifer holds a BMath from the University of Waterloo.
Jennifer’s Perspective
As part of this series celebrating women who lead with purpose, we invited Jennifer to reflect on what drives her dedication to technology, entrepreneurship and advocacy, how her Waterloo Math experience opened doors in a rapidly evolving industry and the values that guide her as she works to expand opportunities for women and underrepresented founders. Her reflections show a leader who channels experience into impact and who consistently works to open paths for others.
Driving Change Through Technology and Advocacy
I loved my career in the technology industry. It is an industry that is driving significant changes in everyone’s lives but does not represent the diversity of Canada. It is important that more women get into the industry both because these are good careers and because diversity drives better solutions. Women also need the networks and support to succeed and for entrepreneurs, they also need equitable access to capital to succeed.
I also feel it is important for Canada that we help more entrepreneurs start, build and scale their companies in Canada. These motivations drove me to lead several initiatives: bringing Technovation to Ontario in Ottawa, Toronto and Waterloo to encourage girls to enter technology and entrepreneurship fields, co-founding Women Powering Technology to build networks for early to mid-career women in tech, co-founding SheBoot to help women founders raise capital for their businesses, and chairing Capital Angel Network which provides early stage capital to entrepreneurs in Canada. I have also served on the board of Invest Ottawa.
My purpose has continued to evolve to include healthcare and commercialization, joining the Ottawa Hospital Research Board and supporting research at the Royal Ottawa.
How Waterloo Math Prepared Me for A Dynamic Career
My Waterloo Math experience shaped my career. When I went to Waterloo, I majored in Pure Math and planned to pursue an academic career. I minored in Computer Science and through the co-op program, explored jobs in research, IT and software. I loved my software co-ops and went into the software industry.
My Waterloo experience gave me the skills to succeed in software development and the confidence to try different roles in the industry, doing everything from development to marketing to mergers and acquisitions to executive leadership.
Creating Opportunities for Women in Tech and Investment
When I joined Capital Angel Network I was the second woman in the group. We rarely had women founders present their businesses and although I encouraged other women to join it was difficult because it was a very tech and male dominated group.
I started a woman angel breakfast to bring together groups of women interested in angel investing, which helped bring more women in.
Three of us then founded SheBoot to tackle the problem of women founders getting funding. Capital Angel Network is now 37% women, and last year 65% of new investments by the group had women CEOs. SheBoot alumnae have raised over 55M to grow their businesses.
Supporting and Empowering the Next Generation of Founders
The majority of my work since retiring from full-time roles has been in this area. I am passionate about encouraging and supporting young and underrepresented founders in their journeys in the tech industry. In addition to programmatic support, I have mentored and coached youth and entrepreneurs to help them take the next steps in their journeys.
Understanding these dynamics has given me a clearer sense of how I want to show up in the world. It is an ongoing process but one that continues to shape my growth as a leader.