BCBusiness

37 B C B U S I N E S S . C A M AY 2 0 24 A u r o a r a L e i g h : A l w a y s D a w n I m a g e r y ; C ai t l y n Va n d e r h a e g h e : E r i c h S ai d e VEDANSHI VALA CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BOLT SAFETY SOCIETY V edanshi Vala felt helpless every time she heard a story about someone close to her suffering from domestic violence. She wanted to be able to support them, to at least point them in the right direction, but the available information was scattered all over the place. In 2020, as a UBC student studying integrated sciences, Vala launched an online platform called Bolt Safety Society with four friends and her sister, Shreyanshi Vala. The idea was to centralize access to existing resources for survivors: the platform is a database of shelters, crisis lines, legal services and medical and mental health support, and it also W I N N E R includes educational material to help reduce stigmas around victim blaming. Offline, Bolt formed partner- ships to deliver programs that can help people in real time. Safe Hubs is a network of safe spaces spanning 40 locations and 16 cities in Canada, pinned to a digital map: "So this could be a grocery store owner that's like, 'If someone's walking down the street and they think someone's following them, they can duck into my store and I'll give them [Bolt's resource package],'" says Vala. And Safe Buddies, carried out by Bolt's 40 volunteers, provides walking companions from events like UBC frat parties. The youth-led nonprofit also hosts workshops: it has worked with communities in Toronto, Ottawa, Squamish, Pemberton and Whistler as well as Metro Vancouver, and led sessions for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in Kenya and India. "A lot of people, when they try to take social impact work international, go in with a saviour complex. We wanted to make sure we weren't doing that," says Vala. "We work in partnerships specifically for that reason—we see the people on the ground as the experts on what to do and the approaches that work... So what remains? What do we need to push it forward now? That's the work we're doing."–R.R. there, the younger Vanderhaeghe gained a deep understanding of ingre- dients in the industry. "I managed the raw material all the way to the finished item on the shelf, so I knew how to make a great quality product," she says. The chewable tablet she made for her daughter had no sugar, artificial colours or harmful preservatives. It was easy on the stomach, and when Vanderhaeghe told her family that she wanted to create more products for kids, her brother (also a parent) came on board. "I knew there were other parents that wanted something better and easier for their kids to take," says Vanderhaeghe, "so that's how we became KidStar Nutrients." Vanderhaeghe and Kyle Head launched Vancouver-based KidStar in 2020. It made $100,000 in revenue in year one and $1.3 million in 2023 with 13 products. Vernon-based Nature's Fare Markets was one of the first retailers to pick it up, and now KidStar is in stores across Canada, including Loblaws, Whole Foods and Sobeys. Vanderhaeghe's kids love pointing them out on shelves: "Just seeing that as a parent, I'm like: yes, I did that."–R.R. SHAUNA HARPER Shauna Harper is the CEO of WeBC and is based in its Kelowna office. As a federally funded not-for-profit organiza- tion, WeBC provides thousands of women entrepreneurs across B.C. with business loans, expertise, training, resources and peer support to help their businesses grow and thrive. T H E J U D G E S CAROL LIAO Dr. Carol Liao is an associate professor and director of the Centre for Business Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. A multiple award-winning scholar and teacher, Liao focuses her work on corporate law and sus- tainability, climate governance, gender and racial justice. ERIN SEELEY Erin Seeley is the CEO of Y WCA Metro Vancouver, one of B.C.'s largest multi-service charities With a budget of $50 million and almost 500 employees, Y WCA currently operates 73 programs supporting women, families and allies across 178 locations. Prior to Y WCA, Seeley served as SVP of the BCFSA. TINA STREHLKE Minerva BC is a registered charity dedicated to advancing the leadership of women and girls. As CEO, Tina Strehlke has over 15 years' senior leadership experience in the social impact sector. She volunteers with Her Mentors and Locelle and is a member of the Essential Impact Advisory Group.

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