Shawinigan, February 25, 2026 – The Réseau des SADC and CAE and the SADC Shawinigan today celebrate the conclusion of the Flexi-loan for Women pilot project, an innovative program dedicated to supporting and financing part-time women entrepreneurs, also known as flexipreneurs, across the regions of Quebec. “With Flexi-loan for Women, we dared to rethink certain ways of doing things to reach entrepreneurs who did not identify with traditional models. The results speak for themselves: $1.6 million invested, a significant financial leverage effect, mobilization of 11 territories, and hundreds of women supported. This initiative confirms that social and financial innovation is at the heart of the mission of the Réseau des SADC and CAE in Quebec,” says Pascal Harvey, CEO of the Réseau des SADC and CAE.
Conclusive results
A total of $1.6 million was invested in 94 businesses led by flexipreneurs, in addition to generated investments of $9.2 million.
Thanks to the mobilization of 11 SADC and CAE across Quebec, 178 women benefited from personalized support and received tailored advice to their reality. 162 individuals participated in the 19 webinars of the program, and 543 attended networking activities.
An advertising campaign featuring ambassadors was also conducted to highlight this form of entrepreneurship. 12 flexipreneurs were showcased across the 11 regions of the pilot project. This campaign had an exceptional reach, having been seen by 775,000 women from these regions. “The success of this pilot project sends a clear message: flexipreneurs are numerous, ambitious, and carry innovation. It is essential for the entrepreneurial ecosystem to continue evolving to better support them. The SADC Shawinigan will remain committed to advancing this recognition and developing solutions suited to ground realities,” concludes Simon Charlebois, director general of the Shawinigan Community Development Corporation.
Measured impacts
Throughout this project, quantitative and qualitative data were collected to establish findings and recommendations to address the obstacles faced by flexipreneurs throughout their entrepreneurial journey. The results of this research, conducted by the Institute of Research on SMEs, will be revealed at a later date.
Partners and support for Flexi-loan for Women
The project was made possible through the commitment of the 11 involved SADC and CAE: CAE Haute-Yamaska and region, CAE Montmagny-L’Islet, SADC Charlevoix-Côte-de-Beaupré-Île d’Orléans, SADC Chibougamau-Chapais, SADC Côte-Nord, SADC Lac St-Jean-Ouest, SADC de la Neigette, SADC des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, SADC Maskinongé, SADC Shawinigan, and SADC Vallée de la Batiscan.
The deployment of this pilot project was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada, which provided an investment of $296,000 over three years.
Origins of the Flexi-loan project
It is worth noting that the Flexi-loan for Women project draws inspiration from several studies conducted by the SADC Shawinigan since 2015, which highlighted the specific challenges faced by women in business: the double burden of work and family, less time dedicated to their business compared to men, and, above all, the lack of recognition of flexipreneurs in the traditional entrepreneurial ecosystem. Many women start their businesses while holding a job, pursuing studies, living their retirement, or taking on caregiving roles, which today represents 57% of business startups. The project aimed to offer human and flexible support, easier access to financing, and resources adapted to the atypical schedules of this clientele, who often do not see themselves in the entrepreneurial models put forward in Quebec.
