On October 24, hundreds of women gathered at the Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa for the 2nd annual ‘The Women’s Summit’, presented by RBC. The Summit was created by Ottawa entrepreneurs Catherine Clark and Jennifer Stewart, co-founders of The Honest Talk podcast and digital platform.

Participants gathered insight from speakers like former premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne, TV personality and investor Arlene Dickinson, and Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman.

One of the women attending never imagined she’d be in such a room.

“I came to Canada in 2023 as a war refugee from Ukraine, carrying just a suitcase and without really any job prospects,” said Anastasiia Temborska. “Then one day I happened to see a post by a group called Immigrant Entrepreneur Canada (IEC). It was encouraging people like me to get help starting a business, and I figured I had nothing to lose by reaching out, so I did.”

With support from the IEC’s Retail Incubator Program, of which RBC is a founding sponsor, Temborska was soon using her skills as an illustrator to create custom enamel pins.

Her business is called PINBOX, and many of her best sellers express her love of her old and new homes.

“It would have been hard to find the resources and confidence to start my business without this incubator, and without the folks from RBC who came in to give advice and encourage,” said Temborska. “It’s one thing to start a business, but this program helped me keep it going. Suddenly there were real deadlines, real meetings and real opportunities. I had to jump right in.”

The Incubator Program takes aspiring entrepreneurs through an eight-week long business bootcamp. Program participants attend facilitated classes and seminars about running their businesses and get access to RBC’s Newcomer Banking Team’s network of advisors and experts. Upon program completion, participants are given a week to test their products and services with the public in a pop-up shop in the Byward Market, one of Ottawa’s busiest tourist areas.

PINBOX was a hit, and now offers wholesale and retail enamel pins through stores and gift shops across Canada.

“Right now we have over 30 wholesale partners, helping them add a little magic to their shelves,” said Temborska. “This year alone I’ve created more than 70 custom pin orders for different businesses and organizations.”

After participating the Immigrant Entrepreneur Canada (IEC) Retail Incubator Program, Anastasiia Temborska (L) was invited to attend a networking summit in Ottawa with RBC Regional President Devinder Gill (R). Photo by Lucie Caron

When RBC’s Regional President Devinder Gill heard Anastasiia’s story, and saw her products, she invited her as RBC’s guest at the 2025 Women’s Summit.

“It’s a real source of pride at RBC to see how we are helping people like Anastasiia through the Immigrant Entrepreneur Canada Retail Incubator Program,” said Gill. “I’ve met quite a few of these entrepreneurs, mostly women, and it warms my heart to know that our teams are helping them launch their idea.  It’s a great example of how RBC supports causes in the community that enable our clients to thrive.”

RBC also commissioned Temborska to create custom pins for every attendee—the kind of break entrepreneurs dream of.

“It was an incredible day for me, both for my business and just for overall inspiration,” said Temborska. “There were definitely some very practical things related to running a product-based business that I learned from Emma May, founder of Sophie Grace, and Kathleen Wynne was just so warm and welcoming. Attending this summit was just the latest chapter I have RBC to thank for.”

“None of this would have been possible without the incredible support I’ve received from the community, and so many kind people along the way,” said Temborska. “Everyone has been so open.”

This article offers general information only and is not intended as legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. While information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subject matter discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or its affiliates.