Janice Taylor is a force to be reckoned with.

In just nine years, the Kelowna resident went from Googling 香蕉视频直播渉ow to start a tech company香蕉视频直播� to being the force behind an app that helps young people safely transition to online life. That, in turn, has sent her jet setting across the U.S. and influencing change in a male dominated industry.

Take this month for example 香蕉视频直播� Taylor brought Mazu Family to meetings in San Fransisco and New York. Then she went to LA to represent Canada in a Women in Tech event at the Canadian consulate, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau had a number of U.S. speaking engagements that week, pitching Canadian globalism and the country香蕉视频直播檚 new fast-track visa as reasons why Silicon Valley companies should consider Canada as a place to do business and spend money.

Canada is offering a two-week, fast-track employment permit for certain workers, dubbed the 香蕉视频直播済lobal skills strategy visa.香蕉视频直播�

Government-sponsored billboards in Silicon Valley pitch: 香蕉视频直播淗1-B Problems? Pivot to Canada.香蕉视频直播�

Taylor already sees the benefit of working in Canadian tech.

香蕉视频直播淎ll my 24 staff is in Kelowna and I live there and my children go to school there,香蕉视频直播� she said.

Being in transit as often as she is is a significant undertaking, but the work is valuable and that fuels her.

Mazu is a free app that gives kids, and their families, a forum to communicate on. Through it they can focus on their favourite sports teams and specific interests. For kids to use the app they have to have a parent香蕉视频直播檚 approval and potentially interaction.

It香蕉视频直播檚 what Taylor refers to as a 香蕉视频直播渄igital village.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淲e don香蕉视频直播檛 use 香蕉视频直播榣ike香蕉视频直播� buttons, we don香蕉视频直播檛 follow things,香蕉视频直播� she said, explaining that its the antithesis of traditional social media, which preys on the desire to be liked, validated, and rewarded.

香蕉视频直播淭he content in our digital village is tagged with our core values. We filter so there is no bad content or bad language.香蕉视频直播�

There was such a gap in the online world when she started the app, that it香蕉视频直播檚 turned heads and Taylor has managed to raise $7 million through angel investors to get it off the ground.

And the idea has fuelled her as she worked to navigate a male dominated industry.

香蕉视频直播淚f you look at the statistics today, only five per cent of all tech companies are run by women,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚n the City of Kelowna there are only two other female tech company founders and they香蕉视频直播檙e co-founders.香蕉视频直播�

Getting to the top of a male dominated industry has been a slog and Taylor has some war stories.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e had men ask, 香蕉视频直播榗an I touch your hair,香蕉视频直播檕r 香蕉视频直播榶our hair is distracting,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播榳ho takes care of your kids when you travel香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播榓re you planning to have another baby?香蕉视频直播� she said.

What香蕉视频直播檚 been the worst, however, is those who doubt she has the expertise on the issues she香蕉视频直播檚 trying to address through the app, to be in the industry.

香蕉视频直播� It astounds me. I have 14 year old on social media, I have friends, we talk 香蕉视频直播� as if I won香蕉视频直播檛 understand this population,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淚n the last two years there香蕉视频直播檚 been a 50 per cent increase in girl suicide. It香蕉视频直播檚 the first time in history that girls are killing themselves more than boys. Who better to solve that problem than a mother?香蕉视频直播�

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