Natives to Know: Bobbie Racette

Authenticity seems to be one of CEO Bobbie Racette’s greatest assets today. But her realness wasn’t always viewed that way.

A Saskatchewan-born woman of Cree and Métis descent, Racette is the founder of Virtual Gurus. The company leverages technology to match organizations with highly skilled Canadian and American virtual assistants. It places a high emphasis on hiring underrepresented folks including single moms, veterans, and people with disabilities. Racette told one publication, “We try to bring on people who have often been told ‘no.’”

Racette knows what it’s like to face rejection because of who you are. She’s an indigenous member of the LGBTQ community who didn’t follow a typical career path. When she was fundraising to build Virtual Gurus, she says she was told by potential investors to hide important aspects of who she was; they even suggested she hide her tattoos.

But Racette knew she had something special both in herself and in her fledgling company. She’s fighting to provide important opportunities to others and has said “the goal was and always will be to provide work to marginalized folx.” She didn’t let those rejections stop her from doing that work.

Eventually, Racette found investors like Raven Indigenous Capital Partners — whose values aligned with hers. Today, Racette is the first indigenous woman to close a Series A funding round in Canada, for a total of $10.4 million raised. She is thriving.

Earlier this month, Racette won the RBC Entrepreneurial Icon Award at the Pow Wow Pitch and Virtual Gurus has ambitious goals to scale. Click here to hire a Virtual Guru or apply to become one!