Bobbie Racette turned adversity into opportunity not just for herself but for marginalized people across the country. As an Indigenous and queer tech entrepreneur, she took her own experiences and used them as inspiration for her company, Virtual Gurus—an innovative talent marketplace that connects businesses with virtual assistants who largely come from marginalized communities in Canada and the United States.
In this conversation with Sasha Krstic, outgoing president of Mastercard, Canada, Racette shares her vision for Virtual Gurus, the challenges she faced early on and how she strives to live every day according to her motto, “Inspire one person a day, and you inspire a nation.”
The third in a four-part series in partnership with Maclean’s, Mastercard’s Innovator-in-Residence program features BIPOC entrepreneurs and leaders paving the way for a prosperous future for all Canadians in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, culture, activism and education.
Bobbie’s journey with Virtual Gurus exemplifies how innovative business models can open new markets and create opportunities for underrepresented groups.
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Sasha Krstic: Tell us about Virtual Gurus’ innovative approach to talent sourcing. How do you see this business model evolving?
Bobbie Racette: Virtual Gurus is a two-sided talent marketplace. We provide work to underserved and marginalized communities through our platform by using artificial intelligence to match them with businesses and entrepreneurs. If you need a virtual assistant—in marketing, administration, bookkeeping, legal or IT—you can come to our platform and select who you want to work with. Everyone on our platform is from Canada or the U.S., and most are from underrepresented communities.
We just launched a virtual reception service called VG Connect, and we’re growing and evolving with the times, leveraging technology and adding services that are helping our clients transform their businesses.
Krstic: According to Mastercard research, two-thirds of Canadians believe innovation will enhance national prosperity. How do you see your work contributing to this shared vision?
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Racette: Technology is what is helping us grow and expand our platform and our services, which is giving more opportunities to workers in underrepresented communities. And our Talentplace platform helps businesses across Canada enhance their business operations, all while offering work opportunities to those who might not otherwise enter the workforce. Plus, we don’t offshore the talent in our platform—we are keeping all the shared benefits here at home. We’re a people-over-profit company. We take a lower profit margin so that we can pay our talent more, and I think that ultimately contributes to our national prosperity.
Krstic: What do you see as the next big innovation in Canada’s tech sector when it comes to improving productivity and driving prosperity?
Racette: I think AI is going to keep growing and being used by companies to improve and enhance productivity. We’re leveraging it right now to make AI accessible and affordable to our clients, but it’s important to us that we’re using AI to create jobs and add to our business, not to replace the power of people.
Krstic: We are so proud to have you as a Mastercard partner. Why do you think it’s important for large corporations, governments and others to seek out partnerships with small businesses and what role do these partnerships play?
Racette: There is so much skill and talent in the small-business community. When large corporations and governments partner with us, it helps us grow and scale. That, in turn, drives innovation in Canada and gives small businesses a chance to provide jobs or needed services. Whether it’s financially partnering with us, using our services or raising awareness of our services—all that helps us grow and contribute to the economy.
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Bobbie’s work is a powerful example of how inclusive business practices can foster economic growth.
Krstic: Nearly three-quarters of Canadians believe diversity, equity and inclusion are essential for achieving an ideal vision for the country. How do you see your work contributing to this shared vision?
Racette: I started Virtual Gurus because as an Indigenous, queer, tattooed woman, I had a hard time finding a job in administration, which is my background. And I thought, “If I’m struggling this much, there are almost certainly other people out there like me who are also struggling, and I want to change that.” So that’s exactly what I set out to do.
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Diversity, equity and inclusion are the foundational blocks Virtual Gurus has been built on. Right now, we’re going into Indigenous communities to help provide opportunities—we’re putting trailers there and setting them up with the technology, and we’re teaching folx how to be virtual assistants and stay in their own communities. I believe that can only make a positive impact on the prosperity of the country.
Krstic: What challenges have you faced as an Indigenous, queer woman in tech, and how have you navigated them?
Racette: I have been told no—a lot. Right from the start, getting laid off and being unable to find a job, to scaling Virtual Gurus. One hundred and seventy investors told me no when I was raising my first round of funding. I kept getting told, “No, don’t talk about being Indigenous, don’t talk about being queer or that you’re providing a platform for others like you.” But I let it fuel my fire, because our platform is based on my experiences in life. Once I started sharing my story, things started to change—I started seeing more stories of people like me who just needed an opportunity. Those stories are my North Star, my why.
Mastercard’s research suggests 77 per cent of Canadians trust their banks to employ safe technologies. Bobbie’s work with Virtual Gurus also highlights how trust is essential in digital platforms.
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Krstic: How do you ensure trust between clients and virtual assistants in a digital environment?
Racette: We’ve taken extensive measures to ensure that trust is maintained. All our virtual assistants are vetted by our in-house team and sign a full non-disclosure agreement when they start to work with us. Plus, we don’t offshore our virtual assistants, which means we can rely on North American data protection measures. Lastly, our clients have hundreds of people to choose from and they can get matched with exactly the type of person they need. And you can test that person out and find the perfect fit for you.
Our technology platform is fully secured with AWS in Canada, and we’re becoming SOC 2 certified—a voluntary compliance standard for service organizations, developed by the American Institute of CPAs, which specifies how organizations should manage customer data—which is huge in the tech world.
Krstic: As a closing thought, what does Canada’s future prosperity mean to you?
Racette: It means more opportunities for underrepresented, marginalized Canadians. Whether they’re Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+ or newcomers to Canada, it’s important that everyone gets an equal opportunity to contribute to the future prosperity of our country.
The Innovator-in-Residence program in partnership with Maclean’s reflects a broader commitment from Mastercard to re-define and drive prosperity in Canada by powering economies and empowering people. Through cutting-edge technologies, offerings and solutions, Mastercard aims to foster an innovative, secure and inclusive digital economy.
The Mastercard survey was fielded in the first quarter of 2024. Response data are derived from a representative sample of the Canadian population (N = 1,000) that includes an oversample of small business owners (N= 200). The margin of error for commensurate nationally representative survey responses is ± 3% at the 95% confidence interval. Results shown are weighted using age and gender demographic indicators from the 2021 Canadian Census.
Mastercard has partnered with Virtual Gurus to offer exclusive benefits for small business owners in Canada. This initiative is designed to support small businesses by providing access to virtual assistant services, which can enhance productivity and operational efficiency.
Originally published on Macleans.ca on November 25, 2024. Read the article here.
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