The Right People in Your Corner: Athena Collective Partners with Lisa Kakoske, Sarah Harper and Laura James of Bennett Jones to Bring Premier Legal Expertise to Women Founders

Vancouver, BC, April 15, 2026, Athena Collective, built to empower female founders, announces that Lisa Kakoske, Sarah Harper and Laura James partners at Bennett Jones LLP, one of Canada's premier business law firms, have joined as supporters of its mission to help women in business not just survive, but thrive.

The collaboration brings practical, strategic legal expertise directly to Athena Collective's growing network of women founders and business leaders, addressing one of the most common gaps women face as their businesses grow more complex: access to trusted legal advice.

“Supporting women-led businesses is a big part of what I care about, so Athena Collective felt like a really natural fit. I was drawn to how practical and founder-focused the community is, and how it creates space for women to actually support one another as they grow."
— Lisa Kakoske, Partner, Bennett Jones

At the core of this collaboration are people deeply passionate about working with women-led and values-driven businesses, and committed to closing the support gap women so often face as their companies scale. Lisa Kakoske, Sarah Harper and Laura James bring deep expertise across M&A, financing, corporate governance and market expansion, with a collaborative and practical approach designed to help women entrepreneurs make confident decisions at every stage of growth.

“One of the biggest gaps women founders face is access to the right legal expertise — and that has to change. Legal guidance shouldn't be a luxury, it should be a resource every woman founder has in her corner. Lisa, Sarah and Laura bring world-class expertise with a genuine passion for seeing women-led businesses succeed, and giving our members access to that caliber of support is exactly what Athena Collective was built to do." — Sarah Bundy, Co-founder & CEO, Athena Collective

For Athena Collective members, this means founder-focused legal guidance from experienced legal practitioners that genuinely understand what it means to build something as a woman, whether navigating contracts, exploring financing, thinking through governance or stepping into a more complex chapter of growth.

This collaboration marks an important step in Athena Collective's continued mission to build the infrastructure female founders have always deserved, bringing together the right resources, the right expertise, and the right people so that women-led businesses can start, scale, and grow.

About Athena Collective

Athena Collective is the strategic infrastructure designed for every female founder, owner, and operator across the entire founder journey, from day one to exit. Built as a personalized roadmap that evolves with members, the organization provides the right resources, connections, and guidance at every stage. Athena Collective combines smart technology, curated resources and workshops, and online and in-person communities to help women start, scale, and exit businesses with clarity, confidence, and control.

About Lisa Kakoske

Lisa Kakoske is a partner in the corporate group at Bennett Jones in Vancouver. She advises startups, growing businesses, investors and public companies navigate complex deals like raising capital, buying or selling businesses, and setting up partnerships and investment funds. Lisa is especially passionate about supporting women‑led companies, working closely with female founders to help them grow, raise capital and build strong foundations.

About Sarah Harper

Sarah Harper is a partner in the corporate group at Bennett Jones in Vancouver, where she advises businesses on complex corporate and transactional matters. A strong champion of women entrepreneurs, she is actively engaged in advancing female leadership across different industries and throughout companies' lifecycles.

About Laura James

Laura James is a partner in the corporate group at Bennett Jones in Vancouver. She advises private companies, fund sponsors, institutional investors and not-for-profit organizations on a wide range of complex corporate and commercial matters, with a primary focus on mergers and acquisitions. Laura is deeply committed to supporting women in their professional roles and championing women-led businesses, and is a strong believer that early access to practical resources, legal or otherwise, will allow female founders and women-led businesses to thrive.

Media Contact

Colby Davidson
Marketing Manager, Athena Collective
📧 marketing@athenacollective.co
🌐 athenacollective.co