A $3,000 award from the EPIC VentureWomen program will help a budding business bloom.

Brandi Bechard, founder of Ground Culture Gardens, impressed the judging panel with her pitch May 1, explaining her vision of turning residential lots into productive landscapes to grow food.

“My dream is to help others grow food at home, while caring for the planet in a positive and regenerative way,” she says. “By designing inter-connected systems and implementing regenerative practices, we transform your lawn into an ecosystem that produces food, builds soil, saves water, and creates pollinator habitat.”

The company runs a club to guide backyard gardeners through the seasons, builds raised beds, and sells organic seeds.

The Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre (EPICentre) created EPIC VentureWomen to identify and break down systemic barriers to progress for women in starting their own businesses.

Bechard beat out three other startups — Vectorgaze, Xpress Career, and Beaux — in the program’s first cohort to claim the top prize, sponsored by the Lucas Imagine Fund. Watch a report by CTV News on her win.