Founder and President of The 7 Virtues and Keynote Speaker for Wonder Women 2025
Seven minutes on CBC’s Dragons’ Den forever changed Barb Stegemann’s life and her business. As the first woman from Atlantic Canada to secure a deal on the show, she landed a $75,000 investment from a Dragon, who later purchased an additional $50,000 stake. That pitch transformed her fledgling company, The 7 Virtues, into a globally celebrated social enterprise that empowers communities in war-torn and developing nations while revolutionizing the beauty industry.
Barb’s entrepreneurial journey was fueled by a deeply personal mission. After her best friend, a soldier, was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan, Barb visited him in the hospital and promised she would take on his mission of peace while he healed. Realizing she didn’t have the tools to create change, Barb decided to forge a new way—through perfume. She realized that women own the majority of the world’s buying power and set out to harness that power to drive positive change. By creating a line of clean, sustainable perfumes made with organic, fair trade essential oils sourced from Afghanistan, Haiti, Rwanda, and the Middle East, she empowered women and men to use their purchasing power to build peace.
When the Taliban retook Afghanistan, Barb pivoted. She recognized that ending period poverty and empowering women to have a seat at the table is the only true path to sustainable peace. This realization inspired Barb to begin funding Days for Girls, an organization dedicated to providing access to menstrual health solutions and education for girls around the world, ensuring they can stay in school, access opportunities, and thrive.
Her groundbreaking work made The 7 Virtues the only Canadian perfume brand sold at Sephora, now available in 19 countries and over 1,530 stores worldwide under the “Clean at Sephora” program. In 2023, Unilever Ventures—the investment arm of the world’s second-largest beauty company—made its first-ever investment in a perfume brand by backing The 7 Virtues. Her original Dragons’ Den investor, Brett Wilson, saw an extraordinary 56-fold return on his investment, cementing Barb’s reputation as an astute and innovative entrepreneur.
Inspired by the perfume ateliers of Grasse, France, Barb recently launched The 7 Virtues Perfume Atelier on the picturesque Halifax waterfront. The atelier offers a hands-on experience where guests design their own perfumes, blending notes from The 7 Virtues’ award-winning clean fragrance collection. This unique experience went viral on TikTok, attracting visitors from around the world and turning the atelier into a major tourism destination. Today, The 7 Virtues has grown from a scrappy, small, family-run business of three people to a thriving team of 30 based in Halifax, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Miami, Los Angeles, and New York.
Hear more about Barb’s journey at this year’s Wonder Women Conference!
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