When Lucrezia Spagnolo first started building VESTA Social Innovation Technologies, she was told it wouldn't work.
"I was told tech had no space here," she said. "This was a human problem that needed a human solution."
But Spagnolo, who spent two decades in international payments and leadership roles, knew the world was changing and that survivors of gender-based violence needed more support, including accessible tools to reclaim their stories on their own terms.
Spagnolo created VESTA to offer a trauma-informed online platform where survivors can document experiences, connect with crisis services, and - if they choose - report to police, either anonymously or directly.
In March, the Government of Canada announced that VESTA will receive up to $1.9 million in federal funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). The funding will support VESTA’s Resilience in Action project, a two-year initiative focused on breaking barriers for immigrant, refugee and non-status women who experience gender-based violence.
Turning personal pain into social innovation
Around 2014, while transitioning careers, Spagnolo was deeply affected by the Jian Ghomeshi trial dominating Canadian headlines. The former CBC radio host faced multiple allegations of sexual assault and choking. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges after the judge cited inconsistencies in witness testimony, which led to national debates about how the legal system treats those who report having survived sexual violence.
“I was having a very, very personal and visceral reaction to the news. It was bringing up old memories for me, that I thought I had processed and were dead and buried,” said Spagnolo. “I realized that I was one of the 95 per cent of individuals who experience sexual assault and gender abuse violence and never report, and I was shocked by that.”
She started researching the system survivors face and says the numbers were surprising. In Canada, 90 per cent of sexual assault victims are women and girls, and most know the person accused. At the same time, less than five per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police. Yet 85 per cent of survivors tell someone, usually informally. That gap between disclosing and formally reporting became the spark for VESTA.
"If 85 per cent are disclosing and only five per cent are reporting, what’s happening?"
Spagnolo realized that first disclosure could change everything, including whether someone feels believed, whether they seek help, and whether they ever report at all.
“We already had technology and the tools,” she said. “Why are we not using technology to help support survivors, as opposed to perpetuating violence?”
Meeting survivors where they are
Spagnolo spent two years in research mode, working with members of groups like the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC), and researchers from the University of British Columbia. She says the insight that kept coming back was that survivors often turn online first - so she built a tool to meet them there.
“We created a web-based application that allows individuals to document their experiences in a trauma-informed manner and save it.”
VESTA Community, launched in 2021, offers survivors a private space to record what happened, access crisis resources, and decide what to do next. They can save their record, seek counseling, or connect to law enforcement, either anonymously or by starting a formal report.
Piloted with Kingston Police and the Kingston Sexual Assault Centre, the results came faster than expected.
"We had our very first report to police within 10 days," said Spagnolo.
Over time, 45 per cent of users chose to report to police, 24 per cent sought services, and 18 per cent documented their experience without taking further action.
Feedback from survivors showed that the platform mattered because it felt different.
“The best feature they like about VESTA is what they call, in their words, either a softer or a kinder, gentler introduction or connection to reporting,” Spagnolo said. "To me, that means the world."
Expanding the mission to reach marginalized communities
Even after VESTA’s early success, Spagnolo knew the work wasn’t done.
When she spoke at Women’s College Hospital, someone asked how VESTA would support newcomers, refugees or women without immigration status.
The answer became the Resilience and Action Project, VESTA’s next evolution. With new federal funding from WAGE, VESTA is working with settlement agencies, legal clinics, and community groups to co-design a navigator program that pairs digital tools with human guides who can help survivors, especially those facing multiple barriers.
"Technology can do a lot of things, right? But it can't do all things," said Spagnolo.
According to government data, 44 per cent of Canadian women report experiencing some form of intimate partner violence during their lives. Rates are even higher for Indigenous, immigrant and racialized women. For marginalized survivors who face higher rates of violence and greater distrust of formal systems, culturally sensitive and trauma-informed options matter.
Finding support in Waterloo Region’s tech ecosystem
Though based in Toronto, Spagnolo credits much of VESTA’s early traction to Waterloo Region’s tech community, including Communitech.
She first joined in 2019 through Communitech Fierce Founders, which provides hands-on support, customized content and access to a network of other women and/or non-binary founders. Since then, growth coaches and resources in the community have helped her navigate everything from hiring to HR to partnerships.
"Just to have that support and that network from Communitech has been incredibly supportive and helpful," Spagnolo said.
Spagnolo continues to recruit talent through Communitech’s Work In Tech platform and remains closely connected to the ecosystem.
A call to action
Spagnolo knows the road ahead won’t be easy.
"Sometimes you're trying to create a movement, and the social environment and the cultural moment we find ourselves in have nothing to do with the work that you're doing."
But she also knows change happens one survivor at a time, and that’s the goal VESTA is working toward.
"We're always looking for potential partnerships, collaborations and alliances that can be formed," she says. "I think we're all stronger together than we are competing against one another."
