Black History Month Celebration | Resource Round Up

By Startup Canada  |  
Black History Month Startup Canada Podcast Recap

During the month of February, we celebrated and featured Black founders and their stories every Tuesday and Thursday on the Startup Canada Podcast Network in honour of Black History Month. On the Startup Canada Podcast,  Rick Spence spoke with a powerful line up of Black founders across Canada. On the Startup Women podcast, Kayla Isabelle shared the mic with business owners and ecosystem players across Canada. 

At Startup Canada, we work to recognize and include the stories, perspectives and voices from all Canadian entrepreneurs not only on our podcasts, but throughout all of our programs. We work to include and celebrate the experiences of all entrepreneurs through our work everyday.

We began the month with Janelle Hind’s story, Founder of Helping Hands, a non-profit that aims to help young people build their skills and careers through volunteer opportunities, entrepreneurship, and early career development. 

In this episode, some key takeaways include; 

 

We spoke to Victor Beausoleil, CEO of Intuit Consulting and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SETSI, the Social Economy Through Social Inclusion Coalition. “Belonging is the goal. Sometimes you are invited but you are not welcome. And there is a difference.” Victor’s story, work and experience allowed us to dive deep into themes such as;

 

Mona Lisa Prosper shared how she and Futurpreneur’s Black Entrepreneur Startup Program are making a lasting impact for young business owners in Canada. Some key resources include:

 

Isaac Olowolafe, Founder of BKR Capital, spoke to us about the future of Black innovation and how real estate can become a tool for community building. A venture capital company that focuses on startups led by diverse founders. “For the Black community to thrive and become economic leaders, we need three things: strong institutional relationships, more small businesses, and home ownership.” Some key takeaways include:

 

On the Startup Women Podcast, our guests covered everything from accountability and representation in media and entertainment to food insecurity, health inequalities and trusting yourself to believe what you are capable of and what is possible for you. 

Patricia Bebia Mawa, shared insights on how women entrepreneurs can frame the work they do and tell their entrepreneurial story. Patricia also explores tips for getting TV coverage, funding in the world of entertainment, and why demographic-specific content is vital for community empowerment. Patricia is the Executive Vice President of Silvertrust Media and Afroglobal Television. “Our work is not only inspiring and entertaining for our people – it also holds others, including corporations, accountable. Today, you can:

  • Discover Patricia’s shows and programs on AfroGlobal TV such as SisterTalk (a show for women), the Minister (a show about faith), the Golden Button (a show about fashion design), the Visionaries (a show about greatness), and more.
  • Tune in to Planet Africa, a weekly series on OMNI TV hosted by Patricia 

 

We learned about the mistrust, lack of representation and the alive racism and prejudice in Canada’s health care system as Mystery Furtado told us her story and why (and who for) Type Diabeat It and Granny P’s was created. “It is a matter of redirecting resources, it’s a matter of tailoring and reeducating what is available and making it culturally competent.” Explore some of these resources today:

 

Chelsea Prescod taught us how building equitable entrepreneurship in Canada matters and shed light on the programs who are allowing us to do it. Chelsea Prescod is the Regional Manager for the Client Diversity Team at BDC where she identifies the barriers Black entrepreneurs face and then builds programs to close the gaps. Explore the resources shared in this episode;

 

The magnetic energy of Vivan Kaye provided us with expertise and empowerment. Vivian is the Founder and CEO of KinkyCurlyYaki and spoke about knowing your customer and the importance of solving a problem. Some key takeaways include:

 

Dive deeper into these stories by listening to all of the episodes from February’s celebration on the Startup Canada Podcast and the Startup Women Podcast.