Entrepreneurship

Diverse communities continue to face barriers in accessing lucrative entrepreneurship opportunities created by Canada’s growing technology-driven innovation sector. Black entrepreneurs in particular, encounter steep challenges when starting and growing a business, from accessing seed capital to fewer publicly recognized role models.

To fill that void, we have created a partnership with Ryerson DMZ and other partners to create the first Canadian fellowship program for Black startup entrepreneurs.

DLF takes an ecosystem building approach to inclusive impact by partnering with ACB social entrepreneurs, community leaders, lenders and investors to achieve institutional changes and increase the flow of capital and capacity building support to ACB Canadian Social Entrepreneurs.

We support sector networks capacity development to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive of ACB and expand diversity, equity, inclusive (DEI)-related data collection and analysis in the social sector to understand the current state of diversity in the sector and identify opportunities to improve DEI capacity.

Accelerate your dreams

Ryerson DMZ has joined forces with a community of Founding Partners to develop the Black Innovation Fellowship. The first in Canada fellowship program will provide startups led by Black entrepreneurs with the strengthening support of a top university-based incubator network, as well as additional programming, mentorship, events, and connections to industry, capital and an alumni network, to support their success and growth.

Ready to accelerate your dreams?

The DMZ Black Innovation Fellowship (view on Facebook)

Shopify’s Harley Finkelstein on supporting the DMZ Black Innovation Fellowship (view on Facebook)

Mayor Tory on the City of Toronto supporting the DMZ Black Innovation Fellowship (view on Facebook)

Government of Ontario announces $1.2M support towards Ryerson’s DMZ Black Innovation Programs (view on YouTube)

Developing underrepresented entrepreneurs

This Dream Legacy Foundation entrepreneurship initiative, in collaboration with Microsoft for Startups Canada and RBC Future Launch, is to guide, support and develop underrepresented entrepreneurs that will create 50 new businesses and 500 jobs by 2025.

To learn more, fill out the form on our Initiatives page.