Conference speaker Isaac Olowolafe donated his company’s hotel Dream Suites for African delegates who managed to snag a visa last minute but had nowhere to stay, while another delegate personally flew 23 passports to the Canadian visa processing centre in the Nigerian capital of Abuja to make sure they were stamped ahead of their owners’ flights to Toronto.
READ MOREBlack Innovation Connections provides Black founders across Canada with a track-based coaching program and $5,000 grants to fuel business growth.
READ MOREA new federally funded organization is hoping to paint the first comprehensive, national picture of Black-owned businesses in Canada.
READ MOREBlack entrepreneurship has always been a vital part of Canada’s economy, but large-scale, detailed research and pan-Canadian information on it has been limited. This knowledge and sharing of lived experiences has a vital role in informing the public policies that are needed to address the systemic barriers Black entrepreneurs face when building their businesses.
READ MOREBlack Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs make important contributions to the Canadian economy, yet they continue to face systemic racism and obstacles to starting and growing their businesses. This has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada is working to address long-standing barriers through its first-ever Black Entrepreneurship Program—an investment of over $400 million to support the long-term success of Black entrepreneurs and business owners.
READ MORELes propriétaires d'entreprise et les entrepreneurs canadiens noirs jouent un rôle important dans l'économie canadienne. Pourtant ils continuent de faire face à du racisme systémique et à des obstacles quand vient le temps de démarrer ou de faire croître leur entreprise, une situation qui s'est d'ailleurs empirée durant la pandémie de COVID-19. Le gouvernement du Canada souhaite éliminer ces obstacles de longue date, et c'est pourquoi il a mis sur pied le Programme pour l'entrepreneuriat des communautés noires, le tout premier programme du genre au pays. Le Programme est le fruit d'un investissement de plus de 400 millions de dollars et il vise à soutenir la réussite à long terme des entrepreneurs et des propriétaires d'entreprise de la communauté noire.
READ MOREBuilding small businesses, institutional relationships and creating more home ownership leads to a 'thriving community,' says Isaac Olowolafe Jr.
READ MOREWe’ve heard the words “unprecedented times” a little too much this year. Even though many things didn’t go quite as planned in 2020, the adverse realities and injustices that are coming into the light are actual, real experiences of the people in our communities. The pandemic intensified many of these struggles and people are now starting to pay attention to some of the struggles that Black, Indigenous and people of colour face.
READ MOREThe Falling Through The Cracks survey of close to 350 diverse entrepreneurs, conducted by the Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) and Dream Legacy Foundation (DLF), sought to provide a fuller, more diverse picture of the economic crisis in Canada.
READ MOREA well-known entrepreneur, business owner, and philanthropist, Olowolafe launched Dream Maker Ventures in 2016.
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