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$2.6 million to Lethbridge group will support Black entrepreneurs

Feb 22, 2022 | 10:27 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A local organization is hard at work setting up a new initiative to help Black entrepreneurs in Western Canada thrive.

Prairies Economic Development Canada has provided a grant of $2.6 million to the BIPOC Foundation.

Clement Esene, Executive Director of BIPOC, says this will help them launch their flagship program, the Black Founders Hub (BFH).

“Our Black Founders Hub accelerator program will provide underserved businesses, Black tech startups, and scale-ups with training, mentorship, educational resources, business opportunities, cooperation, and representation — closing the economic ecosystem involvement gap evidenced by the low number of Black-led businesses in the region.”

The BFH will offer a 10-week accelerator course for Black-led companies to provide training to help start-up ventures in any sector and underserved Black-tech startups and scale-ups. It will include idea validation, value proposition, funding approval, and customer discovery.

Renae Barlow, VP of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Economic Development Lethbridge, says the BFH is yet another tool to grow the regional economy.

“With programs and support from RINSA (Regional Innovation Network of Southern Alberta), WESTEM (Women Entrepreneurs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and now BIPOC Foundation, entrepreneurs in our region and throughout Western Canada have a wide array of innovative tools and resources and a growing network of organizations that can help them start, grow and ultimately succeed.”

Officials say the BFH, which will be based out of Lethbridge, will use digital tools to provide programming across Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Along with a similar investment in Edmonton, these programs will help support over 300 businesses across Western Canada and provide training to more than 100 Black entrepreneurs in Alberta.

To learn more about the BFH and how to get involved with it, go to the BIPOC Foundation’s website.

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