February marks the beginning of Black History Month (BHM), but have people ever wondered why do Black people have a dedicated month to them and their struggle? What’s the reason behind celebrating Black History Month in Canada? Although people may have never been taught about this in school since there’s a lack of representation in historical textbooks, there were enslaved Black people in Canada once. From the early 17th century to 1834, Indigenous and Black people in Canada were bought, traded, sold and inherited.
Every Canadian needs to know and understand this since it represents the birth of what they know today as systemic racism. The Blacks are historically underrepresented and have faced several systemic barriers. For this reason, Canadians recognize Black History Month since it is a chance for everyone to learn the story and better understand the struggle faced by Black people in Canada, even now.
It’s the best time to celebrate, appreciate, and honour Black Canadians’ contributions and achievements and their communities. Black-led organizations pulled out and are pulling out all the stops in order to make Canada a compassionate, prosperous and culturally diverse country.
One such organization that is vital to the growth of the Black community is BBVA (Black Business Ventures Association). They are on a mission to create more Black-led tech startups by connecting the Black community with the tech ecosystem.
A Brief about BBVA
BBVA believes that there’s a notable diversity gap in the tech ecosystem of Canada. Black-owned startups and tech-enabled companies in Canada can offer immense economic impact and opportunity in an industry where just 2.6% of Canada’s workforce is Black. They believe that black-owned startups fail not just because of lack of money and infrastructure or mentoring but also because of diversity problems and under-representation in the technology sector. Their programs offer a noteworthy opportunity to lay out money in underrepresented Black tech startups and founders and achieve meaningful commercial outcomes.
BBVA (Black Business Ventures Association) supports an ecosystem that inspires tech entrepreneurship and fuels economic growth for Black business owners. They develop programs that empower Black entrepreneurs, make it easier to share resources, and stimulate innovation.
They envision a lively Canadian tech ecosystem with meaningful participation by every member of the Black community. Their prime aim is to add 1,000 Black-owned companies by the end of 2030. Also, they plan to increase the total number of angel investors and that too from the Black community.
About BBVA’s Accelerator Program
Aimed at empowering Black tech-led startups, BBVA (Black Business Ventures Association) has launched their first-ever Black Seed Accelerator Program to support Black tech founders in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta. This program empowers and assists the Black-led technology startups for Black founders with Black industry professionals.
Much of the interest in their Accelerator program has been sparked by Canadian governments at all levels, who are looking to propel Canada’s economy forward. This particular program is designed to be a catalyst for creating black-led technology founders. There isn’t any cost to participate once applicants have qualified, and they do not need to give up any kind of equity to participate. Additionally, the program is completely remote and flexible, making it easy for the participants to gain access and be part of a community.
If business owners (identified as Black) want a roadmap to success for their technology-enabled startup, they can apply to this program by following this link.
What Black-led Business Owners Will Get to Learn Through This Program?
The Accelerator program is exclusively designed to meet the needs of black-owned tech and technology-enabled startups to help them turn their ideas into paying clients in just 12 weeks. From accessing funds to scale their business to gaining support through the BBVA Playbooks, one gets to learn:
- How to design business models;
- How to certify if their idea is worth the investment;
- How to communicate an idea in a clear-cut and concise way to external and internal stakeholders;
- How to prioritize and identify the riskiest assumptions in their business model;
- How to make use of customer interviews to learn from customers;
- How to establish a company-wide dashboard;
- How to pitch to customers;
- How to make decisions and operate under extreme uncertainty conditions.
About BBVA’s Mwanzo Program
The BBVA (Black Business Ventures Association) has launched a new program named – Mwanzo Business Program, which aims to empower Black-led startups. This program is designed for emerging and existing Black entrepreneurs in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to go from idea to reality in 30 days. The word ‘Mwanzo’ means ‘Beginning.’ This particular program guides aspiring Black entrepreneurs through the initial steps of beginning a new business. It also provides the necessary basic assistance that Black entrepreneurs generally overlook. The prime aim of this program is to empower and support the entire Black community by helping to increase and accelerate the total number of Black entrepreneurs and businesses to generate more income, impacting the community as a whole.
This program introduces core business fundamentals for those who want to light their entrepreneurial desires and strive to start a business that gives them the lifestyle and financial freedom they crave for. There isn’t any fee for participating in this program. In addition, it’s fully remote and flexible, allowing participants to gain access to the program and community while developing and launching their next business idea.
If people( identified as Black) think they have a bold business idea, they can enroll in this program by following this link.
What Aspiring Black Entrepreneurs Will Get to Learn Through This Program?
- They will learn how to maximize their revenue by targeting more customers through the use of technology;
- They will have access to numerous non-repayable funding that’s available to Black entrepreneurs and how it is eligible for them;
- They will get the chance to connect and network with several other Black entrepreneurs in order to make their business grow.
To know more about BBVA, one can scroll through their official website and explore more.
