The Black Entrepreneurship Alliance creates space, mentorship and community for racialized founders in the GTA.
As an urban planning graduate with a concentration in local economic development, Olu Villasa spent years studying how access is distributed throughout the city.
Today, he uses that knowledge to support historically underserved entrepreneurs as a program manager Black Enterprise Alliance (BEA).
“We need new blood, new people, new ideas, new innovations.”
Olu Villasa, drink
Canada's startup economy has long struggled with representation.
Less than two percent venture funding goes to black founders, and more three quarters Black Canadian founders say their race makes it difficult to succeed.
For entrepreneurs in areas such as the Jane and Finch areas of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) or Rexdale, the barriers are even higher.
The organization provides curated programs, mentorship, non-dilutive funding opportunities, and a network for Black and racialized entrepreneurs and professionals in the GTA.
“There were no comprehensive incubator programs in these communities,” Villasa said. “We saw this problem and said, 'We need to fill this gap.'
The BEA was developed jointly by York University's YSpace, Black Creek Community Health Center, TD Center for Community Engagement, and Schulich ExecEd.
According to YSpace Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation David Kwok, the idea for BEA began with a conversation about creating dedicated support for the Black community, which quickly came together when funding was announced in 2021 and a partnership opportunity at Black Creek Community Health Center arose.
YSpace has since developed programs that go beyond technology entrepreneurship to include skills development and intrapreneurship.
“We know that Black Creek is home to a large population of Black people with a variety of needs; so we co-created it to meet Black people where they were and focus on their needs and how we support them where they are,” Kwok added.
Launched in 2021, the BEA program was the first entrepreneurship program at Jane and Finch designed to serve Black and racialized founders and professionals. The organization currently operates its programs virtually and outside of York University.
BEA's work is inseparable from geography, Villasa said. Much of his work is based on studies of innovation deserts and the uneven geographies of innovation on inner city fringes, which document the lack of innovation infrastructure in underserved communities. “We don’t have OneEleven or MaRS in these regions,” Villasa added.
The alliance now offers fully funded programs throughout the GTA. Early-stage founders can access mentorship and training courses, while more advanced entrepreneurs can join food and technology accelerators or investor training programs. Through partnerships, BEA also provides training for Black professionals who want to work in startups.
Villasa calls this initiative “the road to innovation.” The goal is not to replicate the work of downtown accelerators, but to create a first stop for people who may have never stepped into these places before.
“You start with us, but you are not going to end with us. We want to initiate the uninitiated. We want new blood, new people, new ideas, new innovations,” he said.
BEA has already supported 136 registered businesses and over 500 first-time founders. One such business is Swirl, which offers a marketplace that turns communities into creative agencies and where brands can invest in campaigns that have social impact.
BEA first connected with Swirl co-founder Kay Boamah at Collision 2022. “I applied, got in, and things started to click from there,” Boamah told BetaKit in June when Swirl announced campaign with Shoot for Peace and Toronto Raptors Jermon Williams.
Earlier this month, BEA received $2.4 million in funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario to expand support for the Business and Professionals Alliance. Villasa said the funding will allow the alliance to undertake broader community economic development activities in Toronto's northwest region and neighboring municipalities.
For Villasa, whose career began in urban planning, the idea of a physical center seems inevitable. That vision is now taking shape at the Element Centre, BEA's future dedicated hub in northwest Toronto. The Alliance has already secured a pilot workspace at the University of York's Keele campus and is developing fundraising and membership pre-sales campaigns.
“The Element Center is not just about creating a space,” Villasa added. “This is about setting a benchmark for inclusive innovation and expanding economic opportunity for future generations.”
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BEA is a Black initiative promoting Black entrepreneurs and professionals. Learn more about our upcoming innovation center, the Element Center..
Photos courtesy of BEA.
