BIZ $10K Early-Stage Grant Prize

Powered by BFN Accelerate, this grant supports Black founders across any sector, who have raised or generated less than $100K.

The Black Innovation Zone (BIZ) is a collaborative initiative designed to enhance the visibility and support of Black founders, investors, and professionals in Canada. For the second time at Startupfest, the BIZ is offering 4 grants for Black-led startups!

Eligibility Criteria

The BIZ $10K Early-Stage Grant Prize is open to any Black-led startup in attendance that has raised or generated less than $100K. For the purposes of this prize, we define a Black-led startup as a startup with the most senior member of the executive team being a Black leader.

There is no application process, no form to fill out and no video to submit. All you need to do is register for and attend Startupfest, and be ready to pitch to the judges.

The Process

Pitching: Your goal is to get at least one Investor Judge to shortlist your startup during the first two days of the event.

• Pitches will run through the first two days of Startupfest.
• Pitch your startup to the Investor Judges at the Black Innovation Zone - $60k BIZ Grants space in The Startupfest Village on July 8th & 9th from 11:30-5:00 PM.
• Your pitch needs to be no more than 1 minute, but be prepared for questions from the Investor Judges.

The Shortlist Process

Three finalists per grant will be shortlisted by Thursday afternoon, July 9th, and contacted by the BIZ team.

The Finalist Process

The grant winners will be announced at the closing ceremonies on Friday afternoon.