Black Business and Professional Association announces eight winners of the Second Annual Rise Up Pitch Competition for Black female entrepreneurs

BY PAUL JUNOR

The Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) has been at the forefront of fulfilling its mission to provide support and resources to empower Black businesses.

Rise Up is one of the programs which is uniquely geared to Black women. According to the website: risepitch.ca, it is “designed to help Black women entrepreneurs develop key skills, build their networks, and receive the support they need to succeed.” It basically, provides a platform for these women, “at any stage of business, to shine and pitch for the chance to win thousands of dollars in financial rewards and resources.” In this second year of the Rise Up Pitch Competition, there were about 600 applicants. There were certain specific eligibility criteria that had to be satisfied, some of which are listed below:

• Must be a for-profit business
• A Founder and majority shareholder of a business registered and operating in Canada
• Applicant must hold the most senior executive title and/or be the chief decision-maker
• Applicant must be the founder of the business and/or have had a significant impact on the company if acquired

Successful applicants participated in business workshops over two days on March 8^th and 9^th. On the first day, they learned about, “Understanding Your Motives and Purpose” from Olutoyin Oyelade and the “Business Model Canvass” by Tka Pinnock. This workshop on the BMC is an integral part of the Black African Caribbean Entrepreneurship Leadership (BACEL) Master Class series. It helps the participants to attain the following goals:

• Rethink their business objectives
• Create their business plan and pitch to inventions
• Understand their business collaborate with consultants and have direction
• Think deeply about who they serve, what they do, and their value proposition
• Realize their business should be profit-making

The first day wrapped up with a workshop on, “Branding, Digital Marketing, and Social Media” by Brendan Boy, of Marketing w/BrandEQ Agency. On the 2^nd day, they learned

“Design Thinking,” “eCommerce 101 and Planning, and “Financial Literacy.” On Thursday, March 31^st, 2022, twenty-four of these Black women entrepreneurs participated in a final pitch to a panel of judges. They were selected after careful scrutiny by business experts of over 200 business plans that had to be submitted by Friday, March 18^th. The 8 winners in 8 categories are:

• Business Services – Michele Williams, Being Here, Human
• Consumer Goods and Services -Kadeesha Lindsay, Untainted Bath & Body Care
• Creative Arts and Culture -Chelsea Nyomi, Vagus Creatives
• Hospitality and Food -Britney Charlton, Ohh! Foods
• Innovation /Best Pivot During COVID-19- Sheneice and Shanoira,Queer Queens Travel
• Startup – Tamara Whilby, Women & Children Precious Shelter
• Teach and Manufacturing- Michelin Khan, Althea Therapy
• Youth Entrepreneur – Sabryna Parkin, Haus of Injexs Injectibles

Black women entrepreneurs who are interested in pitching their business to receive funding for 2023 can check the website:riseup.ca to see all the eligibility criteria.