University of British Columbia partners with the Casa Foundation to launch the Black Advisory Hub in Western Canada with entrepreneurship@UBC as the Delivery Partner
UBC today announced a partnership with the Casa Foundation to launch the Black Advisory Hub (BAH) in Western Canada. The Casa Foundation has been awarded funding from the Government of Canada’s Black Entrepreneurship Program to execute and deliver the Black Advisory Hub, a national program across Canada to support Black entrepreneurs in Canada to start and grow their businesses. Casa initiatives include business fundamentals training, mentorship, entrepreneurial programming, networking events, webinars and workshops that provide resources and opportunities for Black entrepreneurs, and support for Black-led businesses. entrepreneurship@UBC will be the delivery partner for the BAH program and related services at UBC.
The goal of the BAH program is to deliver national services over four years to support 8,500 entrepreneurs and 750 Black-led businesses, while creating 175 new businesses and an estimated 1,000 jobs. The Casa Foundation identified the University of British Columbia as an academic anchor, and entrepreneurship@UBC specifically as the delivery partner, to help them connect with, and find ways to support BIPOC entrepreneurs at UBC and the broader regional ecosystem.
Since 2013, entrepreneurship@UBC has supported over 740 UBC founded ventures by providing a broad range of services such as, entrepreneurial skills training, embedded mentorship and advisory services, and Makerspace, among other important resources. e@UBC has a strong track record of working collaboratively across the university, and is recognized as a valued partner throughout Vancouver’s startup ecosystem. And finally, e@UBC’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is rooted in its mission to democratize entrepreneurship. Recognizing the diversity of e@UBC’s venture community where approximately 40% of ventures supported by e@UBC were co-founded by at least one international student; 64% of ventures are addressing three or more United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and 55% of mentorship hours were delivered by women in 2023, partnering with the Casa Foundation is the ideal complement to e@UBC venture resources.
“The Casa Foundation is an exceptional partner to strengthen the ecosystem of BIPOC entrepreneurs and business leaders in BC.” notes Dr. Sean Lumb, Associate Director, entrepreneurship@UBC. Adding, “we are thrilled to be advancing the supports provided to BIPOC founders who are members of the UBC community, and by extension, helping them connect to the broader regional ecosystem.
“The Casa Foundation is so pleased to partner with the University of British Columbia in our efforts to bring the BAH to Western Canada. Our mission of sharing scalable, innovative approaches and resources to supporting economic integration of Black entrepreneurs, will be furthered through this collaboration” stated Dr. Olutoyin Oyelade, President and CEO, Casa Foundation.
entrepreneurship@UBC is also pleased to share that Abigail Okyere, previously a UBC Mastercard Scholars Foundation Recipient and entrepreneur, will be joining the team as the Program Manager for the BAH project.
About the Casa Foundation for International Development
Casa Foundation for International Development is a Canadian not-for-profit founded in 2011 to advance women, youths, and emerging leaders through economic, entrepreneurship, and business development initiatives. Casa Foundation offers support to vertical sectors in, education, health, and infrastructure. Its social impact programs and initiatives are executed through the trifold approach of Partnership, Sponsorship, and Mentorship. https://casafoundation.ca/
About entrepreneurship@UBC
entrepreneurship@UBC propels UBC innovations out into the world through venture creation, providing UBC students, researchers, faculty members, alumni and staff with the resources, networks, and funding they need to succeed.
As one of the world’s top 40 research universities with 80,000 students, faculty and staff and just under $750M in annual research funding, UBC has long been a catalyst for innovation. Part of the Innovation UBC network, entrepreneurship@UBC supports UBC ventures and entrepreneurs to generate social and economic impacts in B.C. and around the world. To date, entrepreneurship@UBC ventures have raised more than $1.83 billion in funding, generated more than $739 million in revenue and hired more than 1800 employees, stimulating the economic and social landscape of B.C. while building anchor companies that have a global impact.
For more information contact:
Abigail Okeyere, Project Lead, e@UBC for Casa Foundation BAH, Western Canada
abigail.okyere@ubc.ca