February is Black History Month, and Small Business BC is excited to celebrate the future of Black entrepreneurship. We created a small list of Black History Month events in BC that champion the Black community, especially business owners and entrepreneurs. You’ll find opportunities to learn about and engage with the Black community in BC on this list, including a Small Business BC meet-up guaranteed to sell out, so take a look and register now for an event near you.
1. Small Business BC Meet-Up
Network, learn, and celebrate with a thriving community of entrepreneurs at Small Business BC’s annual Black Entrepreneurship Meetup. Join us on Thursday, February 22, from 4:30 pm to 7 pm at the Small Business BC office as we showcase a panel of BC-based black entrepreneurs sharing their entrepreneurial stories, advice, and expertise.
2. Black Pitch Contest
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The Black Pitch Contest invites Canadian entrepreneurs to submit their ideas for a chance to win $25,000 to start, grow, and scale their businesses. Entrants can win cash prizes, gain national recognition, and access resources and tools to transform their business.
The submission deadline is February 16, 2024, at 11:59 pm PST. You can learn more, attend an info session, and RSVP on the BEBC website. And mark your calendars because the Black Business Summit is happening in Vancouver on May 24 and 25.
3. Black in BC
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Black in BC: Celebrating Black Excellence 2024 is happening on Thursday, February 1, from 3 pm to 7 pm. This free event in Surrey includes panel talks from Black business leaders, a fashion show, a traditional African cuisine buffet, door prizes and African music and entertainment.
4. Black History Month Launch and Reception
This event from the BC Black History Awareness Society kicks off in Victoria on February 1 from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the diverse history of Black people in BC dating back to 1858. Enjoy food and music from Lorican Tones, whose band members are of African and Caribbean descent. You can learn more about this Black History Month event on its event page.
5. Women Founder Meetup
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The BIPOC community is welcome to join the entrepreneurship@UBC community for its February Women Founder Meetup. This is a great chance to connect and network with women and non-binary founders, executives, leaders, and mentors in Vancouver. The event is happening at UBC Robson Square on Thursday, February 8, and you can visit the event page for more details.
Small Business BC is Here to Help
SBBC is a non-profit resource centre for BC-based small businesses. Whatever your idea of success is, we’re here to provide holistic support and resources at every step of the journey. Check out our range of business webinars, on-demand E-Learning Education, our Talk to an Expert Advisories, or browse our business articles.
