Black Founders Network / en 福利姬自慰startup targets harmful side effect of cancer treatment /news/u-t-startup-targets-harmful-side-effect-cancer-treatment <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">福利姬自慰startup targets harmful side effect of cancer treatment</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-03/HDAX_Jan-5%2C-2024_Volpe_Edits-01-crop.jpg?h=a7ee5f2a&amp;itok=yajTqJtf 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-03/HDAX_Jan-5%2C-2024_Volpe_Edits-01-crop.jpg?h=a7ee5f2a&amp;itok=GO45lqgV 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-03/HDAX_Jan-5%2C-2024_Volpe_Edits-01-crop.jpg?h=a7ee5f2a&amp;itok=xDJryCG4 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-03/HDAX_Jan-5%2C-2024_Volpe_Edits-01-crop.jpg?h=a7ee5f2a&amp;itok=yajTqJtf" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-03-06T11:17:45-05:00" title="Wednesday, March 6, 2024 - 11:17" class="datetime">Wed, 03/06/2024 - 11:17</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Nabanita Nawar and Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul, co-founders of HDAX Therapeutics, met while they were pursuing doctoral studies at 福利姬自慰Mississauga鈥檚 department of chemical and physical sciences&nbsp;(photo by Matthew Volpe)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-week" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Week</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dentistry" hreflang="en">Dentistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utest" hreflang="en">UTEST</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">HDAX Therapeutics is focused on developing treatments for peripheral nerve damage, which can result from chemotherapy or radiation</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Pain, numbness, sore muscles and even paralysis. These are some of the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, an often-debilitating condition associated with chemotherapy, radiation and other cancer treatments.&nbsp;</p> <p>Such peripheral nerve damage can be temporary, but for some, it never goes away.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭here鈥檚 often really nothing for these patients except just symptom management and putting fingers and toes in a bucket of ice,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Nabanita Nawar</strong>, who holds a PhD in medicinal chemistry from the University of Toronto.&nbsp;</p> <p>Nawar is the CEO and a co-founder of HDAX Therapeutics, a startup that grew out of technology developed in 福利姬自慰Mississauga鈥檚 department of chemical and physical sciences. The company is currently working on treatments that focus on HDAC 6, a protein that has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative disorders 鈥 including the peripheral nerve damage experienced by many cancer patients.</p> <p>鈥淲e are essentially developing new medicine for diseases that have a transport problem in the body,鈥 Nawar says, referring to the protein鈥檚 key role in multiple cellular processes.&nbsp;</p> <p>HDAX鈥檚 patented mechanism targets HDAC 6 to return damaged neurons to health.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淥ur target, HDAC6, plays a key role in regulating microtubule stability and thus, affects axonal transport,鈥 explained <strong>Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul</strong>, who also earned a PhD at 福利姬自慰and is now chief operations officer at HDAX. 鈥淚n diseased states for indications that we are targeting, these axonal transports are impaired resulting in nerve degeneration, which results in symptoms in patients.鈥</p> <p>By using a 鈥渢wo-site binding modality,鈥 the startup鈥檚 technology essentially holds the target with two figurative hands instead of one&nbsp;鈥 like many of its competitors 鈥&nbsp;providing a tighter grip on the protein and a key competitive advantage.&nbsp;</p> <p>The treatment, still in pre-clinical testing, would be delivered in the form of an oral pill.&nbsp;</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-03/HDAX_Jan-5%2C-2024_Volpe_Edits-44-crop.jpg?itok=3ViuLxf3" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>(photo by Matthew Volpe)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>The HDAX team also plans to apply the startup鈥檚 technology to target transport mechanisms in cardio-metabolic diseases, including heart failure.</p> <p>Manaswiyoungkul met Nawar in the lab when they were pursing doctoral studies. She says Nawar, who was on the medicinal chemistry side, would give her compounds to evaluate.</p> <p>鈥淭he flow of how we worked in the&nbsp;lab helped us&nbsp;connect,鈥 Manaswiyoungkul says.&nbsp;</p> <p>Working with fellow researchers&nbsp;<strong>Elvin de Araujo</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Olasunkanmi Olaoye</strong>, it wasn鈥檛 long before Nawar and Manaswiyoungkul shifted their focus to the challenges of translating their promising research into a viable business.&nbsp;</p> <p>The team established HDAX in&nbsp;2021 and received&nbsp;its first big funding injection 鈥 and a confidence boost 鈥 a few months later when it <a href="https://mbd.utoronto.ca/news/hdax-therapeutics/">won a&nbsp;bio-venture pitch competition</a>&nbsp;hosted by&nbsp;<a href="https://mbd.utoronto.ca/">Medicine by Design</a>, a U of T&nbsp;<a href="https://isi.utoronto.ca/">institutional strategic initiative</a>&nbsp;focused on regenerative medicine and cell therapy.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭hat was the first thing that made us think, 鈥極K, this may be a real company 鈥 this could really be something.鈥 It wasn鈥檛 just in our heads,鈥 Nawar says.</p> <p>HDAX has since attracted a total of $1.3 million in funding, Manaswiyoungkul says, noting the company and its five full-time employees is now preparing for its first seed round funding.</p> <p>The work of Nawar, Manaswiyoungkul and their teammates hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed. The two founders recently earned an unexpected individual accolade: inclusion in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesunder30team/2023/08/09/30-under-30-local-2023-toronto/?sh=84c7f2037d2d" target="_blank"><em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;list of&nbsp;30 under 30 Torontonians</a>. When the&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;email landed in Nawar鈥檚 inbox, she says she was so surprised she wondered if it was spam.&nbsp;</p> <p>As it turns out, the duo were nominated by one of their early 福利姬自慰mentors,&nbsp;<strong>Paul Santerre</strong>, a professor in the Faculty of Dentistry and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.</p> <p>鈥淭he [HDAX] technology circumvents toxicity in neuro and cardiac drugs, with amazing efficacy demonstrated in their neuro models,鈥 Santerre says, adding that Nawar and Manaswiyoungkul 鈥渘ot only accomplished novel, impactful findings during their&nbsp;PhD/post doc training, but did the work to accelerate their evolution to becoming serious entrepreneurs.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p>Along the way, the startup received extensive support from the 福利姬自慰entrepreneurship community, which ranks first in Canada for research-based startups and among the top five globally for university startup accelerators. In particular, HDAX worked with&nbsp;<a href="https://utest.to/">UTEST</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://h2i.utoronto.ca/">Health Innovation Hub (H2i)</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Santerre says one of the keys to U of T鈥檚 successful entrepreneurial support network is its 鈥渘o wrong door鈥 policy.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭his means, regardless of where you come from at U of T, you will be supported by the incubators that best fit your venture,鈥 he says.</p> <p>Manaswiyoungkul鈥檚 advice for students thinking about making the leap into entrepreneurship? Just go for it.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥湼@ё晕縤s a very accepting community and there鈥檚 always someone who has more experience and the willingness to help take your ideas forward.鈥&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:17:45 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 306535 at 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Week 2023: Top 10 startups to watch /news/u-t-entrepreneurship-week-2023-top-10-startups-watch <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Week 2023: Top 10 startups to watch</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/top-ten-v5.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Dqozm0kv 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/top-ten-v5.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UhRjZMrh 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/top-ten-v5.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=meAsQRy7 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/top-ten-v5.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Dqozm0kv" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-03-02T11:01:59-05:00" title="Thursday, March 2, 2023 - 11:01" class="datetime">Thu, 03/02/2023 - 11:01</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(supplied images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/mariam-matti" hreflang="en">Mariam Matti</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-week" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Week</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/true-blue-expo" hreflang="en">True Blue Expo</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hub" hreflang="en">The Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/computer-science" hreflang="en">Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dalla-lana-school-public-health" hreflang="en">Dalla Lana School of Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-kinesiology-physical-education" hreflang="en">Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy" hreflang="en">Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/psychology" hreflang="en">Psychology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/self-driving-cars" hreflang="en">Self-Driving Cars</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-michael-s-hospital" hreflang="en">St. Michael's Hospital</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A plant-based alternative to conventional plastic. Using drones to tackle reforestation in wildfire-ravaged locations. And a new generation of self-driving technologies that leverage the full potential of artificial intelligence.</p> <p>These are just some innovative ideas that have emerged from the University of Toronto鈥檚 entrepreneurship community in recent years.</p> <p>Ranked <a href="/news/u-t-among-top-five-university-business-incubators-world-ubi-global?utm_source=UofTHome&amp;utm_medium=WebsiteBanner&amp;utm_content=UBIGlobalRanking">one of the top five university business incubators in the world</a>, 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship is set to celebrate these and other startups, as well as their founders, during its annual <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/events/entrepreneurship-week/">福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Week</a> from March 6 to 9. The schedule includes pitch competitions, workshops, panel discussions and the popular <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/event/true-blue-expo-2023/">True Blue Expo</a>, which will feature the founders of more than 40 of U of T鈥檚 top startups.</p> <p>Another highlight:<b> Raquel Urtasun, </b>founder and CEO of Waabi and a 福利姬自慰professor of computer science, will discuss lessons learned while building her&nbsp;self-driving vehicle company at the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/event/desjardins-speaker-series-entrepreneurship-week-keynote/">Desjardins Speakers Series</a> on March 9.</p> <p>Here are 10 exciting 福利姬自慰startups to keep an eye on in 2023:</p> <hr> <h3><a href="https://www.arma-bio.com/"><b>Arma Biosciences</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/arma-thumb2.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">The ability to give patients agency over their own health monitoring was one of the reasons <b>Surath Gomis</b> co-founded Arma Biosciences. The startup鈥檚 goal is to develop a new sensor technology for biomarker-informed digital health care. In partnership with Analog Devices, work on the company鈥檚 first product is underway 鈥 a handheld finger-prick blood test for patients with heart failure.</p> <p>With a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from U of T, Gomis established the company in 2020 with his supervisor <b>Shana Kelley</b>, a researcher in U of T鈥檚 Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Temerty Faculty of Medicine.</p> <p>Gomis hopes future products will include wearable, implantable and ingestible sensors for monitoring applications. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="https://erthos.ca/"><b>Erthos</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/erthos-thumbnail.jpg" style="width: 150px; height: 150px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;">福利姬自慰alumnae <b>Nuha Siddiqui</b> and <b>Kritika Tyagi</b> are working to transform the plastic industry for the better. In 2018, the pair co-founded Erthos, a company that offers fully biodegradable plant-based material as a replacement for single-use plastics.</p> <p>Erthos creates resins using materials that are both compostable and microplastic-free 鈥 and compatible with existing manufacturing technology. Siddiqui and Tyagi recently made the <i>Forbes </i><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/erthos/?sh=1fca8fe33ee0">list of 30 under 30 in the social impact category</a>, which noted that Erthos has raised more than US$5.5 million in funding.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.transcrypts.com/"><b>TransCrypts</b></a></h3> <p><b><img alt src="/sites/default/files/Transcrypts-thumbnail.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">Ali Zaheer</b> and <b>Zain Zaidi</b> co-founded TransCrypts to transform digital privacy and security. Back in 2020, they set out to answer a simple question: 鈥淲hy can鈥檛 consumers own their important documentation digitally and in a way that can be easily verified?鈥</p> <p>TransCrypts&nbsp;鈥 which took home a <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/resource/ute-startup-prize/#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Toronto%20Entrepreneurship,place%20on%20March%207%2C%202022">$10,000 second-place</a>&nbsp;startup prize at a 福利姬自慰pitch competition during last year鈥檚 Entrepreneurship Week&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;is a blockchain-based document verification platform that gives people direct access to their official documents, such as medical records. Supported by 福利姬自慰Scarborough鈥檚 <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/thehub/welcome">The Hub</a>, Zaheer and Zaidi <a href="/news/startup-brings-blockchain-ukrainian-refugees-lands-24-million-funding">have already helped thousands of Ukrainian refugees access medical records</a> through a pilot project and landed US$2.4 million in funding from backers including <i>Shark Tank</i> investor Mark Cuban.</p> <h3><a href="https://waabi.ai/"><b>Waabi</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/waabi-thumb-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">A world-leading expert in machine learning and computer vision, <b>Raquel Urtasun </b>was inspired to start Waabi when she recognized a need for a new generation of self-driving technologies that leverage AI鈥檚 full potential. Backed by high-profile investors, <a href="/news/raquel-urtasun-s-self-driving-startup-waabi-brings-volvo-strategic-investor-reports">including Volvo</a> and Uber, the company is leading the way when it comes to the next generation of self-driving solutions.</p> <p>The company recently launched Waabi World, an advanced simulator to test its autonomous vehicles, and Waabi Driver, its first generation of self-driving trucks. Urtasun says she focused on the long-haul trucking sector because it鈥檚 one of the most dangerous occupations 鈥 not to mention an industry that suffers from a shortage of drivers.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.wooyourboo.com/"><b>WooYourBoo</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/wooyourboo-thumbnail.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">Husband-and-wife co-founders La Vance and <b>Colleen Dotson</b> 鈥 head coach of the 福利姬自慰Track &amp; Field Club 鈥 are the entrepreneurial force behind a slick dating app for people already in relationships.</p> <p>WooYourBoo aims to help partners reconnect and better communicate with each other through quizzes, activities and rewards.</p> <p><span style="background:white">鈥淥ur goal is to create depth and help you reconnect with this person that you鈥檝e committed to 鈥 and make it fun</span>,鈥 Colleen recently <a href="/news/relationship-feeling-stale-wooyourboo-startup-help-couples-reconnect">told <i>福利姬自慰News</i></a>.</p> <p>The Dotsons say that U of T鈥檚 <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a> was instrumental in building WooYourBoo, which was among the inaugural cohort of the BFN Accelerate Program.</p> <h3><a href="https://otilumionics.com/"><b>OTI Lumionics</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/oti-thumbnail.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">OTI Lumionics could change the look of the smartphone in your pocket.</p> <p>Founded by 福利姬自慰alumnus <b>Michael Helander</b>, the company has been working on expanding its line of organic LED technology solutions 鈥 <a href="/news/startup-s-tech-could-put-end-unsightly-screen-notches-smartphones">including smartphone screens that are uninterrupted by notches</a>, which are currently needed to house front-facing cameras and other equipment in some smartphone designs.</p> <p>The company, which was spun out of research at U of T, has <a href="https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2018/12/11/microsoft-quantum-startups/">collaborated with Microsoft Quantum</a> and, most recently, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/26/say-goodbye-to-the-notch-oti-raises-55m-for-technology-to-remove-screen-obstructions/">their name has been connected to Apple</a> as a key supplier for a future notch-free iPhone.</p> <h3><a href="https://flashforest.ca/"><b>Flash Forest</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/flashforest-thumbnail_0.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">Flash Forest, a startup with ties to 福利姬自慰Mississauga, is fighting climate change and restoring forests by leveraging the use of drones, AI, geographic information systems and plant science technology.</p> <p>The company 鈥 which received support from U of T鈥檚 Mississauga鈥檚 ICUBE incubator 鈥 recently inked a federal contract to use drones to <a href="/news/startup-lands-federal-contract-plant-one-million-trees-across-canada-using-drones">plant more than one million trees</a> over the next two years in wildfire-ravaged locations across Canada.</p> <p>The co-founders, brothers Bryce and Cameron Jones, say they are focused on restoring severe wildfire sites where the seed pods and cones are lost.</p> <h3><a href="https://signal1.ai/"><b>Signal 1</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/signal-thumbnail-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">Signal 1 is <a href="/news/health-startup-signal-1-ai-uses-machine-learning-save-lives-globe-and-mail-betakit">looking to transform health care</a> by equipping doctors and nurses with real-time AI predictions.</p> <p>The company, co-founded by CEO <b>Tomi Poutanen</b>, a 福利姬自慰alumnus, and <b>Mara Lederman</b>, professor of strategic management at the Rotman School of Management, has built a machine learning tool called CHARTWatch that can help predict how much support a patient will need.</p> <p>The tool was originally developed at St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital by a team led by Signal 1's clinical adviser <b>Muhammad Mamdani</b>, who is vice-president of data science and advanced analytics at Unity Health Toronto and holds cross-appointments at U of T鈥檚 Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health.</p> <p>The surgical unit at St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital <a href="https://unityhealth.to/2023/02/chartwatch-surgical/">has already begun using CHARTWatch</a> to help care teams communicate and make decisions.</p> <h3><a href="https://mounibrealfoodonly.ca/"><b>Mounib Real Food Only</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/mounib-thumb2.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">When 福利姬自慰Scarborough alumna <b>Iman Mounib </b>encountered gut health issues, she took it upon herself to create products that are free of refined sugars, palm oils, gluten and dairy.</p> <p>She founded Mounib Real Food Only, <a href="/news/simple-eco-friendly-chocolate-hazelnut-spread-real-food-only-startup-has-you-covered">which sells a chocolate hazelnut spread</a> made of just three local ingredients. The company also makes a peanut chocolate spread, as well as an almond chocolate version. Mounib鈥檚 goal was to create alternatives to popular products that are both tasty and good for you.</p> <p>The products are sold in almost 20 restaurants, cafes and stores in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as one location in Ottawa.</p> <h3><a href="https://hippocamera.com/"><b>HippoCamera</b></a></h3> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/hippocamera-thumb-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left; width: 150px; height: 150px;">HippoCamera is a smartphone application that helps to improve memory recall, which could be beneficial for individuals in the early stages of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease or other forms of memory impairment.</p> <p>Backed by years of research at U of T, the app has an easy-to-use interface and is a personalized way to boost recall of daily experiences and enhance activity in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a key role in memory.</p> <p><b>Morgan Barense</b>, a professor in the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science and co-author of <a href="/news/smartphone-app-designed-u-t-researchers-can-significantly-improve-memory-recall">a recent study on the technology</a>, said her team found that memories that were associated with the HippoCamera were long-lasting 鈥 and that the device worked for both healthy older adults and those starting to show cognitive decline.</p> <h3><a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/events/entrepreneurship-week/">Learn more about U of Entrepreneurship Week</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 02 Mar 2023 16:01:59 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 180382 at 福利姬自慰Scarborough partners with Federation of Black Canadians to support Black entrepreneurs /news/u-t-scarborough-partners-federation-black-canadians-support-black-entrepreneurs <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">福利姬自慰Scarborough partners with Federation of Black Canadians to support Black entrepreneurs</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/FBC-UTSC1-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=XDDPnLLZ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/FBC-UTSC1-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ffhZhMPR 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/FBC-UTSC1-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mR0Sqt2Z 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/FBC-UTSC1-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=XDDPnLLZ" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-02-22T09:12:43-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - 09:12" class="datetime">Wed, 02/22/2023 - 09:12</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">From left to right: Efosa Obano, Chris Thompson, Ebenezer Oteng, Filomena Tassi, Wisdom Tettey and Gary Anandasangaree (photo by Dylan Toombs)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/don-campbell" hreflang="en">Don Campbell</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/wisdom-tettey" hreflang="en">Wisdom Tettey</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black" hreflang="en">Black</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto Scarborough and the Federation of Black Canadians are partnering on a new project that will support the next generation of Black entrepreneurs.</p> <p>The partnership is part of a $1.3-million investment announced by the federal government for the Federation of Black Canadians (FBC), a Black-led non-profit organization aimed at enhancing services that support and mentor Black youth and young adult entrepreneurs.</p> <p>Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, made the announcement at 福利姬自慰Scarborough鈥檚 Catalyst Centre on Feb. 21.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭he Federation of Black Canadians will provide a vital platform for young Black entrepreneurs to develop, launch and scale-up their businesses with the investment announced today,鈥 said Tassi, who was joined by Gary Anandasangaree, MP for Scarborough鈥揜ouge Park.</p> <p>The Federation of Black Canadians will collaborate with 福利姬自慰Scarborough, <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/thebridge/">The&nbsp;BRIDGE</a> and U of T鈥檚&nbsp;<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a> (BFN) to conduct research, including surveys, in Black communities across Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. The goal is to determine the needs, obstacles and structural challenges faced by young Black entrepreneurs. The findings will help create programming, including a four-month entrepreneurial program focused on business planning, finance, risk management, legislation and commercialization 鈥 all aimed at supporting the success of Black entrepreneurs.</p> <p>The BRIDGE will also partner with the federation&nbsp;to support the creation of a 12-month mentorship program that offers one-on-one support from leaders in the Black community aimed at building professional networks and expanding social capital.&nbsp;Topics will include managing stress, debt, technology, brand and business development, as well as mental wellness.</p> <p>Founded in 2017, the Federation of Black Canadians works to further the social, economic, political and cultural interests of Black Canadians. It focuses on community programming, hosts workshops, conducts research projects, organizes community events and supports capacity building.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/FBC-UTSC2-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>福利姬自慰Vice-President and Principal of 福利姬自慰Scarborough Wisdom Tettey&nbsp;speaks with MP Gary Anandasangaree and MP Filomena Tassi at 福利姬自慰Scarborough's Catalyst Centre&nbsp;(photo by Dylan Toombs)</em></p> <p><strong>Chris Thompson</strong>, the executive director of the&nbsp;Federation of Black Canadians,&nbsp;said the funding ties directly into the organization鈥檚 mandate to ensure economic security and inspire the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭hrough our partnership with 福利姬自慰Scarborough, The BRIDGE and the Black Founders Network, participants will gain access to passionate facilitators and mentors, as well as a greater understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur and what goes into developing a business,鈥 said Thompson.</p> <p>The investment by the federal government,&nbsp;made through the Black Entrepreneurship Program&nbsp;Ecosystem Fund, will support the Federation of Black Canadians to provide tools and resources to 170 Black youth entrepreneurs in Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Wisdom Tettey</strong>,&nbsp;福利姬自慰vice-president and principal of 福利姬自慰Scarborough, said the funding will help provide a lift to Black youth entrepreneurs&nbsp;and help them access resources that might otherwise be beyond reach.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 important to recognize that Black entrepreneurship is Canadian entrepreneurship, and Canadian entrepreneurship is worse for it when there is no space for Black entrepreneurs to thrive and flourish,鈥 said Tettey.</p> <p>鈥淚t fills me with immense pride that our campus is part of the ecosystem fund and it鈥檚 a privilege to be a key partner in unleashing the full potential of Black entrepreneurs.鈥</p> <p><strong>Efosa Obano</strong>, program manager at the Black Founders Network, said his organization will&nbsp;support capacity-building and help create more pathways for Black entrepreneurs to connect with skilled employees.</p> <p>鈥淐apacity-building is critical,鈥 said Obano, who&nbsp;founded the <a href="https://www.africanimpact.ca/">African Impact Initiative</a> while he was an undergraduate student at 福利姬自慰Scarborough.</p> <p>鈥淕iving folks funding when they aren鈥檛 ready can lead to mistakes. We want to help make sure entrepreneurs have the capacity and resources they need to take their idea forward.鈥&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 22 Feb 2023 14:12:43 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 180209 at Relationship feeling stale? WooYourBoo startup to help couples reconnect /news/relationship-feeling-stale-wooyourboo-startup-help-couples-reconnect <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Relationship feeling stale? WooYourBoo startup to help couples reconnect</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_3105-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4KrWi0sn 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/IMG_3105-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=LFNsbzNw 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/IMG_3105-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_VIG7Am6 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_3105-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4KrWi0sn" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-02-13T14:56:57-05:00" title="Monday, February 13, 2023 - 14:56" class="datetime">Mon, 02/13/2023 - 14:56</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Colleen and La Vance Dotson, members of U of T's Black Founders Network, co-founded WooYourBoo to help couples better communicate with each other through features such as quizzes, activities and rewards (photo courtesy of WooYourBoo)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/adina-bresge" hreflang="en">Adina Bresge</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-kinesiology-physical-education" hreflang="en">Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/relationships" hreflang="en">Relationships</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">Falling in love is easy 鈥 but staying in love takes work.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">That鈥檚 why husband-and-wife co-founders La Vance and <b>Colleen Dotson</b> decided to launch a dating app tailored for more seasoned lovebirds 鈥 couples who want to 鈥渟wipe right鈥 on strengthening their relationship.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Supported by the University of Toronto鈥檚 Black Founders Network, <a href="https://www.wooyourboo.com/">WooYourBoo</a> is a digital platform that aims to help partners reconnect and better communicate with each other through features such as quizzes, activities and rewards.</p> <div class="image-with-caption left"> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" height="315px" width="400px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H9q25_skMuQ" title="YouTube video player" width="400px"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Colleen says the app is designed to reignite the excitement of courtship by emulating the gamified thrill of swiping through profiles on a matchmaking app.</p> <p>鈥淪ocial media is not designed to be social in the way it nurtures relationships,鈥 says Colleen, who is also <a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/introducing-our-new-uttc-coach">head coach of the 福利姬自慰Track &amp; Field Club</a>.</p> <p>鈥淥ur goal is to create depth and help you reconnect with this person that you鈥檝e committed to 鈥 and make it fun.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The idea for WooYourBoo, which is set to launch in the coming weeks, stems from the Dotsons鈥 own relationship trajectory over nearly 15 years, three children and two countries.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">La Vance first met Colleen at the University of Central Missouri, where he was playing football and she was coaching track and field while earning her master鈥檚 degree. But as time went on, their initial infatuation gave way to the familiar challenges of sustaining a long-term relationship.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">One day, Colleen decided to tell La Vance how she was feeling: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 woo me anymore.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">La Vance says he felt both offended and inspired.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><img alt src="/sites/default/files/screenshots.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淯p until that point, I had men teaching me how to go pick up a woman. No one had ever sat me down and said, this is how you actually have a successful relationship,鈥 says La Vance. 鈥淲hat she was actually communicating to me was that 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 make me feel loved.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淚 told her that it鈥檚 not that I don鈥檛 want to. I just simply don鈥檛 know how to.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">La Vance recalls wishing that there was an app he could download to guide him; Colleen suggested it calling it WooYourBoo.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The resulting startup is built on the pair鈥檚 learnings as they worked to better communicate their love with each other. The 鈥渓ove expressions鈥 quiz, for example, allows users to swipe through a series of prompts asking them to pick between two romantic options 鈥 spending quality time together or getting a small gift. Your 鈥渂oo鈥 can then take a test to see if they can guess your preferences.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The app also uses that data to make suggestions about ways you can make your partner feel loved and work toward mutual goals. There鈥檚 also a feature that awards users points for putting in the effort.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <div class="image-with-caption right"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" width="1px"> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfzXHflBovv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" height style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" width="1px"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfzXHflBovv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;">&nbsp;</div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;">&nbsp;</div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfzXHflBovv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by WooYourBoo (@wooeternal)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async height src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" width="1px"></script></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <p>The Dotsons say the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a> (BFN) has been instrumental in building WooYourBoo, which was among the inaugural cohort of the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/bfn-accelerate/">BFN Accelerate Program</a>.</p> <p>鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in a space with people who may come the same background as you, who may talk like you and look like you and have a similar experience, it makes accomplishing any task a lot easier,鈥 La Vance says.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淚t鈥檚 helping us connect with people and other organizations that on our own we may not have access to, but through the community of the BFN, we do.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">BFN founder and manager <b>Efosa Obano</b> says the couple鈥檚 focus on building connections could be a competitive advantage in a crowded dating app market.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really going to take off because it鈥檚 so much more than just matching with someone based on their profile pictures,鈥 Obano says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e taken a more thoughtful approach to helping you understand yourself and how you connect with others and coaching you through every phase of your dating or relationship journey.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The Dotsons say they can personally attest to WooYourBoo鈥檚 effectiveness. They鈥檙e also betting there are many other couples who can relate to their struggles.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淵ou have to keep wooing your boo because you鈥檙e going to discover more things to love about them that you didn鈥檛 know were there,鈥 says Colleen. 鈥淚t becomes exciting because you get to date that person all over again<i>.</i></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><i>鈥</i>It could be a new relationship every time if you allow it to be.鈥<i></i></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:56:57 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 179933 at Black History Month 2023: What's on across U of T's three campuses /news/black-history-month-2023-what-s-across-u-t-s-three-campuses <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Black History Month 2023: What's on across U of T's three campuses</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2020-02-28-Black-History-month-Luncheon-%289%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ES69oDjG 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2020-02-28-Black-History-month-Luncheon-%289%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VbriHWSf 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2020-02-28-Black-History-month-Luncheon-%289%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tq45u4hv 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2020-02-28-Black-History-month-Luncheon-%289%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ES69oDjG" alt="A volunteer serves food to attendees at the Black History Month Luncheon at Hart House in 2020"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-02-01T12:58:26-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - 12:58" class="datetime">Wed, 02/01/2023 - 12:58</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Volunteers serve food at the annual Black History Month Luncheon three years ago, when the event was last held in-person (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/adina-bresge" hreflang="en">Adina Bresge</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canadian-black-scientists-network" hreflang="en">Canadian Black Scientists Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/anti-racism-cultural-diversity-office" hreflang="en">Anti-Racism &amp; Cultural Diversity Office</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black" hreflang="en">Black</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-history-month" hreflang="en">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cinema-studies" hreflang="en">Cinema Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dalla-lana-school-public-health" hreflang="en">Dalla Lana School of Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/factor-inwentash-faculty-social-work" hreflang="en">Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-kinesiology-physical-education" hreflang="en">Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/film" hreflang="en">Film</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innis-college" hreflang="en">Innis College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-institute-studies-education" hreflang="en">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-international-film-festival" hreflang="en">Toronto International Film Festival</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">From dance parties to thought-provoking panels and celebrations of Black excellence, the University of Toronto is hosting a wide array of events across the three campuses to <a href="https://people.utoronto.ca/news/recognizing-bhm-2023/">mark Black History Month</a>.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Members of the 福利姬自慰community will have the chance to come together to learn, reflect, share stories, have fun and engage in self-care at conferences, cultural events and celebrations throughout February.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Rounding out the calendar is the annual Black History Month Luncheon, which is being held in-person and will&nbsp;spotlight Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Here鈥檚 a sampling of the events on offer throughout the month.</p> <hr> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb 1. 鈥 Feb. 4</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://brn.utoronto.ca/event/canadian-black-scientists-network-be-stemm-2023-conference/">BE-STEMM 2023 Conference</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The <a href="https://blackscientists.ca/">Canadian Black Scientists Network</a> is hosting a four-day virtual conference that brings together researchers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine and Health (STEMM). The agenda includes talks by leading Black scholars across disciplines, networking sessions and opportunities to mentor the next generation of scientists.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 1</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ghetto-fabulous-black-y2k-party-tickets-475357476007">Ghetto Fabulous: Black Y2K Party</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Time to pull out your finest threads from the 1990s and 2000s for this throwback bash, hosted by the <a href="https://bsauoft.ca/">Black Students鈥 Association</a> at U of T, reclaiming the word 鈥済hetto鈥 and celebrating the Black subculture of the era.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 2 鈥 Feb. 3</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/event/re-viewing-re-visioning-and-re-imagining-black-canada-symposium/">Re/Viewing, Re/Visioning, and Re/Imagining Black Canada Symposium</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">This two-day symposium, co-hosted by 福利姬自慰and York University, will provide a forum for Canadian and American scholars to reckon with themes raised in the recent volume <i><a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487529178/unsettling-the-great-white-north/">Unsettling the Great White North: Black Canadian History</a></i>, published by University of Toronto Press. The event will engage participants in the latest debates, research and theories in Black Canadian history/studies to better understand how scholarship has evolved to offer a more expansive and nuanced view of Black Canadian experiences.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" height="422px" width="750px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5vF-ew-x4EQ" title="YouTube video player" width="750px"></iframe></div> <p><b>Feb. 4</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/sat-02042023-1630/black-excellence-kiki-ball">Black Excellence Kiki Ball</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">You better bring your A game to this sports-themed kiki at U of T's <a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/facility/goldring-centre-high-performance-sport">Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport</a>. Guests can warm up with a beginner-friendly vogue dance workshop led by Legendary House Mother Snoopy of the Disney Kiki House. Then get ready for a ballroom battle celebrating game-changing Black athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, Simone Biles and Venus and Serena Williams.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 6</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/black-history-month-2022/">Black History Month Symposium 鈥 What Has Changed: The Role of Attitudinal Barriers to Advancing Black Inclusion</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Hosted by the <a href="https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/">Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office</a>, this event will examine attitudinal barriers that contribute to anti-Black racism in post-secondary environments and discuss strategies to address this systemic problem. It includes a performance by 福利姬自慰alumna <b>Michelle Bookal</b> and opening remarks by <b>Njoki Wane</b>, chair of the department of social justice education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE),<b> </b>and <b>Charmaine Williams</b>, dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Panellists include: <b>Cherilyn Scobie Edwards</b>,<b> </b>director of the Equity Diversity and Inclusion Office at 福利姬自慰Scarborough; <b>Andrew Campbell</b>, assistant professor at OISE; <b>Nancy Simms</b>,<b> </b>adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law; and Teeanna Munro, project co-ordinator in the Black Perspectives Office at Concordia University.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b><img alt="Black histories wikipedia and wikidata edit-a-thon. February 2023. Join us for a month-long campaign to enrich Black histories in Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons https://tinyurl.com/bhe23" src="/sites/default/files/ezgif-5-cad8fbaa82.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 375px;"></b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 8</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-histories-wikipedia-wikidata-edit-a-thon-2023-tickets-483401576127">Kickoff Panel for Black Histories Wikipedia &amp; Wikidata Edit-a-thon</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">This is your chance to contribute to&nbsp;Wikipedia through a series editing sessions focused on&nbsp;Black histories. The events are co-organized by 福利姬自慰and other universities in collaboration with the Toronto Public Library. <b>Funk茅 Aladejebi</b>, an assistant professor in the department of history in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, moderates the kickoff panel featuring multidisciplinary artist Debbie Ebanks Schlums and Jonsaba Jabbi, co-founder of Building A Black Archive.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 9</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://harthouse.ca/events/tastes-of-culture-2022-23/2023/02/09/">Tastes of Culture 2022-23: African Perspective</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">福利姬自慰Mississauga鈥檚 International Education Centre and Hart House co-present this virtual cooking session that will bring the tastes of Ghana to your home kitchen. Chef Kwame Owusu-Afriyie Nsafoah will show how to make stewed black-eyed peas and krakro (plantain fritters) to be paired with jollof rice and stuffed into a burrito.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 9</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-intersecting-identities-that-inspire-our-excellence-tickets-519715090827">The Intersecting Identities that Inspire Our Excellence</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The Dalla Lana School of Public Health hosts a celebration of Black leaders across a range of fields for a discussion on how their intersecting identities inform their work. Panellists include: Toronto Argonauts linebacker H茅noc Muamba; <b>Celina Caesar-Chavannes</b>, a former MP and business consultant; Jason Faulkner, owner and clothing designer of Spread Love; Stella Djulus, visual artist and founder of Arts by Stella; and Kevin Allwood, owner of Allwood MKRT &amp; KaSpace Caf茅.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 10</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/reflect-restore-action/">Rest as Resistance</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">This session, hosted by Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office, invites Black participants to slow down and engage in community care. After starting the session with gentle meditation and movement, Yamikani Msosa will facilitate a dialogue about how both rest and action can be forms of resistance in the fight against anti-Black racism.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 13</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://harthouse.ca/events/hip-hop-pop-up-barbershop/2023/02/13/">Pop-Up Barbershop</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Get a free trim, fade or braid while testing your hip-hop knowledge at this pop-up hosted by Hart House Hip Hop Education in partnership with beauty services finder Fyyne, <a href="/news/cut-above-u-t-startup-fyyne-makes-hair-services-more-accessible">co-founded by <b>Jeff Fasegha</b></a>, a 福利姬自慰graduate and a member of the of the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a>.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 15</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://utoronto.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqd-irpzIjHNVkBfnbMzLL0aE_XaBsqtpX">Our Stories: Black History Month</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Learn from the lived experiences of three 福利姬自慰students as they share their stories at this virtual event co hosted by 福利姬自慰Scarborough鈥檚 International Student Centre, 福利姬自慰Mississauga鈥檚 International Education Centre and the St. George Centre for International Experience.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b><img alt="Black Health Leaders Recognition Ceremony poster" src="/sites/default/files/ezgif-5-a6fc0961ec.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 467px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;">Feb. 16</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/black-health-leaders-recognition-ceremony-tickets-519748350307">Black Health Leaders Recognition Ceremony</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The Dalla Lana School of Public Health hosts its inaugural recognition ceremony celebrating Black leaders in Toronto鈥檚 public health and health systems. This year鈥檚 recipients are: <b>Fatimah Jackson-Best</b>, project manager at the Black Health Alliance and assistant professor at McMaster University; <b>Cynthia Damba</b>, director of health analytics at Ontario Health, Toronto Region; and Jacqueline Silvera, director of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and anti-racism with the University of Health Network.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 17</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://harthouse.ca/events/hip-hop-family-skate">Hip Hop Family Skate Day</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Skaters of all ages are invited to hit the ice at Varsity Arena and glide along to the sounds of hip-hop, R&amp;B and Afrobeats curated by DJ Mel Boogie. Professional figure skaters Chloe Panetta and Kieran Thrasher will be on hand to offer tips and perform a routine.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 22</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/wed-02222023-1900/black-ice-film-screening-panel-discussion">Black Ice: Film Screening and Panel Discussion</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education (KPE), Innis College and the Cinema Studies Institute present a special screening of <i>Black Ice</i>, an acclaimed documentary tracing the history of anti-Black racism in hockey, from the 19th century to the present-day. Director Hubert Davis will join KPE faculty members&nbsp;<b>Janelle Joseph</b> and <b>Simon Darnell</b> for a discussion of the film, which counts LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter as executive producers.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:16px"><strong>Feb. 23</strong></p> <p style="margin-bottom:16px"><a aria-label="Link Panel Discussion on Black-Led Community Space" href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/panel-discussion-on-black-led-community-space-tickets-525111341157" style="overflow-wrap:break-word" target="_blank" title="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/panel-discussion-on-black-led-community-space-tickets-525111341157">Panel Discussion on Black-Led Community Space</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:16px"><b>Isaac Olowolafe Jr.</b> of the Dream Legacy Foundation, Amina Mohamed of the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation and Alica Hall of Nia Centre for the Arts engage in conversation about the need for community spaces built by and for Black communities. The event 鈥 sponsored by the <a href="https://infrastructureinstitute.ca/">Infrastructure Institute</a> at U of T鈥檚 <a href="https://www.schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/">School of Cities</a> and co-hosted by the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation 鈥 comes on the heels of a <a aria-label="Link joint report" href="https://infrastructureinstitute.ca/project-page-sccr/" style="overflow-wrap:break-word" target="_blank" title="https://infrastructureinstitute.ca/project-page-sccr/">joint report</a> examining gaps in public investment in and access to Black-led social infrastructure in Toronto.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><img alt src="/sites/default/files/2020-02-28-Black-History-month-Luncheon-%2817%29-crop_0.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><em>(photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 24</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://harthouse.ca/events/21st-annual-black-history-month-luncheon/">21st Annual Black History Month Luncheon</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey is set to give the keynote address at this year鈥檚 celebration of Black excellence, continuing a more than two-decade-long tradition that has become Black History Month鈥檚 marquee event at the university. Community members will come together at Hart House and be treated to delicious food, captivating speakers and dynamic performances.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 25</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rotmans-future-black-business-leaders-conference-2023-tickets-507912248207">Future Black Business Leaders Conference</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Black business leaders will share their tips for success with the next generation of power players at this conference hosted by the Rotman School of Management. Attendees will have the chance to connect with top industry professionals and learn more about Rotman鈥檚 scholarships and awards for future Black leaders.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 28 </b>&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://music.utoronto.ca/concerts-events.php?eid=3670">Lecture/Recital with Beau Dixon</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Actor, musician and playwright Beau Dixon returns to 福利姬自慰to discuss his creation and curation of the Stratford Festival鈥檚 <i>Freedom Cabaret 2.0: How Black Music Shaped the Dream of America</i>. The event will also feature performances by Dixon and singers from the Faculty of Music.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Feb. 28</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://harthouse.ca/events/black-self-care-fair/">The Self-Care Fair</a></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">There are plenty of ways to decompress at this Hart House event aimed at encouraging self-care for Black students. Relaxing activities include painting, aromatherapy ball-making, guided meditation, massages and board games.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:58:26 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 179621 at Black Founders Network celebrates a year of Black excellence in entrepreneurship /news/black-founders-network-celebrates-one-year-black-excellence-entrepreneurship <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Black Founders Network celebrates a year of Black excellence in entrepreneurship</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/BFN-Black-Excellence-Entrepreneurship-Alyssa-K-Faoro-215-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lZ3nforp 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/BFN-Black-Excellence-Entrepreneurship-Alyssa-K-Faoro-215-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=zDdbpCvm 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/BFN-Black-Excellence-Entrepreneurship-Alyssa-K-Faoro-215-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Dzn4qqN7 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/BFN-Black-Excellence-Entrepreneurship-Alyssa-K-Faoro-215-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lZ3nforp" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-11-01T16:11:21-04:00" title="Tuesday, November 1, 2022 - 16:11" class="datetime">Tue, 11/01/2022 - 16:11</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Olugbenga Olubanjo, an alumnus and founder of clean energy startup Reeddi, delivers a presentation during a recent event in U of T's Convocation Hall (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alyson-bruce" hreflang="en">Alyson Bruce</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">More than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, students and community supporters gathered at the University of Toronto recently to mark the first anniversary of the Black Founders Network (BFN) and celebrate the achievements of its inaugural BFN Accelerate cohort of entrepreneurs.&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淲hat brought me to the BFN was the community of like-minded founders all working to build amazing things,鈥 said <b>Olugbenga Olubanjo</b>, <a href="/news/u-t-entrepreneur-s-startup-put-reliable-power-hands-nigeria-s-people">founder of Reeddi</a>, one of eleven&nbsp;startups to complete the BFN Accelerate鈥檚 four-month bootcamp.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淭he community is designed to help us grow, find solutions to challenges and meet our desired outcomes. What I loved most was learning from the experts who were engaged with us through BFN Accelerate.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><img alt src="/sites/default/files/BFN-Black-Excellence-Entrepreneurship-Alyssa-K-Faoro-008-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><em>Members of the BFN Accelerate 2022 cohort pose&nbsp;for a photo outside Convocation Hall (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Reeddi took home the top Venture Award prize from the event, with funding awards also going to startups Fyyne, HDAX Therapeutics, Woo Your Boo, and Elev.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Part of the <a href="/news/u-t-accepts-all-56-recommendations-anti-black-racism-task-force">response to the recommendations</a> in the final report of U of T鈥檚 Anti-Black Racism Task Force, the BFN works to create an inclusive community for Black entrepreneurs from ideation to scaleup 鈥 and support them as they launch, fund and scale impactful businesses. Since launching, the BFN has hosted and supported more than 30 events, engaged with over 50 mentors and advisers, and received support from more than 20 community and corporate organizations 鈥 including new corporate donor KPMG, which announced at the event that it will be funding grants to early-stage Black founders.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><img alt src="/sites/default/files/BFN-Black-Excellence-Entrepreneurship-Alyssa-K-Faoro-096-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><em>Efosa Obano is the founder and program manager at the Black Founders Network (photo by Alyssa K. Faoro)</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淲e are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the community support BFN has received in its first year,鈥 said BFN program manager <b>Efosa Obano</b>. 鈥淓verything we have achieved together in such a short time validates the need for what we are building.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淚t鈥檚 only year one and I鈥檓 very excited for what is to come.鈥</p> <hr> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><strong>Here are six BFN Accelerate startups to watch:</strong></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><em>AfterData AI</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Co-founded by 福利姬自慰alumnus <b>Anu Oladele, </b><a href="https://www.afterdata.ai/">Afterdata AI</a> enables organizations to understand their own data by helping them access, connect and explore existing datasets in easy and interactive ways. The AI startup recently raised $250,000 in funding from a U.S. based venture capital firm.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><em>Aworie</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Founded by 福利姬自慰alumna and social entrepreneur&nbsp;<strong>Rae Massop</strong>, <a href="https://www.aworie.com/">Aworie</a> provides&nbsp;convenient, affordable and accessible mental health services for marginalized Canadians. With quickly growing revenues, the health-care startup recently crossed the 500-customer mark.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><em>Blair + Jack</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Dr.&nbsp;<strong>Bimpe Ayeni</strong>, a board-certified plastic surgeon and 福利姬自慰lecturer in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, co-founded <a href="https://blairandjack.com/">Blair + Jack</a> to address common skincare problems experienced by men and simplify the process of having physician-formulated skincare delivered without a prescription. The startup recently won the Ella Express Pitch Contest and got onto the shelves of <a href="https://www.blackownedto.com/">Black Owned Toronto</a> at Scarborough Town Centre.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><em>NobelHub</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Co-founded by 福利姬自慰alumni <b>Melisa Ellis</b>, <b>Malcolm Wright</b> and <b>Chevon Riley</b>, <a href="https://nobellum.com/NobelHub/Index">NobelHub</a> connects startups and existing businesses with the most essential services they need to grow and scale their ventures. Initially focused on the Black community, it is a one-stop-shop that offers services such as legal, accounting, marketing, technology development and business planning.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><em>NORM</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Launched by 福利姬自慰alumnus <b>Chevon Riley</b>, <a href="https://www.naturalorganicmatters.ca/">NORM</a> provides natural cosmetics to individuals seeking an alternative to synthetic products with questionable ingredients. The organic skincare startup wants customers to know exactly what they put on their body, so it handcrafts its almond balm with only natural ingredients, tailoring its formula for those with dry or sensitive skin. NORM recently won the UTSC Hub Pitch Competition with a $5,000 Prize.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><em>Yuko AI</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Founded by Jean Marie Uwabeza, <a href="https://www.yukoai.com/">Yuko AI</a> provides an accurate and efficient AI-powered software solution to help dermatology clinics communicate, triage and manage skin health issues more effectively online. The SaaS startup took home the Next AI Top Startup Award at Startupfest in Montreal this past July.</p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/bfn-accelerate-2022-cohort/">Meet the full BFN Accelerate 2022 cohort</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 01 Nov 2022 20:11:21 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 177844 at First 11 startups in Black Founders Network program introduced at 福利姬自慰event /news/first-11-startups-black-founders-network-program-introduced-u-t-event <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">First 11 startups in Black Founders Network program introduced at 福利姬自慰event</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/_DJC7062-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=G1btdDWd 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/_DJC7062-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OyzxCPe0 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/_DJC7062-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=0akxUBF9 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/_DJC7062-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=G1btdDWd" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-06-24T10:35:55-04:00" title="Friday, June 24, 2022 - 10:35" class="datetime">Fri, 06/24/2022 - 10:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Professor Rhonda McEwen, a member of the Black Founders Network leadership council, speaks during a recent kick-off event at ONRamp for the BFN Accelerate program (photo by Duane Cole)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alyson-bruce" hreflang="en">Alyson Bruce</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The inaugural cohort of a University of Toronto program to support Black entrepreneurs was introduced last week at an in-person event on the St. George campus.</p> <p>The kick-off event 鈥 hosted by the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a> (BFN) and <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/"><span style="text-decoration-line:none">福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship </span></a>鈥 welcomed 11 early-stage startups to <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/bfn-accelerate/#:~:text=BFN%20Accelerate's%20structured%20program%20delivers,generation%20and%20product%2Dmarket%20fit.">BFN Accelerate</a>, a three-month, cohort-based accelerator that鈥檚 open to companies from the 福利姬自慰community with at least one Black-identifying founder.</p> <p>It was the first large scale event in more than two years to be hosted at ONRamp, the university鈥檚 co-working and collaboration space for startups.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淪electing the cohort was difficult, with many exciting startups being built in our community,鈥 said <b>Efosa Obano</b>, program manager of the Black Founders Network.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚t will hopefully be the first of many, and we are really inspired by this special group. We are also grateful to the BFN community of mentors, advisers and investors who will be helping us take them to the next level.鈥</p> <p>The Black Founders Network, <a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/black-founders-network-launches-to-support-entrepreneurs-and-create-more-black-led-businesses/">introduced by&nbsp;福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship last fall</a>, aims to celebrate Black excellence in entrepreneurship and is built on a foundation of community support and allyship. Its mission is to create a community of Black entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey 鈥 from ideation to scaleup 鈥 and support them as they launch, fund and scale impactful businesses.</p> <p>BFN Accelerate is the first of the network鈥檚 three main pillars (Core, Accelerate and Scale) to be set in motion.</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/Anu-Rae-Bimpe-Group.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>From left to right: Anu Oladele, Rae Massop and Bimpe Ayeni (photos by Duane Cole)</em></p> <p class="x">鈥淭his is a major step forward in our execution of the Black Founders Network 鈥 part of <a href="/news/u-t-accepts-all-56-recommendations-anti-black-racism-task-force">a larger institutional response</a> to the recommendations in the Anti-Black Racism Taskforce鈥檚 final report,鈥 said <b>Jon French</b>, director of 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship.</p> <p>The inaugural 2022 BFN Accelerate cohort comprises a variety of early-stage companies bringing innovative solutions to industries ranging from clean tech and drug discovery to beauty and wellness.</p> <p>Led by 福利姬自慰alumnus <b>Anu Oladele</b>, AfterData AI enables organizations to better understand their own data by helping them to access, connect and explore existing data sets in easy and interactive ways. Oladele, who completed his master's degree in information systems at U of T, worked in data architecture and enterprise information management for a decade before launching his company.</p> <p>Another startup in the cohort, Aworie Health, was founded by 福利姬自慰alumna and social entrepreneur <b>Rae Massop</b>, who holds a master鈥檚 degree in social work from the university. Her company provides<span style="background:white"> convenient, affordable, and accessible mental health services for marginalized Canadians.</span></p> <p>Dr. <b>Bimpe Ayeni</b>, a board-certified plastic surgeon and 福利姬自慰lecturer in the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, founded Blair + Jack with her husband Ade Ajayi. The skincare startup, which formulates its products to address common skincare problems experienced by men, aims to simplify the process of having physician-formulated skincare delivered without a prescription.</p> <p>"I didn't understand the magnitude of this program until seeing everything that happened at last week's launch event: brilliant people, solid networks, generous humans. I'm thankful to the BFN community for making all of this happen,鈥 said Ayeni.</p> <p>Over the next three months, Oladele, Massop, Ayeni and their eight fellow cohort members will undergo a first-of-its-kind program that is tailored to the lived experience of the most successful Black entrepreneurs. The key outcomes of which include increased effectiveness of each startup in meeting their customers鈥 needs, a boost in user growth, more revenue generation and new key-value chain partnerships.</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/Selection%20Committee%20-%20June%202.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 387px;"></p> <p><em>The BFN Accelerate Selection Committee from left to right: Jon French, Elsie Amoako, Craig Wellington,&nbsp;Efosa Obano, Gwyn Chapman and&nbsp;Ruth Mengitsu&nbsp;(photo courtesy of Efosa&nbsp;Obano)</em></p> <p class="x">Designed to complement other accelerator programs and opportunities within the 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship community across the three campuses, BFN Accelerate provides Black-led startups with access to a network of peers and mentors, resources, education and support with venture funding.</p> <p>More than 70 Black-led startups were part of the initial applicant pool, which included a competitive selection process featuring in-person presentation and interviews led by the BFN selection committee.&nbsp; In the end, 11 successful applicants were chosen to join the inaugural cohort with a commitment from the larger BFN community to support all applicants however possible.</p> <p>The launch event, which doubled as the orientation session for the cohort, concluded when founders presented their business pitches to an audience of BFN supporters, investors, community partners and mentors.</p> <p>The three-month program will culminate with a Venture Demo Day in the fall when the 11 startups will share their progress and pitch once again to an audience of investors, business leaders and university leaders.</p> <p><b>Rhonda McEwen</b>, the outgoing 福利姬自慰Mississauga vice-principal, academic and dean <a href="/news/u-t-mississauga-s-rhonda-mcewen-appointed-president-and-vice-chancellor-victoria-university">who was recently appointed president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto</a>, is a member of the leadership council which governs the BFN.</p> <p>She shared words of encouragement and support to the cohort after they showcased their businesses.</p> <p>鈥淚t is an honour to serve on the inaugural BFN Leadership Council, along with UTSC Principal Wisdom Tettey,鈥 McEwen said at the event. 鈥淎s you begin your journeys through BFN Accelerate, you will have the highest levels of leadership at the university doing our best to support you.鈥</p> <h3><a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/bfn-accelerate-2022-cohort/">View the 2022 BFN Accelerate cohort</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:35:55 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 175365 at 'Disruptive innovation': Student-run Black hackathon tackles algorithm bias, community-building /news/disruptive-innovation-student-run-black-hackathon-tackles-algorithm-bias-community-building <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'Disruptive innovation': Student-run Black hackathon tackles algorithm bias, community-building</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1140860048-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UaYEk5NS 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-1140860048-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=CtSKxv9g 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-1140860048-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=RiPtgUw9 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1140860048-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UaYEk5NS" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-03-14T12:49:15-04:00" title="Monday, March 14, 2022 - 12:49" class="datetime">Mon, 03/14/2022 - 12:49</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Jamie Grill/Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6738" hreflang="en">Safa Jinje</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black" hreflang="en">Black</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovation-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than 200 participants from across Canada and the United States recently joined NSBEHacks, a 24-hour virtual hackathon that aimed to redesign digital technologies so they offer better service to marginalized communities.&nbsp;</p> <p>Now in its fourth year, the 2022 event was organized by the University&nbsp;of Toronto chapter of the&nbsp;National Society of Black Engineers&nbsp;(NSBE U of T).&nbsp;NSBEHacks is the鈥痜irst Black student-run hackathon&nbsp;within the Greater Toronto Area.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭his year鈥檚 theme was 鈥楧isruptive Innovation,鈥 and by the end of the weekend, we received an influx of solutions that we could have never envisioned,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Chetachi Ugwu-Ojobe</strong>, a third-year student in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering and&nbsp;president of NSBE U of T.&nbsp;</p> <p>One problem that NSBEHacks teams tackled is&nbsp;algorithm bias, where errors or assumptions in a system鈥檚 machine learning process can lead to prejudices and create unfair outcomes.&nbsp;</p> <p>D鈥橲peakerVerse, the team that won first place in the hackathon鈥檚 福利姬自慰Engineering Challenge, noticed that many voice assistant services alienate individuals by misunderstanding their accents.&nbsp;In response, they created an interactive platform where users can take part in voice games and tongue twisters to test the voice-to-text AI, with the goal of improving accent recognition for voice AI services through collected data.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭his team was able to create a&nbsp;disruptive innovation by building on something that already exists in the market and opening it up to people who are neglected by these services 鈥 people with non-Western accents who are often misunderstood and left frustrated by popular voice services,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Genevieve&nbsp;Aguigwo</strong>, a second-year student and&nbsp;vice-president of NSBE U of T.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/A51D87B14F5C4AFD82E74B4F7FED37A4-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>The 2022 NSBEHacks event was organized by the 福利姬自慰chapter of the&nbsp;National Society of Black Engineers.</em></p> <p>The event also sought to cater to the specific needs of Black audiences in fast-paced digital environments&nbsp;such as virtual reality.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The Barbershop team, which won second place in the event鈥檚 Google Cloud Challenge, used virtual reality to create a welcoming online space that replicates the sense of community found in many Black-owned barbershops.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淏arbershops hold a historical significance to many Black communities. It鈥檚 not just a place to get a haircut, it can also serve a therapeutic role,鈥 says&nbsp;Ugwu-Ojobe.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淭he Barbershop team created a virtual space that allows people who are unable to visit a barbershop, because of the pandemic or personal challenges, to gather, share information and stay connected with their community.鈥&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>NSBE 福利姬自慰is committed to supporting participants beyond the hackathon&nbsp;as they take their designs to the next level.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲e are partnering with the&nbsp;<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a>&nbsp;to give our design teams a platform to bring their ideas to life and make a business out of it,鈥 says&nbsp;Ugwu-Ojobe.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淗aving a network of people in the industry who they can turn to with questions and reach out to in the future really ties in with NSBE鈥檚 own goals to support the professional development of our community,鈥&nbsp;adds&nbsp;Aguigwo.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淎t the end of the day, we鈥檙e trying to increase the representation of Black individuals in engineering and industry.鈥&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 14 Mar 2022 16:49:15 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 173462 at Seven takeaways from 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Week 2022 /news/seven-takeaways-u-t-entrepreneurship-week-2022 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Seven takeaways from 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Week 2022</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT84815_true-blue-expo-2019_46741843824_o-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gjXCOECU 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT84815_true-blue-expo-2019_46741843824_o-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fkBpbWgi 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT84815_true-blue-expo-2019_46741843824_o-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2LY-L74p 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT84815_true-blue-expo-2019_46741843824_o-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gjXCOECU" alt="Sign reads 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Community "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-03-14T11:46:24-04:00" title="Monday, March 14, 2022 - 11:46" class="datetime">Mon, 03/14/2022 - 11:46</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Jeff Beardall)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alyson-bruce" hreflang="en">Alyson Bruce</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-week" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Week</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-dentistry" hreflang="en">Faculty of Dentistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-music" hreflang="en">Faculty of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mental-health" hreflang="en">Mental Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">福利姬自慰Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">The University of Toronto recently hosted its sixth annual <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/events/entrepreneurship-week/">Entrepreneurship Week</a>, a four-day showcase of the university鈥檚 vast and vibrant entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Featuring over 15 sessions 鈥 startup showcases, pitch competitions, keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions and more 鈥 the event shone a bright light on the breadth and depth of the university鈥檚 entrepreneurship community.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Here are some of the top insights for current and prospective entrepreneurs from this year鈥檚 福利姬自慰Entrepreneurship Week:</p> <hr> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Get rich quick? Not likely</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In one of the standout moments of the week, <a href="/news/focus-what-you-ve-got-do-donovan-bailey-shares-his-tips-success-ahead-entrepreneurship-week">sprinting legend and business leader Donovan Bailey</a> shared his insights on the parallels between sport and business.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淚 think the greatest misnomer is that you can get rich overnight. You can鈥檛. You also can鈥檛 become an Olympic sprinter overnight. The first thing I tell entrepreneurs is the same thing I tell CEOs and young athletes: if you don鈥檛 put the work in, you鈥檙e not going to get the results.鈥</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Hard work, passion, discipline&nbsp;and focus were among the characteristics that Bailey credits for his success as both an athlete and a businessperson.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In a candid fireside chat with Rita Trichur, a senior business writer for the <i>Globe and Mail</i>, Bailey shared his lessons in overcoming adversity&nbsp;鈥 鈥渨in or learn鈥 鈥 and said that failing isn鈥檛 a word he likes to use.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Reinforcing the principle of community, Bailey encouraged young entrepreneurs not to be shy&nbsp;and to seek out successful people in their industry to provide mentorship.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淭here are such incredible successful people out there who are willing to share the knowledge.鈥<br> &nbsp;</p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Toronto is a hotbed for startups</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">福利姬自慰was named the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/from-driveways-to-mrna-startup-founders-bolster-u-of-ts-rapid-rise-in-entrepreneurship-space%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc/">fastest-rising global institution for startup founders</a> in the 2021 PitchBook rankings 鈥 jumping six places. And the university remains the number one university in Canada for research-based startups and is among the top 10 university-managed incubators globally.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淚 like to think that the 福利姬自慰and the City of Toronto embody some of Donovan Bailey鈥檚 commitment to excellence and, to use a technical term, swagger,鈥 said 福利姬自慰President <strong>Meric Gertler </strong>during&nbsp;his introduction of Bailey at the UTE Speaker Series.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In total, entrepreneurs associated with 福利姬自慰have launched more than 600 venture-backed companies, raised funding in surplus of $2 billion and created more than 9,000 jobs in the last decade.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淭he 福利姬自慰is an anchor of the city鈥檚 achievement in creating an innovation ecosystem with 10-plus&nbsp;accelerators and entrepreneurial hubs across the U of T鈥檚 three campuses,鈥 said <strong>John Tory</strong>, Toronto鈥檚 mayor, in his opening remarks at the speaker series.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淭hese talented entrepreneurs are fostering meaningful economic and social impact, and this is one of the reasons why global investors are flocking to Toronto and international conferences like Collision want to be hosted by our inclusive and innovative ecosystem.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In fact, Toronto-based and U of T-affiliated startups Waabi, Ada, Deep Genomics, Xanadu and Cohere each raised over $100 million in funding from investors last year.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Lifting communities through entrepreneurship</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Entrepreneurship is often thought of as a solo journey. But several of last week鈥檚 sessions made it clear that community, support systems and networks are the differentiating factor in the success story for many entrepreneurs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">For Jonathon Redbird, entrepreneurship is all about providing solutions that benefit your entire community&nbsp;鈥 not just the bottom line.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Speaking at the session <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/thebridge/two-eyed-seeing-entrepreneurship"><i>Two-Eyed Seeing in Entrepreneurship</i></a>, Redbird and Christina Tachtampa of Redbird Circle Inc. focused on how Indigenous Knowledge applies to the fields of entrepreneurship and business education given the Indigenous Peoples鈥 long history as innovators and entrepreneurs.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Slowing down, adding value to your community&nbsp;and thinking about entrepreneurship in a way that considers the self, community and our connection to the spirit of the land, were some of the key takeaways from this session which provided a refreshing perspective on startup culture.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Support&nbsp;for Black entrepreneurs grows</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Community was a topic raised throughout the week 鈥 most notably in relation to the two new programs launched to support Black entrepreneurs, the <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/thebridge/nobellum-innovator-program">Nobellum Innovator Program</a> and the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/bfn-accelerate/">Black Founders Network (BFN) Accelerate</a> program.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Built by and for the Black community, BFN was launched in the fall of 2021 to support Black founders, create more Black-led business and celebrate Black Excellence.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">At the UTE Speaker Series, <strong>Efosa Obano</strong>, program manager of the Black Founders Network, announced that <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/bfn-accelerate/">applications are now open</a> for the first BFN Accelerate cohort, which will accept eight to 10 Black-led startups to participate in its three-month program this summer.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Following a classic cohort-based model, BFN Accelerate will help Black-led startups from the 福利姬自慰community develop solutions to meet customers鈥 needs, launch a minimum-viable product, generate revenue, secure funding&nbsp;and explore value chain and distribution partnerships.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Moving the needle on gender diversity</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">More than half the winners of the <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/resource/ute-startup-prize/">University of Toronto Entrepreneurship (UTE) Startup Prize</a> pitch competition that took place at Entrepreneurship Week were startups led and co-founded by women entrepreneurs.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In recent years, there鈥檚 been a perceivable shift in the startup playing field, which has historically&nbsp;been dominated by men. In part, this can be attributed to the greater emphasis placed on creating new opportunities for women-identifying entrepreneurs.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://icubeutm.ca/">ICUBE at 福利姬自慰Mississauga</a> and the <a href="https://h2i.utoronto.ca/">Health Innovation Hub</a> (H2i) are two <a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/u-of-t-accelerators/">U of T鈥檚 accelerators</a> dedicating space to women-identifying entrepreneurs with inspiring speaker series such as Fireside at FemSTEM and a stage to showcase ventures at the <a href="https://icubeutm.ca/pitch22/">Pitch with a Twist</a> business competition and <a href="https://h2i.utoronto.ca/event/femstem-2022-pitch-competition/">FemSTEM Pitch Competition</a>, which is taking place on March 24.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:28px"><span style="background:white">In celebration of International Women鈥檚 Day, Pitch with a Twist (part of Entrepreneurship Week), provides a community of strong female founders with a platform to showcase their ventures, network with top companies&nbsp;and win cash prizes.<br> <br> For, <strong>Justine Abigail Yu</strong>, the founder of Living Hyphen 鈥 taking up space meant creating one.<br> <br> During the panel discussion at Pitch with a Twist, Yu shared her motivation behind launching her startup. 鈥淚n 2015, there wasn鈥檛 a lot of representation across media including the arts and literature space in Canada,鈥 she said.<br> <br> Recognizing this, she set out to create a space by and for bi-racialized writers and artists to share their stories and work by launching a magazine and podcast with a mission to 鈥渞eshape the mainstream.鈥<br> <br> In a fireside conversation hosted by H2i, <strong>Sandy Skotnicki,</strong> a 福利姬自慰alumna and the founding director of Bay Dermatology Centre, spoke about opportunities to innovate in the field of dermatology and reflected on her successful 20-plus&nbsp;year career advocating for changes to patient care and diagnosis.<br> <br> Skotnicki鈥檚 advice to women entrepreneurs? 鈥淚f you have something you鈥檙e strongly passionate about, think big, start bigger, don鈥檛 be afraid to do that.鈥</span></p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Innovation in the arts</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">What does entrepreneurship look like in the arts?</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Similar to the approach taken by the creators of RedBird Circle, entrepreneurship in the arts is about more than generating revenue and raising venture capital.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">福利姬自慰artist and researcher&nbsp;<strong>Adrian Berry </strong>explained the approach as follows:&nbsp;鈥淩ecognizing a challenge and figuring out how to respond in an innovative way 鈥 but also in a thoughtful way. We try to innovate in a way in which we can improve our lives and thrive and keep making art.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Berry and <strong>Hayley Janes</strong> took the stage at Entrepreneurship Week in a new session hosted by the Toronto Music Entrepreneurship Exchange. The research duo spoke to their individual research projects&nbsp;鈥 both of which address the same challenge: precariousness in the arts sector.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淭oronto art workers and art organizations were vulnerable prior to the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after 鈥 in this post-pandemic world 鈥 due to limited resources, years of sector-wide financial precarity, societal inequalities, the list goes on and on,鈥 Berry said.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The panel discussion was moderated by Ely Lyonblum, strategic research development officer in the Faculty of Music at U of T. In addition to Berry and Janes, the session featured Faculty of Music alumni&nbsp;<strong>Adam Fainman</strong> and <strong>Renee Fajardo</strong>, who shared their unique perspectives on entrepreneurship and innovation in art and its role in cultural design.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Fainman, whose innovation in beatboxing technology led to new collaborative opportunities across music genres, and Fajardo, whose project aims to cater opera to a 21<sup>st</sup>-century audience, exemplify how innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset can make an impact in the arts.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Making time for mental wellness</h3> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Mental health is health. And entrepreneurs, like everyone, can benefit from prioritizing self-care and mindfulness to cope with the stress of work and life.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Beginning with a guided meditation led by registered psychotherapist <strong>Soroosh Vafapoor</strong>, H2i hosted a stress management and mental health session to close of Entrepreneurship Week on a more relaxed note.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The session provided advice for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, featuring a panel of 福利姬自慰alumni that included:&nbsp;<strong>Harold Wodlinger</strong>, chief technology officer at ViTAA Medical;&nbsp;<strong>Michael Floros</strong>, founder and CEO at Cohesys;&nbsp;and <strong>Wendy Naimark</strong>, chief technology officer at Ripple Therapeutics.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Moderated by Professor&nbsp;<strong>Paul Santerre</strong>, director of H2i, the intimate session also provided professional insights on mental health best practices from Vafapoor. Entrepreneur or not, the tips offered by the panelists provided actionable tactics to mitigate stress and make time for mental health.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Wodlinger touted mastering the art of delegation to 鈥渟pread the stress,鈥 rather than carrying it all on our own.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Creating balance between work and home is also key.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">鈥淢ake rules for yourself, define barriers&nbsp;and stick to them,鈥 said Wodlinger.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">One way to do this: add appointments to your calendar. Whether it鈥檚 penciling in time to focus on a project distraction-free or reserving a block of time for daily meditation, scheduling appointments with yourself can help you take back control of your day.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Vafapoor, meanwhile, recommends leaning toward self-compassion and kindness to cope with stress. 鈥淏e aware of what narratives arrive at your mental doorstep and challenge their authenticity and reality,鈥 he said.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">He also suggested that movement could help to decompress the mind 鈥 not necessarily 鈥渨orking out鈥 but moving the body in the ways that feel good, whether that鈥檚 dancing, yoga or another form of mindful movement.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 14 Mar 2022 15:46:24 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 173509 at A cut above: 福利姬自慰startup Fyyne makes hair services more accessible /news/cut-above-u-t-startup-fyyne-makes-hair-services-more-accessible <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">A cut above: 福利姬自慰startup Fyyne makes hair services more accessible</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1249828176-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3-4YZX7x 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-1249828176-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=xavBIob2 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-1249828176-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=BVYOedij 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1249828176-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3-4YZX7x" alt="A barber cuts a man's hair with clippers"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-03-10T17:01:50-05:00" title="Thursday, March 10, 2022 - 17:01" class="datetime">Thu, 03/10/2022 - 17:01</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Fyyne, a startup co-founded by two 福利姬自慰alumni, seeks to eliminate the difficulty in finding suitable hair services and prioritizes Black-owned businesses (photo by WestEnd61via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tina-adamopoulos" hreflang="en">Tina Adamopoulos</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-founders-network" hreflang="en">Black Founders Network</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-week" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Week</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-commerce" hreflang="en">Rotman Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-college" hreflang="en">University College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white"><b>Jeffrey Fasegha</b> and <b>Olugbenga Olubanjo</b> once shared a similar time-consuming frustration: finding the right barber.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">&nbsp;The two University of Toronto alumni recall separately asking their respective friends about their experiences finding adequate hair services.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">They soon learned many faced the same difficulties and began thinking about ways to help.</span></p> <div class="image-with-caption left"> <div><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Jeffrey-Fasegha-crop_0.jpg" alt><em><span style="font-size:12px;">Jeffrey Fasegha&nbsp;and Olugbenga Olubanjo</span></em></div> </div> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淚 think there is a gap between customers finding beauty artists and artists being able to communicate with new potential customers,鈥 says Fasegha, who graduated from the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science in 2020 with a degree from Rotman Commerce.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">After initially working on their own solutions, Fasegha and Olubanjo later decided to join forces to launch<a href="https://www.fyyne.com/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink1" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://www.fyyne.com/">Fyyne, a startup that prioritizes Black-owned businesses</a></span> and seeks to eliminate the difficulty in finding suitable hair services.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">The mobile-first social marketplace for beauty services helps hair artists start and scale their business, connecting them with customers. From barbers, braiders or anyone offering beauty services, professionals can register to Fyyne鈥檚 pro platform, which allows them to automate a booking process, track analytics like engagement with their profile, income and top services.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Meanwhile, customers can scroll through the app for the latest hair trends, find an artist who will best suit their needs and book an appointment in just a few clicks. They can also review an artist鈥檚 verifications, write (and read) reviews, as well as filter searches by price, distance or rating.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淲e want to sit in the middle and find artists for customers and customers for artists,鈥 says Fasegha, who was a member of University College.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Fyyne officially launched in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. in mid-February with more than 500 users registered so far. The startup is supported by an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding from Canada鈥檚<a href="https://www.bkrcapital.ca/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink2" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://www.bkrcapital.ca/">BKR Capital</a></span> (formerly Black Innovation Capital), the first Canadian venture capital fund dedicated to supporting Black entrepreneurs in the technology industry.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Olubanjo, who graduated from U of T鈥檚 Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering in 2020, notes that even in a large, diverse city like Toronto, it can be difficult to find time with popular Black hair stylists in Toronto, which leaves customers searching elsewhere without much to go on.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淚鈥檝e had to drive hours for a cut, but I had no idea what their work was like because they had no platform to list their reviews,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 would then wait hours, and I thought, 鈥楾here has to be a better way to discover artists.鈥欌</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Fasegha similarly says he found it challenging to find a trusted barber when he first moved to Toronto from Calgary.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淚 was literally stopping people on the street to ask them who cuts their hair,鈥 Fasegha says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not because these people are not out there. There is no good way, yet, to connect with them.鈥</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Finding Black hair services can be even more challenging for potential clients who live outside of major cities.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Fasegha, for example, played hockey in the Prairies and frequently moved to various small towns to pursue the sport. He says he often had little luck finding a barber to cut his hair 鈥 which is why Fyyne is making sure to feature artists in cities and smaller towns across all three countries and streamline community-based, word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Fyyne鈥檚 arrival on the scene couldn鈥檛 come at a better time for the beleaguered Canadian beauty industry.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Hairdressers and other beauty services were forced to close their doors for long stretches during the pandemic, with Statistics Canada estimating that hairstylists (mostly women) were more than three times more likely to have lost their jobs in 2020 than other occupations.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">By providing them with the tools to be discovered, sustain and grow their clientele, Fyyne鈥檚 co-founders say they鈥檙e essentially providing business owners with an inexpensive platform to market themselves as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed in many provinces.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淲e鈥檙e amplifying talented artists who would have otherwise remained undiscovered,鈥 Olubanjo says. 鈥淲hen you move to a new town as an artist, for example, you have to rebuild your customer base because you have to establish your credibility.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淔yyne is solving that problem.鈥</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><img alt="Three mobile phone screens showing Fyyne鈥檚 3 services: find inspiration, see artists near you, and book the best. " src="/sites/default/files/Fyyne-graphic-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 366px;"></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><em><span style="background:white">Users can scroll through Fyyne鈥檚 app for the latest hair trends, find an artist who will best suit their needs and book an appointment with just a few clicks.</span></em></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Fasegha and Olubanjo say they received considerable support through U of T鈥檚 entrepreneurship community and accelerators.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Both are members of the recently launched<a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink2" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/">Black Founders Network</a></span> (BFN), which boasts more than 100 Black founders as members. Launched by 福利姬自慰Scarborough alumnus <b>Efosa Obano</b>, BFN was created to<a href="/news/black-founders-network-support-black-entrepreneurs-create-more-black-led-businesses"> </a><span class="Hyperlink3" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="/news/black-founders-network-support-black-entrepreneurs-create-more-black-led-businesses">support Black entrepreneurs</a></span> at any stage of their career through access to resources and inspiration to launch their startups.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淗aving community support, especially in the early stages of starting your business, is important and this is what the BFN is trying to do as well, to scale up these interactions and support Black entrepreneurs,鈥 Fasegha says.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Another key source of support for Fyyne was 福利姬自慰Mississauga鈥檚<a href="https://icubeutm.ca/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink2" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://icubeutm.ca/">ICUBE incubator</a></span>, which employs a values-based approach to supporting and training entrepreneurs and served as a place for Fasegha and Olubanjo to test their ideas.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Both Fasegha and Olubanjo are no strangers to the business world.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Fasegha,<a href="/celebrates/jeffrey-fasegha-named-one-canada-s-rhodes-scholars-2021"> </a><span class="Hyperlink1" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="/celebrates/jeffrey-fasegha-named-one-canada-s-rhodes-scholars-2021">who was named a Rhodes Scholar two years ago</a></span>, started his first business at the age of 11, delivering flyers and franchising other paper routes, and later refurbished and sold yard and sports equipment. He is the founder of the<a href="https://www.blackcareerconference.com/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink2" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://www.blackcareerconference.com/">Black Career Conference</a></span> (BCC), which connects Black students, graduates, and entrepreneurs to industry professionals for an opportunity to connect with employers in various fields. He also co-founded<a href="https://www.blackrotmancommerce.org/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink3" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://www.blackrotmancommerce.org/">Black Rotman Commerce</a></span> (BRC), a student group whose mission is to support Black undergrads interested in business at the social, academic and professional levels.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淎s a Rhodes Scholar, I鈥檓 interested in using entrepreneurship and innovation as a tool for economic and social development, particularly in Nigeria,鈥 Fasegha says. 鈥淔yyne is the application of my theory: being able to build platforms to help people commercialize their skills and make a living.鈥</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Olubanjo, meanwhile, is the founder of<a href="https://www.reeddi.com/"> </a><span class="Hyperlink2" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="https://www.reeddi.com/">Reeddi Inc</a></span>., a clean energy startup company that brings affordable power to energy-poor communities. Rented for $0.50 a day, Reeddi鈥檚 rechargeable and portable batteries are powered by solar energy and used by more than 600 households monthly in Nigeria. Thanks to Reeddi, Olubanjo was<a href="/news/u-t-alumnus-olugbenga-olubanjo-one-15-finalists-17-million-earthshot-prize"> </a><span class="Hyperlink2" style="text-decoration-line:underline"><a href="/news/u-t-alumnus-olugbenga-olubanjo-one-15-finalists-17-million-earthshot-prize">one of 15 finalists</a></span> of Prince William鈥檚 inaugural Earthshot Prize in 2021.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Whether working on Reeddi or Fyyne, the mission is the same for Olubanjo 鈥 he wants to lead the way to an equitable and inclusive future.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">鈥淚 think it鈥檚 the only way I can make a creative future that I want for myself, and it鈥檚 the only way I can make positive change for people that I care about,鈥 he says.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">As for Fyyne, the future looks bright.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Hair services is a $125-billion global industry 鈥 a figure that represents just one quarter of the global beauty market.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">No surprise then that Fasegha and Olubanjo can see the potential in extending Fyyne鈥檚 services beyond hair, noting that many customers similarly struggle to find services like makeup and eyebrows.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">Says Fasegha, 鈥淎t Fyyne, we are entirely focused on formalizing this informal industry of hair services, but I can also see our solution scale in a lot of different industries as well.鈥</span></p> <p class="Body" style="border:none"><span style="background:white">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <div class="image-with-caption left">&nbsp;</div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 10 Mar 2022 22:01:50 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 173347 at