ACCEC utilizes town hall meetings to spark conversation in the community on key issues and generate innovative community -centered approaches. Past town hall subjects have been on women’s mental health, anti -black racism, and Alberta’s ban on Carding.

The town hall asking the provincial government for stronger supports for Black startups through their community consultation. The African Canadian Civic Engagement Council and the Edmonton Council for Somali Advocacy and Research recently held a community “ er attending this meeting our team reflected how we could provide better support. On June 22 and 24, 2020, as part of ongoing efforts to listen, learn, and act to build a diverse and welcoming tech community, Startup Edmonton hosted roundtables with Black entrepreneurs in the community to engage on issues of inequality in the entrepreneurship journey. 

One of the takeaways from those roundtables was that Startup Edmonton could action the proposed recommendations through launching our first program cohort exclusively for Black founders. Introducing Foundations for Black Founders! This program will consist of a combination of our Business Model 101 and Preflight 1 classes, focused on business ideation and customer validation with mentorship and stories from successful Black founders along the way.