BBI Partner Showcase – Futurpreneur

By Amber Fryday | Photos contributed

Futurpreneur and BBI took part in the third National Black Canadians Summit, held this year in Halifax.

BBI staff at the National Black Canadians Summit Futurpreneur’s David Eisnor is past chair of the Black Business Community Investment Fund Ltd. (BBICFL)

Over the years, Futurpreneur has been an important partner for BBI, offering similar services and having common goals for the community. The organization supports businesses to get off the ground and helps people take their ideas and aspirations and turn them into business plans. “They’ve helped us strategically,” Matthew Martel, BBI’s chief operating officer says. “They’ve helped us with guest mentorship for our clients. They’ve helped us build networks for our clients. They’ve been one of our longest-standing partners and they’ve never had competition at the front of their minds. They’ve always been a supporter of ours from day one. So, there’s never that sense of competing over a client. They’re always there to help us wherever they can.” Martel says helping build generational wealth and economic independence is at the core of the partnership between the two organizations. “Joining forces with organizations like Futurpreneur to provide modern business skills and even a platform to have the community present and explore some of the challenges of entrepreneurship as a Black person, I think is something that there’s unfortunately not enough stages for people to do that.” From July 29 – 31 in Halifax, Futurpreneur and BBI took part in facilitating a panel discussion during the third National Black Canadians Summit. Canadians came from across the country to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to share their experiences, challenges and actions, and to speak out on what needs to change in the Black community. “The Summit was held over three days at the Halifax Convention Centre, July 29 – 31, 2022, on the eve of the activities and celebrations of August 1st, Emancipation Day, a moment that celebrates the strength and determination of Black communities in Canada.” Martel says BBI completed in-depth research used to form some of the questions and discussions at the event. “We wanted to make sure that it’s not so structured that there are no opportunities for participants to take advantage of the people that were standing in front of them. We do want to have great resources for people, we had a period for Q&A, and provided a lot of value and insight, not just to the participants who are from the Black community, but also other participants.” Martel says the partnership with Futurpreneur has been vital and he hopes to see it strengthen moving forward. “It’s a partnership we hope never ends.”