The Investment Bootcamp program is aimed at supporting Black-led tech startups with training, mentorship and fundraising insights to secure early capital.

With a community-driven approach, the program offers curated content and resources to support entrepreneurs through educational workshops, one-on-one coaching and peer founder circles, which provides a safe and open space for founders to connect and receive support.

Applicants to the competition were narrowed down from the 17 Black entrepreneurs who participated in the program to nine finalists who pitched their businesses to a live audience at an event on Feb. 1 celebrating Black excellence.

The Demo Day event, which also marked the start of Black History Month, was attended by a number of government officials, including Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Judy Sgro, member of Parliament for Humber River – Black Creek, was also in attendance and was impressed by the entrepreneurs. “Witnessing the dedication and leadership of these young entrepreneurs has not only inspired me, but it reaffirms my belief in the incredible potential of our community’s future leaders,” she says.

First-place winner Ifegbuyi will receive $5,000 toward his business, Cozii Technologies, an artificial intelligence-driven property management platform tailored to multi-unit landlords. Ifegbuyi immigrated from Nigeria about 15 years ago and received his degree in international development and urban studies at York as well as a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation. As a founder known for his entrepreneurial drive, Ifegbuyi is excited for the future as his business continues to grow.

“This fund will be channelled into our sales and marketing endeavours, with the goal of reaching and serving more small- and medium-scale rental property owners and managers,” he says.

“It’s not just a cash prize. It’s an investment in Cozii Technologies’ vision to revolutionize the way we approach property management.”

Second-place winner Williams, the founder of Fundevolve Inc., a pioneering platform dedicated to empowering women in their financial journey, will receive $3,000 to further her company. Williams developed her passion for business while studying business administration and management at York. Born out of an investment gone wrong, Williams became an independent financial planner and was determined to empower individuals to make the right financial decisions. Her business is quickly building momentum as she works to further develop the web-based platform and equip women with the tools to take control of their financials.

“We plan to use the prize winnings for testing before launching our platform,” says Williams. “This investment in security ensures not only our project’s safety but also our users’ trust.”

Both Ifegbuyi and Williams cite the boot camp’s collaborative spirit as a contributor to their startup’s success. “Participating in the program has been a transformative journey,” says Ifegbuyi. “The unwavering support and mentorship we received are catalysts for long-term growth.”

Special guest Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also attended a private event – where York President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton was also present – held before the awards to meet the finalists and learn more about their businesses.

“Meeting Justin Trudeau was a great honour and opportunity,” says Ifegbuyi. “It symbolized the recognition of our hard work and the federal government commitment to supporting the Black entrepreneurial community. It’s a reminder that our efforts are making an impact, and it inspires us to continue pushing boundaries and striving for excellence in everything we do.”

Both BEA and YSpace offer several innovative programs and events for entrepreneurs at all stages, including curated programming dedicated to under-represented groups like Black entrepreneurs and women founders.

To learn more visit

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As YSpace celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2023, we took stock of some of YSpace’s biggest milestones so far. 

YSpace champions Black entrepreneurship through Black Entrepreneurship Alliance

In summer 2021, the federal government invested close to $3 million for the Black Creek Community Health Centre, in partnership with YSpace, Schulich Executive Education Centre, and TD-Community Engagement Centre. The funding supports Black Canadian businesses in Humber River-Black Creek and resulted in the creation of the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA), co-designed by YSpace. BEA offers a full spectrum of education, mentorship and acceleration supports to more than 350 Black entrepreneurs seeking to establish or grow agri-food businesses. Since BEA’s creation, YSpace has supported 178 ventures – 89% of which are women-led - and have generated over $2 million in revenue. 

YSpace expands, opening hub in Georgina

In late 2022, �첥��Ƶ opened a new YSpace location in northern York Region, in partnership with the Towns of Georgina and East Gwillimbury. The hub initially supported local start-ups and existing businesses during the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its launch, YSpace Northern Entrepreneurship Hub has supported hundreds of local ventures and offers customized resources to entrepreneurs in the region.

YSpace partners with UCalgary hub for entrepreneurial thinking placements

In 2021, YSpace partnered with the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary for Experience Ventures, a federally funded program for college and university students that offers paid entrepreneurial thinking placements at Canadian companies. Students work to create innovative solutions for startups and social ventures, applying entrepreneurial thinking skills to make them future ready. So far, YSpace has overseen 800 placements for York students.

YSpace pursues internationalization, partners with Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)

YSpace collaborated with KOTRA to host the 2021 Canada Acceleration Program for Korean startups. YSpace provided mentorship and support for Korean businesses interested in gaining a market foothold in Canada. The partnership with KOTRA built on previous international outreach for YSpace, which worked with Chilean food and beverage companies and the Pro-Chile Trade Commission in 2020 to mentor startups entering the United States. 

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Now, with $3 million in support from the federal government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy program, ELLA is going nationwide, setting up localized hubs and opening its programs to participants across the country.

“What I think York has done, really uniquely, is increased access,” says David Kwok, associate director, entrepreneurship. He notes that while there are other women-focused accelerator programs, ELLA is unique in a few different ways. 

“More traditional incubator accelerator programs are often very student-focused or very tech-focused. Our differentiator is that we do support students, but we also support the external community, so anyone can join,” says Kwok. “And we're not only doing tech. We’re going into sectors that typically other organizations are not really as focused on.”

ELLA includes three programs: 

• Express, self-paced
  Early entrepreneurs needing foundational skills to grow
• Ascend, four-month
  Early-stage businesses setting the stage for growth
• Altitude, four-month
  Businesses preparing to scale up nationally or internationally.

Participants in Ascend and Altitude gain access to one-on-one mentorship, a team to help them develop their strategic plans for growth, and a cohort of peers with whom they can create a trusting, supportive community. 

“I think it is a really unique model that’s open and accessible and encourages women to jump in, stay in, and continue to grow,” says Jennifer MacLean, vice-president of innovation and research partnerships. “There are no barriers that were put in place. The team just provides validation and encouragement regardless of where you are. I think that's really a magical thing.”

Ascend spoke with three YSpace alumni about their experiences and their startups.

Garima Gupta, Artha Learning, Inc.
Toronto, ON

A former software engineer with a passion for education, Garima Gupta put her career on hold when her kids were little. But after a few years, she realized it was time to show her two children, and herself, what she could accomplish. 

In 2017, she dove into an online masters in adult education, at the same time launching her business, Artha Learning—an eLearning strategy, design and development firm. 

Two years later, Gupta successfully applied to ELLA’s Ascend program, and went on to join the Altitude program as well. “I'm a rather resourceful kind of person, but the problem with running a business is that you don't know what you don't know,” she explains. “Going in, my attitude was wanting to expose myself to other people's challenges, and to understand what things I should think about while trying to scale.” 

With the mentorship she received from the faculty and the support of her cohort, Gupta gained the skills and confidence to take Artha Learning to the next level. “The biggest change was a shift in my mindset from being a solopreneur,” she shares. “I went from wondering whether or not I could build something bigger to actually building it, and realizing at the same time I can do more. That allowed me to attract more opportunities. You have to believe in yourself before somebody else can.”

Today, Artha Learning employs 12 full-time staff, and counts corporations, governments, NGOs and universities (including York) among its clients.
It has also racked up numerous awards—including Canadian Small Business Of The Year in 2021. Even so, Gupta remains connected to ELLA, keeping in touch with her mentors and dropping in to speak with current participants. 

“With programs like ELLA, you never really graduate,” she says. “This journey just continues.”

Jannine Rane, Zing Pantry Shortcuts
Toronto, ON

At home during the pandemic, Jannine Rane and her partner, Anush Sachdeva, found themselves craving some variety. 

“A lot of people, ourselves included, were stuck at home eating the same chicken breast recipe two or three times a week. We asked ourselves,
how do restaurants do it? How can people shake it up and do things differently at home?” Rane recalls.

Realizing they weren’t the only ones experiencing culinary ennui, Rane and Sachdeva turned to their friend and future business partner, chef Kiran Singh. Together, the trio launched a website for Zing Pantry Shortcuts in September 2020, developing “pantry shortcuts” that elevate home cooking with flavourful blends of ingredients.  

“It started as a side hustle, to help us find some productivity and joy in the mundaneness of the pandemic,” says Rane, a marketing and branding professional. 

The endeavour quickly snowballed into something much bigger. 

“We had a lot of excitement from early customers, food critics and media who blew up our brand very quickly,” she says. “It turned from this fun little project into a full-blown CPG (consumer packaged goods) company.”

In 2021, Rane and her partners joined the five-month Food Accelerator at YSpace, gaining the skills to meet the growing demand for their products. 

“When we started at YSpace, we knew nothing—we didn't even understand bar coding and distribution,” says Rane. 

At the time, Zing was mainly a direct-to-consumer enterprise, with a handful of independent grocers in Toronto carrying their products. Now it’s on track to be in 400 stores across the country, including Whole Foods and Fortinos, by the summer.

“The program was instrumental in helping us,” Rane says. “We were able to avoid a lot of potential mistakes and mishaps in a safe space where we could ask questions. We also learned very tangible pieces of business and how things work in the industry—which we would have had to learn the hard way.”

Julie Klukas, Shy Wolf Candles
Grey Highlands, ON

When volunteer firefighter Julie Klukas quietly started creating and selling custom-scented candles online in the fall of 2019, her male colleagues at the fire hall didn’t fully grasp the scale of her operation. 

“The guys kind of thought, ‘She's making candles, that's cute,’” Klukas shares. “They didn't see it as a business until we had passed a million in revenue. All of sudden they were like, ‘Oh, you're not just playing hobby wife in the kitchen!’”

That sort of reaction was part of why Klukas joined the Ascend and Altitude programs at ELLA. “It was really nice to be surrounded by other women who understand the challenges of being a female entrepreneur—whether that's not being taken seriously or just going to business events and being one of only few women,” she says, adding that she appreciated being able to join a larger entrepreneurial community while living and working in a small rural town. 

Through the program, Klukas was able to gain the skills and confidence to grow Shy Wolf from a one-woman operation run out of her home into a company with its own studio and a staff of seven. The brand has cultivated a devoted following for its unique proprietary blends of scents inspired by 70’s rock’n’roll, tarot cards and new-age spirituality, and has sold around 75,000 candles, distributing them online and in 500 stores worldwide. 

“ELLA’s leadership training really helped me,” says Klukas. “When you start by pouring candles in your kitchen, you never imagine that you're going to be a team leader for all these different staff. It’s a very different skill set." 

“It really helped me with my leadership skills and with just feeling more confident in myself—not just as an entrepreneur, but as somebody who is now hiring and bringing people together.”

In addition to ELLA, YSpace also offers one of the few accelerator programs for food and beverage start-ups, and is a co-creator of the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance in partnership with the Black Creek Community Health Centre, TD Community Engagement Centre, and Schulich Executive Education Centre. 

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