Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program
About this program
The Entrepreneurship Accelerator program offers a unique blend of beauty artistry and business skills development. It provides comprehensive support, including retail space and business insurance, at no cost to participants. The program is inclusive, designed to help entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.
Fee
Free of charge
Application timeline
Flexible enrolment. We’re taking in entrepreneurs all year round!
Eligibility
Female entrepreneurs between the ages of 18-25 in the beauty industry
Location & format
In-person at the Future Black Female marketplace in St. Catharine
What you will do
Secure Your Funding: You will be receiving guidance on financial success and preparing to secure funding for your business.
Build Your Network and Skills: You will be connecting with fellow female business owners, experiencing the power of female support, and expanding your network at Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) events.
Master Your Pitch: You will be sharpening your entrepreneurial skills and learning how to confidently pitch your ideas to potential investors.
Become a Market Expert: You will be mastering your target market, developing a winning business strategy, and building relationships with other regional businesses.
Launch Your Business: You will have a free in-person retail space in beautiful St. Catharines to run your beauty business and build your clientele.
Meet your mentor, Natasha Bell
Image description: Natasha Bell (left) and Dr. Tapo Chimbganda (right) at the Future Black Female marketplace
Experience
Founder of Black-Owned 905. Born and raised in St. Catharines, Natasha is an Underground Railroad freedom seeker descendant with strong family ties to the Salem Chapel, BME Church NHS. She is also proud of her Trinidadian heritage and culture, which she believes helped strengthen her interest and involvement in all things Black, including activism. Tasha is an active member of Matter of Black and hopes to be able to use her voice to make a change within the community.
Mentorship Focus
Networking, building relations, starting business
Passion
Her Black Canadian and Caribbean roots Her inspiration for creating this platform came from seeing so many Black owned businesses go overlooked in the Niagara region, the goal is to raise awareness to black owned businesses.
Email Us: info@futureblackfemale.com
Apply Now: Share your business plan and passion with us.
MEET THE TEAM
Our Board of Directors
Renée, currently BOD Chair, is deeply passionate about literacy, education and the importance of life-long learning. Over the years, she has been actively involved in various mentorship programs and has been an advocate and enthusiastic supporter of black female youth and young BIPOC adults, helping them to secure the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to succeed in their personal and professional lives. She has facilitated financial and economic literacy programs for elementary and high school students, challenging them to consider the benefits of staying in school as well as pursuing both formal and informal post-secondary education.
Renée Graf
Licensed as a lawyer in Nigeria, and Ontario, Canada, UnyimeAbasi has over a decade experience in legal and regulatory policy research and analysis as well as in program and policy formulation, management, evaluation and reporting. She has expertise in and a passion for applying feminist and GBA+ lenses to policies and programs.
Unyime Abasi Odong
Temi is a recent Brock University graduate, receiving her Bachelor of Honours in Medical Sciences. As a young black woman, Temi understands that youth have the power to make changes in society. She has used her experiences in life to be an example for young women and develop initiatives within her community. During her time in undergrad, Temi founded the first Physicians for Human Rights Chapter in Canada and served as the President for two years. In addition, she worked with the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences to develop the first-ever BIPOC Students Townhall.
Temi Odunuga
Nicole is a passionate youth and community development/engagement professional with over 7 years' experience working in these spaces in Canada. Hailing from the beautiful island of Jamaica, Nicole believes in the power of empowering youth and more specifically Black Female youth, which is the main reason for being a part of FBF. “If I wasn't working in non-profit space I would be focusing on conducting research and working with initiatives that promote gender equality”. My dream job would be to work with UNFPA;I have a deep rooted love for gender and development and love the fact that FBF allows me to delve just a little in this area.
Nicole Lewis
Devonie is a Jamaican student passionate about digital product and user experience design , who advocates for Black women's intersectionality, aiming to empower and create spaces for future generations.
Devonie Ramson
Evelyn is a CPA who has held various financial management roles in the Canadian Federal Public Service. Evelyn has always had a passion for the issues that affect the outcomes of racialized youth and young adults and as a result, has volunteered, worked with and mentored these populations in various community based organizations as well as in her professional career to improve these outcomes. Future Black Female aligns with this passion as it provides support and services to young black females.
Evelyn Adu-Febiri
Zintiat is a student at the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University). Zintiat works as a Case Manager with over 4 years in the Social Work field. As a previous international student, there were so many challenges that Zintiat faced and she joined FBF to help support young black females like herself to have access to the support and services that she never had.