Across Canada, Black women are among the fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs. But as they launch businesses at high rates, they also continue to face disproportionate barriers to funding, mentorship and mainstream business networks. 

In fact, during the woman-led Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE) Coalition’s 2024-2025 fiscal year, 32 per cent of loans disbursed were given to women, further proving that Black women entrepreneurs are indispensable contributors to building generational wealth in Canada. Since its inception in 2021, Black women entrepreneurs have received over $13.8 million in funding for their businesses from FACE, marking a 540 per cent increase in support for the demographic over the course of five years. 

Collaborating with FACE, non-profit organization Black E.S.T.E.E.M. is at the forefront, connecting today’s emerging Black women founders with the girls being nurtured as tomorrow’s leaders. Paired together, the next generation of Black women businesses is already forming, as entrepreneurial confidence is built early, and when supported consistently, it builds forward.

Creating spaces where girls see themselves as founders

Organizations like Black E.S.T.E.E.M. (which stands for Entrepreneurs, Scientists, Technicians, Engineers, Economists, Mathematicians) are helping mold young Black business leaders with intention.

Through culturally affirming programming and exposure to entrepreneurship pathways, Black E.S.T.E.E.M. provides young Black girls with safe spaces to explore leadership, innovation and ownership. 

Founder Shayle Graham says Black E.S.T.E.E.M. emphasizes that early exposure to entrepreneurship means complete freedom. 

“It means a young Black girl doesn’t just dream about working somewhere, she understands she can build something of her own,” she said. “At Black E.S.T.E.E.M., we intentionally expanded STEM to include Economics and Entrepreneurship because we don’t just want Black girls entering industries, we want them shaping them.” 

Black E.S.T.E.E.M. encourages young Black girls to take up space. 

“It’s hard to become what you never see. Taking it a step further, it’s hard to believe in what you never see sustained,” Graham said, adding that Black women only make up a mere 2.5 per cent of professionals in Canadian STEM sectors. 

“Something life-changing happens when a Black girl experiences a Black woman confidently lead a robotics workshop, run a cosmetic formulation lab, or break down business strategy. It normalizes her ambition. It shows her that brilliance, leadership, and ownership can look like her. It normalizes her dreams. It quiets the doubt. It makes her believe, maybe for the first time, “this can be me.”

Building the pathway for Black entrepreneurs

Co-founded in 2021 by CEO Tiffany Callender, FACE is a national, bilingual non-profit dedicated to increasing access to capital and business resources for Black entrepreneurs across Canada. 

Through its administration of the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (BELF), the organization has disbursed more than $50 million to over 600 Black-owned businesses nationwide since March 2025.

But FACE’s work goes beyond just funding — it’s all about building an ecosystem for success, which is especially transformational during the early stages of a business.

Carla Mbol, the founder and CEO of Carla+ Curls, started her business at age 23, after growing tired of the lack of accessible knowledge when it came to working with textured hair. She says that access and mentorship played a defining role in her entrepreneurial journey.

“[Mentorship] allowed me to be surrounded by the best, to be challenged, and to open doors that would have otherwise stayed shut,” she explained to Now Toronto. “These institutions don’t just provide a network; they force you to confront reality while being supported.”

Access to funding and support through FACE helped translate vision into growth, which  reinforces not only her business model, but her confidence as a founder.

“It improved my strategic thinking, my financial literacy, and my ability to lead. It’s about the trust that the ecosystem places in your capacity to disrupt a $105 billion industry,” she said. 

Beyond capital, she says visibility at this level is critical to dismantling outdated narratives that continue to box Black women into categories rather than recognizing them as industry leaders.

“It means moving beyond ‘representation’ and into economic power. It’s about normalizing our presence until we aren’t ‘Black women founders’ anymore, but simply the ones building the global standards of tomorrow,” she stressed. “We are building a future where everyone has a seat at the table to create a more enriched, human, and innovative society.”

 Entrepreneurs across the country share the same drive for representation, and showed gratitude to FACE helping along the way. 

“Our company truly started with the support of FACE. The pre-FACE program was essential,” Quebecois retailer Groupe MAK owner Alexandra Devulsky said to Now Toronto. “I would say it was the main resource that helped us build the business. It allowed us to start our inventory and make our first nut purchases in Brazil. But beyond the funding, we also received a lot of advice and recommendations, which were truly essential for building the foundation and structure of the company properly.”

Quebec restaurant co-owner Marie Frantz Ducourt echoed similar sentiments. 

“Thanks to FACE, my partner and I were able to open the first Aux Palais Exquis restaurant in Trois-Rivières on February 22, 2025, and launch our marinades, produced by a supplier according to our company’s recipe and branding. Knowing that I can count on FACE for additional financial support if needed has reduced my stress and boosted my confidence. This has had a direct impact on my entrepreneurial journey by allowing me to move forward with greater peace of mind and a clearer vision for the future,” she said. 

From early ambition to long-term impact

FACE’s broader commitment of supporting Black Canadian women across the entire entrepreneurship journey starts early. From youth programming to loan capital, and from idea stage to expansion, the organization is helping construct a sustainable pipeline of Black women founders across the country.

When a young founder like Carla Mbol receives early investment and mentorship, she not only strengthens her own business, but she becomes visible proof of what is possible. And when young girls in organizations like Black E.S.T.E.E.M. see that proof reflected back at them, ambition is no longer just a daydream.

FACE is not only funding businesses — it is cultivating identity, leadership and long-term economic empowerment, because when Black women are built early, they don’t just build businesses. They build forward.