START YOUR APPLICATION HERE!

Names (Required) First Last Email (Required) Phone (Required) Company Name (Required) Industry (Required) Category/type of business Address (Required) Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Select Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, the United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye US Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands Country Which best describes your business? (Required) Choose Option Bricks & Mortar Online only Both Year Founded (Required) Do you sell goods or services? (Required) Choose Option Physical Products Services Both Do you export or plan to in the future? (Required) Choose Option Yes No Not Sure Please share the link of your Pitch Video submission below: (Required) The video must be shared as an unlisted YouTube link! How would winning up to $25,000 impact your business? How would you use the money to grow your business? (Required) Please take some time to answer the questions below. Is your business registered? (Required) Yes No If yes, what is your registered business name? (Required) Do you Identify as (Required) Female Male Neither Non-Binary Choose all that apply to your business (Required) I have a bricks & mortar store(s) I sell online only I have a store and sell online My business is a social enterprise Is your business 51% Black Owned? (Required) Yes No Does your business have a CRA #? (Required) Yes No Are you a sole proprietor, incorporated or in a partnership? (Required) Choose Option Sole Proprietor Incorporated Partnership Start-up Not Registered Choose all that apply (Required) I am a veteran I am a new immigrant (under 5 years) Woman owned business 2SLGBTQIA+ owned I am a youth under 29 Non-profit or charity Self-employed Student Select All Are you? (Required) Afro-Indigenous Black African Black Canadian Black Caribbean Other Prefer not to say Select All Number of Employees (including you) (Required) 1 1-5 5-10 10-25 25+ I am (Required) A Canadian citizen Landed Immigtant Refugee Status Indigenous | First Nations Website Social Media Handles: (Required) LinkedIn Profile: Please upload a high quality head shot of founder(s) – please ensure that this shows half body with no parts cut off. Max. file size: 256 MB. Please upload high quality versions of your logo. Max. file size: 256 MB. Consent (Required) I agree to BEBC’s privacy policy. Media Waiver (Required) I hereby consent to the use of my images, videos and content in any publication or promotion by BEBC or other organizations which are promoting or furthering BEBC & the Black Pitch Contest. 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Black Pitch Contest - BEBC Society

BLACK PITCH CONTEST

ELEVATE YOUR VISION

Which idea will win $25K?

Join us at our info session Friday, February 9th

3-4pm PST | 6-7pm EST

Enter our Black Pitch Contest to spark and accelerate your growth.

Get Funding

Win up to $25,000 in cash prizes to unlock opportunities. Get recognized nationally by your peers.

Resources

Receive free tools, resources and opportunities to reach more customers.

Support

Access on-demand and live learning sessions. Apply for the Black Business Awards.

Semi-Finalists Will Be Announced Soon!

Black Pitch Contest

YOU COULD WIN UP TO $25,000!

You’re smart. You work hard. You have dreams.

But the road to building your business seems blocked by obstacles at every turn.

We believe in you. And we’re here to help.

Enter the Black Pitch Contest NOW to win up to $25,000, learn from mentors, and connect with experts that can transform your life. Apply right now.

WHAT IS THE BLACK PITCH CONTEST?

AMPLIFICATION OF BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CANADA

The Black Pitch Contest is a program operated by the Black Entrepreneurs and Businesses of Canada Society, a non-profit organization brimming with confidence in Canadian Black business. Winners will be announced at this year’s Black Business Summit, also put on by the BEBC, where Black entrepreneurs from across the country gather to dream bigger, aim higher, and break business barriers to thrive. This year’s summit is a hybrid event, with tickets available virtually and in-person in Vancouver, Canada. Register now for an early bird rate.

In order to compete for the cash reward, participants must enter the Black Pitch Contest before the deadline of February 20th, 2024. After submitting, participants will be judged over the next months by popular public vote, and a panel of judges.

The top 5 finalists will pitch their business ideas publicly at the 2024 Black Business Summit, where the top winner will be awarded.

PITCH COMPETITION TIMELINE

February 20, 2024

Applications Close

March 4 - 20, 2024

Public Voting for Top 15 of 30

March 26, 2024

Top 30 Finalists Announced

April 2, 2024

Top 15 Finalists Announced

April 8, 2024

Top 5 Finalists Announced

Preparations for Live Pitches at the Summit!

May 24 & 25, 2024

Black Business Summit

Live Pitch in Front of Judges

Judges Select Grand Prize Pitcher

POST-PITCH COMPETITION:

June 2024
Top 5 Finalists Receive Access to: Advisory Circles, 1-on-1 Mentoring, Pitch Bootcamps & more!

CONTEST OVERVIEW

Round 1: Public Voting - Top 15 of 30 Pitches

Rules: One vote per day. The 15 top-voted pitches will advance to Round 2, comprising the overall Top 30 pitches.
After the submission and public voting deadline of March 20th, 2024, remaining video pitches will undergo private evaluation based on originality, problem relevance, and solution viability. An additional 15 pitches will be selected for the overall Top 30.
Wildcard round: 10 additional finalists to join the top 30 finalists for the 2024 Black Pitch Contest

Round 2: Top 15 Pitches Selected

A second set of judges will narrow down the pool to the Top 15 pitches by process of elimination.

Round 3: Top 5 Pitches Selected

From the Top 15, the elimination process will further refine the selection to the Top 5 pitches.

Round 4: LIVE In-Person Pitches

The Top 5 finalists will convene in Vancouver, British Columbia, to deliver their pitches in person, competing for prizes. The winner will be announced at the Black Business Summit on May 24th and 25th, 2024 at the Reliance Theatre.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Prior to applicant consideration and in order to proceed with the application process, each contestant must meet the following eligibility requirements:

A legal resident of Canada
Any age or gender in any industry
Open to registering as a Canadian business
The founder or majority shareholder(s) must self-identify as Black
Must be passionate about the idea they are pitching
The applicant must understand that funding is taxable (business taxes as reported income)
If named as a Finalist, applicants must be available to attend BEBC’s Black Business
Summit in-person in May 2024 (purchasing of Summit ticket(s) will be their sole responsibility)
Applicants are a member of the BEBC Society, or must sign-up upon entering the Pitch Contest

ARE YOU READY TO APPLY?

Applying is easy.

Step 1: Fill out the form below

Step 2: Record a video of yourself making your pitch to the camera

Your video must include:

an autobiography (keep it brief!)
the idea you’re passionate about
an explanation of how the issue/idea impacts your community
examples of how you can bring your idea to life!
Share the video as a link in the application form (can be submitted as an unlisted YouTube link or a link from Google Drive, etc.)
All application forms and waivers must be completed and signed

Step 3: Ask friends and family to get ready to vote when public voting begins!

After reviewing the eligibility forms and conducting a background check to ensure that each applicant is eligible, the Committee will review submitted application videos. All candidates can expect to be contacted.