Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) RADIUS brought together entrepreneurs, funders and community leaders for its second annual event.
A symposium held on March 25 at Surrey City Hall was set with the aim to move the conversation around Black entrepreneurship in Western Canada beyond research and into action.
RADIUS SFU’s social innovation hub led the second Black Entrepreneurship and Research Symposium, which brought together around 250 participants for a day of keynote speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions and a marketplace featuring Black-led businesses and community organizations.
Organizer Raphael Ochil shared that this event was designed to build on years of research founded by their team while also creating space for Black entrepreneurs, community leaders, institutional partners and decision-makers to connect.
“This year’s symposium, the goal was to now take the next step beyond the pages of the research report,” said Ochil, Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub lead and a portfolio manager with RADIUS SFU.
Ochil said RADIUS works in community-based innovation as well as in consulting and training, partnering with organizations to address inequities and build more inclusive systems and workplaces.
The symposium builds on a three-year research project by the RADIUS team that began in 2022 and was completed in 2025.
The research project explained barriers that Black entrepreneurs face across Western Canada, including B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“The goal of that research was to surface the unique challenges that Black entrepreneurs face in Western Canada,” explained Ochil.
Ochil says last year’s inaugural symposium focused on sharing those findings with the community while this year’s symposium was intended to focus on what comes next. “What can we do collectively to action some of the recommendations in the research report?”
Some of the main themes to come out of this symposium were access to space, visibility and innovation programming for Black businesses.
The day opened with a keynote speech by Dr. Olutoyin Oyelade, president and CEO of Casa Foundation.
“The keynote speech was one that was an eye-opener for a lot of people in the room,” shared Ochil, explaining that her speech helped set the tone for the conversation that followed.
After Oyelade’s initial speech, a panel of important community leaders spoke with the audience, sharing their stories and their initiatives.
Guests also had a chance to visit a marketplace set up in the atrium at Surrey City Hall.
This marketplace featured Black-led ventures, community organization and institutional partners available to connect with attendees.
Organizations and businesses represented included Hogan’s Alley Society, Black Entrepreneurs and Businesses of Canada Society, DIVERSEcity, Afiya Care Collective, Baobab Black Seniors Society, Surrey and White Rock Board of Trade, World Trade Centre, Griottes Polyglottes, Dehls Gourmet, Naza SoNatural, Dar Mina Morocco and Zerone AnalytiQs.
“People got the chance to connect with each other, have conversations on challenges, networking and visibility. They could receive mentorship support and all of that,” Ochil said.
The event also featured a violin performance by Lord Nation and catering throughout the day.
Three breakout sessions followed the marketplace break, each focusing on a different challenge facing Black entrepreneurs and organizations.
One session, led by RADIUS staff Ilhan Abdullahi and Alia Sunderji, focused on bias in financing and funding decisions, bringing together funders, decision-makers and Black-led organizations to discuss more equitable access to sustainable funding.
Another session focused on doing business with the government and was led by Jackee Kasandy, founder and CEO of Black Entrepreneurs and Business of Canada Society, alongside Tess Menges, regional director for Procurement Assistance Canada in the Pacific Region.
The second workshop walked participants through how to access government procurement opportunities and what documentation and strategies are needed to complete for contracts.
A third, closed-door breakout session was led by Ochil and brought together Black-led organizational leaders for a deeper discussion around visibility, collaboration and long-term support.
“It was more exploratory and we had a follow-up conversation on what needs to be done in that regard,” said Ochil.
Ochil shared that the larger goal in having these symposiums is to lead lasting change rather than ending as a one-day event.
“We have conversations and there’s a lot of talk, but action has to happen,” he said. “What makes our symposium different is that folks can now see that action is taking place.”
Ochil shared that organizing the symposium came with challenges, particularly around funding, and credited the wider RADIUS team and its partners for helping bring it together.
He said that he hopes that future gatherings will have the opportunity to report back on the progress already underway.
“Action is happening, and that started during the first and now second symposium,” said Ochil.
Learn more about RADIUS SFU and the work that they do at sfu.ca/radius.
