The DMZ Black Innovation Program (BIP) Social Impact Stream is a 6-month virtual business incubator program fuelled by Unilever to help Black entrepreneurs with a social mission and purpose to scale operations, make lucrative industry connections, and build sustainable solutions to maximize their impact on Canadian Communities.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must:

• Identify as Black (i.e. of African descent or the diaspora)
• Be 18 years of age or older at time of application
• Have a business that primarily operates in Canada and is incorporated or will incorporate if selected for the program
• Be a social venture, solving a compelling problem that impacts Canadians
• Be a tech-based or tech-enabled business with intent to scale
• Be comfortable speaking and participating in the program in English
• Be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent resident of Canada, or Hold Current and Valid Authorization under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
• Be a founder, owner, or hold a senior position where the startup is at least 50% owned by Black-identifying business owners or founders

• Demonstrated a positive impact on Black-identified Canadians and/or the diaspora
• Committed to building a scalable social enterprise
• Committed to program activities and engagements
• A driven, coachable and collaborative leadership, open to returning and mentoring future cohorts.
• Received under $200,000 CAD in cumulative grants in the last two years
• Incorporated as either a for-profit, not-for-profit, or are a registered charity
• Committed to engaging in value-based leadership

No. There is no participation fee required to be a part of the program.

This is a part time program. Participants should expect to commit two to three hours a week to gain full benefits of the program.

The BIP Social Impact Stream is a 6-month, part time virtual program that consists of workshops, mentorship, peer-to-peer sessions, and guidance from DMZ Program Leads.

Over the course of the program, participants will also receive:

• Perks and discounts: Through the DMZ’s partnerships, our startups receive exclusive perks and discounts from 110+ partners worth over $1 million in business savings.
• Professionals-in-Residence (PiR) support: Our PiR program offers 1:1 advisory services to our portfolio companies in areas of legal, finance, grants and process-related activities.
• Online resources (Google Launchpad, legal templates, financial modelling templates, etc.)
• Access to peer and alumni mentorship
• Year-round access to asynchronous Social Impact Learning modules
• Access to legal support and resources for business registration, incorporation and other legal inquiries
• Access to grant writing support

Together, Unilever Canada and the DMZ will distribute up to $70,000 in grants over two cohorts. Up to $35,000 in grant funding will be distributed to participants of the program’s first cohort (September 2021).

During the program graduation and Demo Day, program participants will pitch their companies to a panel of judges for an opportunity to secure grant funding. More information on the grant prize amounts will be available soon.

Yes, applicants who are not selected for the September 2022 cohort are welcome to apply for future programs should they meet eligibility criteria.

Applicants who are not selected to be a member of the September 2022 cohort will still be granted access to online learning content and video resources from workshops covered in the BIP Social Impact Stream’s core programming. Workshops include: Design Thinking 101, Selling for Social Enterprise, Brand & Marketing, Getting your Legal in Order, Setting up Your Finances for Success, Business Modelling, Pitching and Storytelling, and the Fundamentals of Raising Capital.

The Black Innovation Program’s Social Impact stream is funded by Unilever Canada with programming administered by the DMZ.