The Pulse: Nov. 2, 2021

A new accelerator for Black-led startups and tech-enabled businesses in Western Canada is launching on Nov. 15, led by the Black Business Ventures Association (BBVA).

The Black Seed Accelerator will help early-stage Black founders with the mentorship, advisory, educational, and financial resources that they need to grow their businesses in a scalable and effective way.

Sahr Saffa, a serial entrepreneur who works in Edmonton, is one of the program's coaches. He told Taproot that startups need resources to grow, and the earliest stages of startup funding often come from friends and family members.

But for Black-led business, that's even more of a challenge, he said.

"The resources needed for them to start their business are very difficult to attain, given they generally don't have uncles, cousins, or aunts who have a few thousand dollars they can invest," Saffa said.

"Also, other avenues of financing — banks, angel investors, grant funding — generally don't have individuals in leadership positions that look, talk, and walk like these Black founders, making it increasingly difficult for capital to be raised.

"At the end of the day, investing is a very emotional game and if a founder isn't able to emotionally connect with an investor on various fronts, it's almost difficult for them to secure any level of financing."

• City council unanimously passed a motion at its meeting on Nov. 1 to develop an anti-racism strategy. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi's motion directs city administration to prepare an initial report for February 2022 and includes requesting resources from the provincial and federal governments for anti-racism and anti-violence initiatives.
• In the fifth annual Climate Change and Energy Perceptions Survey, 77% of Edmontonians said that they want the city to act on climate change right away. The survey was completed in May 2021 with a sample of 1,005 Edmontonians.
• Two Edmonton youth are traveling to the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow as part of a group of six delegates presenting a global youth report.
• The Edmonton Social Planning Council released its annual calculation of Edmonton's living wage. For 2021, the living wage is $18.10 an hour, up $1.59 from 2019.
• "It's a great collection of community leaders, health-care providers, inventors, tech wizards and those who give countless hours to make Edmonton a better place to live": Edify has published its Top 40 Under 40 for 2021.
• Edmonton non-profits are looking for volunteers as venues reopen and the holiday season begins. For example, Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteer drivers; the number of clients using its service doubled from 2019 to 2020.
• The Alberta Zero Emissions Hydrogen Transit project, which will demonstrate two hydrogen fuel cell electric buses in Edmonton and Strathcona County, has been awarded $4.6 million by Emissions Reduction Alberta.

St. Albert eatery Jack's Burger Shack has announced plans to open its second location, in downtown Edmonton at Jasper Avenue and 104 Street.

Owner Tu Le credits the forthcoming move into downtown to "pure luck." When a real estate broker made him aware that the former Oodle Noodle location was available, Le's low-ball offer was, to his surprise, accepted by the landlord.

"With the cost being that low, if we can do a little bit of take-out and (offer indoor dining) with the vaccine passport and more space, then we can make a go of it," Le told Taproot. "It's still a risk with the pandemic and restrictions, but we know more now than we did, so I feel more confident opening a place now."

Le hopes the new shop will be open in 4-6 weeks, and promises that the menu and prices will mirror the original restaurant. The plan is to be open five days a week.

"It will be a place where you can get a good quality meal that is quick and affordable, and a friendly place where you can have a chat with one of the staff," said Le. "I can't really do that in St. Albert (right now), but with a little more space we can get back to that and get to know everybody (in the neighbourhood). I miss that in St. Albert."