Ask a room full of Black entrepreneurs why their business has not grown the way they planned, and you will hear the same answer again and again: capital. In other words, the problem is rarely talent, work ethic or ideas.
However, if you dig one layer deeper, a harder truth comes out. Funding for Black entrepreneurs in Canada does exist. In fact, there are grants, loans, tax credits and pitch prizes available right now. Yet too often, that money ends up with the businesses who already know where to look and how to write the application. As a result, for too many of us, the funding gap is really an information gap.
That is why our Day 1 speaker has spent years solving this exact problem. On Thursday, October 1, the Afro-Caribbean Business Network opens the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Conference 2026 with a virtual fireside chat featuring Thierry Lindor, CEO and Co-Founder of Happly.Ai.
Who Is Thierry Lindor?
Thierry is a Montreal-based serial entrepreneur whose path runs through real estate, media and technology. Before Happly, he founded Influence ORB, a modern media company connecting brands with influencers, and worked on initiatives alongside global figures including Malala Yousafzai and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
When the pandemic hit, he built Colors of COVID, a platform that collected race-based data to show how COVID-19 was affecting marginalized communities, at a time when that data was largely missing in Canada. At the same time, he co-founded the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), a coalition that helped unlock a $330 million federal and private sector commitment for entrepreneurs of African descent through the Black Entrepreneurship Program.
In 2021, he launched Happly.Ai, an AI-powered platform that matches entrepreneurs with the grants, loans, tax credits, pitch competitions, incubators and procurement opportunities they actually qualify for, then helps them complete the application. Today, Happly reports it is trusted by more than 80,000 entrepreneurs, startups and partner organizations and has helped its users secure over $60 million in funding.
Along the way, his work has been recognized widely: BMO Black Entrepreneur of the Year, the MIPAD Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent Under 40, Black Tech Matters Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year, a DMZ AMEX award, valedictorian of the NEXT AI and HEC accelerator, and the grand prize in TELUS’ #StandWithOwners program.
Happly is focused on dismantling systemic barriers for entrepreneurs, especially those from marginalized groups, helping to bridge the gap and making funding easier to access for everyone. (Thierry Lindor)
Why Access to Funding Matters for the Black Community
1. AI can close the information gap, or widen it
Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses find customers, write proposals and make decisions. Entrepreneurs who learn to use it will move faster, while those who do not will fall further behind. For this reason, Black founders cannot afford to be spectators in this shift. Thankfully, Thierry’s work is proof that AI can be built with us and for us, and used to level the field instead of tilting it further.
2. Funding readiness is a skill, and it can be learned
At ACBN we talk about the Four Strikes™ that Black entrepreneurs in Canada face: small teams (86% of us operate with fewer than five employees), difficulty attracting talent, overconcentration in professional services, and systemic barriers to capital, credit and networks. In other words, when you are a team of one, you do not have a grant writer or a research department. That is why AI grant-matching tools matter: they give a solo founder the kind of support that used to belong only to larger firms.
3. Capital without clarity gets wasted
Of course, finding the right fund is only half the battle. This is where ACBN’s 3C Framework™ comes in: Clarity → Connection → Capital. First, Clarity means knowing exactly what your business needs and having your documents, financials and plan in order. Next, Connection means a community and network that opens doors. Finally, Capital comes last, because that is when it works. In short, AI can surface the money, but preparation is what turns an opportunity into an approval.
Ready to put the 3C Framework™ to work in your business? ACBN’s Growth Pathway program takes you step by step from clarity to capital, with coaching, community and a direct route to funding. We are welcoming 100 entrepreneurs into the program.
Apply for the Growth Pathway program
4. Our economic potential is enormous
Research highlighted in ACBN’s earlier conversation with Thierry suggests that helping Black-owned microbusinesses scale could create hundreds of thousands of jobs and add tens of billions of dollars to the Canadian economy. Therefore, expanding funding for Black entrepreneurs is not a favour to our community. Instead, it is an investment in the whole country.
5. We need to see ourselves building the future
When a Black founder leads an AI company, wins national awards and helps move hundreds of millions of dollars toward our community, it tells the next generation that tech and capital are spaces where we belong, not spaces we visit.
A Word on Wellness
Beyond funding, Thierry is also candid about the mental side of entrepreneurship. In a past conversation with ACBN, he reminded founders that “somebody else’s accomplishment is not an attack on your performance.” Especially in a world of highlight reels, that is a message every entrepreneur building quietly and consistently needs to hear.
What You Will Walk Away With
- How AI is changing the way entrepreneurs find and win funding
- Practical ways to use AI tools in your business right now, even if you are not “a tech person”
- What funders are looking for and how to become funding-ready
- How inclusive economic opportunity gets built, from grassroots advocacy to national policy
- A live Q&A with one of Canada’s leading Black tech founders
Frequently Asked Questions
What funding is available for Black entrepreneurs in Canada?
Options include grants, microloans and larger loans. For example, ACBN’s own pathway starts with microloans of $1,000 to $10,000 (up to $25,000 through our Alterna Savings partnership), then connects entrepreneurs to the Black Opportunity Fund, FACE loans of up to $250,000 through the Black Entrepreneurship Program, and commercial banking partners.
How can AI help me find grants for my business?
AI grant-matching platforms like Happly.Ai, scan available programs, match them to your business profile and help you complete applications faster. As a result, they save time. However, you still need your business plan, financials and documents ready. That is where ACBN’s Growth Pathway helps. https://acbncanada.com/growth-pathway/
I missed the live session. Can I watch the replay?
Yes. Replays of BEEConference sessions will be shared on the ACBN YouTube channel.
Join Us on Day 1
This fireside chat kicks off a full month of workshops through October as part of the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Conference 2026. So if you are ready to stop searching alone and start building with a community that moves, this is your first step.
Fireside Chat with Thierry Lindor | BEEConference Day 1
Thursday, October 1, 2026 | Online
Can’t make it live? Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a replay, workshop or conversation: youtube.com/@acbn_canada
Connect. Build. Grow.
