Entrepreneur summit brings attention to industry inequalities, celebrates local innovators

People from across the Atlantic region met in Halifax this week to discuss how local entrepreneurs can improve opportunities for those in marginalized groups.

"There are inequalities everywhere," said Tribe Network CEO Alfred Burgesson, referring to "resources that some of us don't have access to."

Nearly 200 business owners were in attendance, said Burgesson, whose non-profit organization put on the event Wednesday.

It featured a range of speakers that included Mi'kmaw innovators discussing their journey in the business world. 

Killa Atencio from the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation was one of them. She spoke about her business, IndigenoUS, an online marketplace that she hopes will help Indigenous knowledge carriers connect with employers in need of their services. 

"When COVID happened, everything moved online and I saw the opportunity to connect people because it was all online," she said. 

Indigenous people who want to be entrepreneurs face significant challenges, she said, leaving them "underrepresented in I think almost every market."

"A lot of it is systemic barriers," she said.

Atencio said she draws on support from her community, and wants to encourage Indigenous youth to do something they believe in.

Focus on innovation

Burgesson founded the Tribe Network as a Halifax-based non-profit in 2021, saying he thought it had become increasingly challenging for creators to succeed in business and he wanted to help.

"Entrepreneurship is very difficult no matter the colour of your skin," he said. "Our mission is to build a network of racialized entrepreneurs, professionals, students, leaders that are pursuing technology, entrepreneurship and innovation."

The group has grown to include over 800 members from across Atlantic Canada and hosts 80 workshops a year.

Savior Joseph, chair of Tribe's board of directors, said the main goal of the organization is to support Black, Indigenous and other people of colour who are trying to get established in the innovation economy. 

"When we look at new industries like AI or climate change, we don't see our people present in a big way," Joseph said. "We know that these innovation industries are going to drive the next generation of wealth within the world."

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