Futurpreneur hosted a fireside chat with The Retro Bag Canada founder Adesola Ogunsakin at its head office in Toronto on Feb. 23. Stush Patties owner Opal Rowe was also on-site, as were nearly 150 people.

Damian Allen, relationship manager of business markets at RBC, spoke with Black entrepreneurs and discussed the importance of raising capital to scale and demystified the common myths about loans.

The interactive workshop was moderated by Futurpreneur's director of the Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, Mona Lisa Prosper.

“The event was way beyond my expectations! Finally creating in-person connections with entrepreneurs after having done most of our engagements online was truly inspiring and refreshing,” she told Black Dollar Magazine. “The level of engagement during the one-on-one meetings with our team was way higher than we ever thought.

“The attendees were having such a great time connecting that we almost had to force them out, which is how you know your event was a true success. This confirmed the need for more spaces for Black entrepreneurs to connect; we are happy and proud to have provided that. There will be more.”

Futurpreneur is a non-profit organization committed to empowering Black entrepreneurs, specifically through its Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, funded by RBC with additional loan financing from BDC, which has supported more than 280 Black entrepreneurs since its establishment two years ago.