The BEEM is the acronym for the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Map. This map is an interactive network and geographic map that creates a clear picture of the networks and locations of organizations, individuals, and resources that collectively support Black entrepreneurship in Canada.  In short, the BEEM maps out the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. This ecosystem consists of all people, systems, organizations, institutions, and business activities existing in Canada that help nurture and sustain entrepreneurship between and among Black Canadians and all Black people living in Canada.

There are many benefits in store for you by being a part of the BEEM!

• Visibility: The BEEM has national wide coverage and will allow your business to be visible on a national scale to people in and outside the Black community

• Connections:

  From a national network of business at different levels, business owners can connect with each other for potential clients and vendors

• Mentorship:

  The BEEM has nonprofits, innovation hubs and incubator hubs present that provide supports for new entrepreneurs to grow.

• Data and Information

  Access directly to information resources like funding, procurement and other entrepreneurs supports that provide essential information and resources

• Increased Knowledge

  With information from the BEEM, we will have added data for research into Black Entrepreneurship, the networks that form from connections, partnerships and build our understanding of the impact and strengths of the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.

Historically, Black entrepreneurs and business owners in Canada have faced systemic barriers that hindered their access to capital, resources, and opportunities. We hope the BEEM platform affords Black entrepreneurs access to a national network of resources that may hitherto been difficult or improbable to access. Non-Black business owners may also join the map; however, we ask that they indicate this in whey they fill out their business profile.

The BEEM is more than a directory. It is a network map fueled by data driven research and active community engagement. Aside from this, the BEEM is substantially different because of its network map of the Black entrepreneurship ecosystem to show the relationships and connections that exist between the actors and stakeholders.

The BEEM features the entire ecosystem of Black Entrepreneurship, which means governmental institutions that support Black entrepreneurs, Banking and other financial institutions that work directly with Black Entrepreneurs, non-profits and social enterprises that support Black entrepreneurs as well as other Black entrepreneurs all have accounts and represented on the map.  

The BEEM has a wealth of resources that are useful for business owners and organisations that work with Black entrepreneurs. You can use the “Discover” Tab to find organisations that share your interests. You do so by scrolling through the tags on the page or typing in a desired tag. The BEEM also has network maps that explores different crucial aspects of entrepreneurship. The Finance Network Map for examples shows you the connections of funding sources available to Black entrepreneurs. The Mentorship Network Map gives examples of entrepreneurship activities that you might need. You can search for these activities in the map to find hubs or enterprises that are engaged in the activity you desire. The BEEM also has all the Black Entrepreneurship Program Ecosystem Fund recipients. You can find one that offers the particular service you need in your area.

We ask everyone to set up an account first so that you have full autonomy of the information you put on the map. This enables you to edit and delete information where and when necessary. We want to ensure your data security and privacy.

No, you do not need an account to see or use information found on the BEEM. Users without an account can access the information displayed on the map at any time. The BEEM is committed to being an open access platform where there is no financial or accessibility barrier to accessing and using the map. This map is freely available for the benefit of registered users and the general public. However, only registered users with an account can add, change, modify or delete information from their own their own profile using their account. 

You can set up your account in three easy steps!

First Click on "Register"

Second, provide an email to receive a confirmation link in your email. (Check your junk/spam folder if you have not received it in 3 minutes or more.)

Third, go to the confirmation email and complete the steps for setting up a user profile.

And that’s it. With your account set up you would be able to build your business profile and add your business enterprise unto the map!

After you have set up your account, you can now add your business profile.

There are two sections to submitting information to the map:

First Click on “Join Community”

You will be taken to a short form to collect brief information about your business or enterprise. This form takes about five minutes to complete. When you complete this form and include a physical location, you will be able to see your point on the map (once it has been approved, which can take a minimum of one business day). If you do not have a physical location, your business information will still be stored in the map database and can be found through searching.

Filling out the short form is all that is needed to join the map. However, we encourage everyone to fill out the follow-up form linked to the first form. This detailed profile takes about 20 minutes to complete. It is optional and you may return to it at any time. By completing this form your input directly contributes to providing essential information to other Black entrepreneurs about your business and services.

The BEEM is part of research efforts into Black Entrepreneurship in Canada. At the surface level, the BEEM provides a platform for Black entrepreneurs and Black serving organisations to be centralised together in a visual form that is easily accessible. More crucially though, the longer form is to collect information that would build information about the types of business ventures Black entrepreneurs engage in the length of time of business, the different sectors of Black entrepreneurs are involved in among others. This information can inform research into the gaps that exist on the Black entrepreneurship ecosystem scene, the timeline of businesses when they were founded and how they are thriving among other crucial information that is currently absent or underexplored. The short form is all you need to join the map but the database of data and information you provide would help the BEEM be a reliable resource center for future generations of Black entrepreneurs.

If you realise you may have made a typing error or need to change certain details in your profile, simply log into your account and click on your existing profile. At the end of the page, you will see the “Edit” button. You can make the necessary changes and hit “Save”. You might not see the change right away. This is because each change goes through a vetting process. Once the edit is approved you will see the edit you made live on the map. Please allow for at least one business day.

Yes. The BEEM has a privacy policy that outlines how data is handled, stored, collected and deleted. Users with accounts can delete their information at anytime using their account. For more information on our privacy policy go here: https://www.bekh.org/beem-privacy-notice

Unfortunately, we do not accept active advertisements on the BEEM. We do encourage you to put links to your business websites and social media pages where you have advertisements so other users can be directed to those platforms to patronise your products and services. Another great way to increase your visibility is to add tags that best describe your business to your profile. This way when users are searching for services, yours easily pops up!

We are currently still collecting data for the map and fine tuning the functionality, design and registration process for the site. We encourage you to interact with all aspects of the map, tell us what you think and ask other organizations to join! The BEEM is scheduled be officially launched sometime around Black History Month 2025.

The BEEM is part of the Ecosystem Mapping Project of the Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. The BEKH is funded by the government of Canada through the Black Entrepreneurship Program. (BEP). The map was built with funding and collaboration from the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science, Education and Development Canada (ISED), The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Center (GCRC) at Carleton University, The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) through The National Ecosystem Fund and FACE Coalition as well as various, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions across Canada.

The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions. The Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub is one of the arms of the BEP that conducts research on Black entrepreneurship in Canada. The BEEM is one of the mandates of the BEKH to help identify barriers to success and provide an avenue for opportunities for growth among Black entrepreneurs.

Yes, the BEEM would exist after the BEP funding is over or not renewed. The BEEM was built in collaboration with community partners and the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Center (GCRC) at Carleton University which houses the BEEM on a data server. A sustainability strategy has been drawn up that ensures continued communal ownership of the BEEM with key Black entrepreneurial community organizations being onboard the leadership. The leadership would oversee a governance model that helps ensure continued funding for the BEEM from various avenues as well as ensuring capacity to keep the site running.

If you have additional questions regarding the BEEM, you can contact the BEEM Administrator directly at ecosystem.bekh@carleton.ca or read more on the BEKH website at https://www.bekh.org/beem.