JELLY Social Events Spotlight BIPOC-owned businesses in Brampton
Digital Main Street is pleased to announce support for JELLY Social though the Digital Main Street Lab program. This support will enable JELLY Social a not-for-profit initiative that empowers Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) professionals and allies to help each other prosper during the pandemic and beyond, to host a series of online events this winter.
Over a series of three online community events, Brampton residents will have an opportunity to support Brampton-based BIPOC businesses by offering: social media shoutouts; advice; referrals; introductions; social media reposts; or even buying a product. The purpose of these events is to catalyze community support and empower residents to get connected, which will make a significant impact on BIPOC businesses in main street Brampton. Digital Main Street is supported through funding from FedDev Ontario.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support the Digital Main Street and organizations like JELLY Social that are helping BIPOC business owners and allies to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to work with Digital Main Street partners including Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), Communitech, Invest Ottawa and the Regional Innovation Centres to help position entrepreneurs for success as we move towards economic recovery.” –The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario
“The pandemic has been hard on many BIPOC business owners. However, we believe that the road to recovery requires peer support, as well as a safe space to open up about their struggles. We are hosting these events to do just that. JELLY Social is a supportive environment where BIPOC business owners find recovery support and a place to have much-needed conversations surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion in the marketplace.” said Sunjit Khamba, Co-Founder at JELLY Social.
“The need for businesses to have a robust and reliable online presence is more important than ever before. We’re proud to partner with JELLY Social to assist BIPOC business owners through the DMS Lab program,” said John Kiru, Executive Director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas.
Events will feature business presentations as well as a social hour. These events are being hosted online on January 21, February 10 and March 4 and are open for anyone to attend.
About Digital Main Street
Digital Main Street is a program that helps main street businesses achieve digital transformation. The program is built around an online learning platform, structured training programs, and our Digital Service Squad, a team of street-level team members who help main street businesses grow and manage their operations through technology.
Digital Main Street was created by the Toronto Association on Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) with direct support from the City of Toronto. DMS is also supported by a group of strategic business partners, including Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Microsoft, Facebook, Intuit QuickBooks, Square, and Yellow Pages. A $42.5–investment from FedDev Ontario and an additional $7.45 million from the Government of Ontario brought together the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, Communitech, Invest Ottawa, and the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association to expand the Digital Main Street Platform in order to support more businesses to go digital as a response to the impacts of COVID-19.
About the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA)
The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) is a not-for--profit umbrella organization working with the 83 Business Improvement Areas within the City of Toronto, who in turn represent more than 40,000 business and property owners
About FedDev Ontario
For more than 10 years, FedDev Ontario has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation and growth in Canada’s most populous region. Learn more about the impacts the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our pivotal projects.
About JELLY Social
JELLY Social is a not-for-profit organization that is working to remove discriminatory boundaries in entrepreneurship. We believe that entrepreneurship is for everyone; and we strive to create a world where people of all races, cultures, genders, and backgrounds have boundless opportunities to thrive as entrepreneurs. To support our movement, please visit www.jellysocial.ca.
