PROGRAMMING

halifax

june 13

Melamoon Pitching Competition

Experience 20 finalists pitching live for a chance to represent Atlantic Canada. Ten founders will advance to the next stage of the competition. Discover bold ideas, ambitious ventures, and the next generation of standout Black entrepreneurs—driven by passion, vision, and transformative potential.

duration

3 Hours

speakers

Finalists

HACKATHON

build your business plan: An ai workshop for black entrepreneurs

Spend an afternoon with CILAR, KPMG, and Lovable learning how to use AI to run your business smarter—and walk away with tools you can use immediately.

A hands-on session where you will build your own AI-powered Chief of Staff using Claude, and create a simple, functional app for your business using Lovable—no technical experience required.

You’ll leave with:

A custom AI assistant tailored to your business needs
A working operational tool built for your business
Lovable build credits to keep developing
Connections with a community of fellow entrepreneurs

This is not about learning AI theory—it’s about putting AI to work on your business.

duration

2 Hours

speakers

Agapi Gessesse ☾ (CILAR), KPMG Representative, Lovable Team

State of our union: black entrepreneurship program 2.0

The federal government has renewed the Black Entrepreneurship Program—so now what?

In this town hall moderated by Dani Pinnock, leaders from the three pillars of the BEP—ecosystem support, financing, and the knowledge hub—share their mandates, outline available services, and answer questions live from the floor.

duration

60 minutes

moderator

Danielle Pinnock

speakers

Matthew Martel ☾ (BBI)

Saviour Joseph ☾ (TBC/TRIBE)

Tia Upshaw ☾ (BWIE Canada)

John Nelson ☾ (BEKH)

the realness: growing a business from the ground up

A panel moderated by FACE Co-Founder and CEO Tiffany Callender featuring Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs speaking to the real, unfiltered journey of building and sustaining a business—what it takes to start, grow, and endure.

duration

60 minutes

moderators

Tiffany Callender ☾ FACE Co-Founder and CEO

keynote address

The Canadian Black business ecosystem did not just arrive—it was blueprinted and built over decades. Melamoon Halifax welcomes a keynote address from the pioneer of Black business lending in Canada, Dalhousie Chancellor and FACE Chairman, Rustum Southwell.