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Unlocking success: 4 tips from Black women tech leaders

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Unlocking success: 4 tips from Black women tech leaders

Insightful lessons on financial planning, personal empowerment, purpose-driven leadership and a hustler mindset.


In collaboration with
Black Women Talk Tech, DMZ held an evening designed to highlight the success of Black women in tech by bringing together the ecosystem to spark conversations on how to empower founders best. 

Black Women Talk Tech provides Black women with a platform to voice ideas and access support. Today, it’s become the largest gathering of Black women tech entrepreneurs, inspiring countless others to follow in their footsteps and make their mark in the tech industry. DMZ was thrilled to partner with them for their debut event in Canada.

Here’s a breakdown of the event’s key takeaways for Black women in tech navigating the ecosystem:

  • Plan for financial readiness
  • Harness your personal experiences
  • Identify your north star and go for it
  • Develop a hustler mindset

Our esteemed panel featured a lineup of accomplished individuals:

Here’s what they had to say.

Plan for financial readiness


When it comes to entrepreneurship, financial readiness is everything. Giselle Melo, Founder and General Partner of
MATR Ventures, encourages entrepreneurs to get a head start on financial planning. From understanding your runway to knowing when the optimal time is to seek funding, meticulous planning and financial readiness enabled Melo to launch MATR Ventures in 2021.

By following her lead and having a strong grasp of your finances and where you head as an entrepreneur, you’ll be positioned to turn your dreams into a reality when the timing is right.

Harness your personal experiences


Having established her name in the pharmaceutical industry, Brenda Ahenkorah, the Founder and CEO of
My Well Self, was disappointed to see the lack of support and resources available during her own personal health challenges. After conducting extensive research herself, Brenda realized that she needed to take matters into her own hands and launched My Well Self.

Brenda’s success with My Well Self is a testament to leveraging our personal stories as sources of innovation and motivation to fuel our entrepreneurial pursuits.

Identify your north star and go for it


As the Executive Director and Venture Partner of
League of Innovators and Venture Partner of Capital M Ventures, Melissa Allen’s lesson stems from her own experience that led her to transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship. As a financial advisor, she noticed that her clients — who were women of colour — faced steeper financial challenges than their counterparts. Recognizing that those who thrived often had side hustles, Melissa saw an opportunity for impact, which motivated her to step into entrepreneurship.

For Allen, her driving force comes from a desire to influence positive change and ensure equitable representation at decision-making tables. She emphasized the importance of having a guiding north star to turn to when the journey gets tough, and obstacles are thrown your way. 

Develop a hustler mindset


Ehizogie Agbonlahor, the Founder and CEO of
Anutio, shed light on the importance of developing a hustler mindset. A mindset that can be broken down as unwavering determination and relentless resourcefulness, Ehizogie identified a gap in career guidance tools and decided to develop Anutio. 

Embracing a hustler mindset involves resourcefully leveraging all available means, as demonstrated in her case by tapping into the expertise of her brother’s AI skills to build the platform and by doing everything she possibly could to get her first 500 sign-ups.

Ehizogie teaches us a very important lesson here — avoid waiting around for opportunities; instead, actively seek and create them. 

Feeling inspired? Embark on your entrepreneurial journey with DMZ. Our Black Innovation Programs equip Black founders with the tools, resources and community to succeed. Learn more at dmz.to/BIP and apply today.

 

Your 2023 Manifestation Guide to Founder Success

This is the sign you’ve been looking for.

If you’re an avid social user — or even an occasional scroller — you’ve likely heard of manifestation. What is believed to have started as a Hinduism practice has now turned into a worldwide phenomenon trickling into the world of business.

So, what is manifestation? Simply put, manifestation is the practice of turning thoughts into reality. It requires you to be intentional with your emotions, beliefs, habits, and of course, actions. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Whether you believe in manifestation or see yourself as more of a goal-setter, there’s no denying the power of positive intent followed by disciplined action. Dreaming is one thing, but the day-to-day grind of a startup can be dark and challenging.

If you’re ready to hustle, keep reading to discover your 2023 manifestation guide to founder success.

Let your mind wander

Ever catch yourself daydreaming about your startup becoming the next big thing? What about securing a million-dollar funding round or landing your next big client? Don’t stop! Exercising your brain to get excited about the future is key to manifesting. Take a few moments each day to sink into your daydreams and discover what truly fuels your passion.

“When you’re passionate about your dreams, it doesn’t feel like work. Organize your life around your passion, turn your passion into your story and use that story to leave a legacy.” — Ahmer Rafiq, CEO, Souqh

Be intentional with your goals

How can you map your aspirations? Goal-setting looks different for everyone — but whether you create a detailed Excel sheet, draw up a mind map, or jot down notes in your journal, being intentional is key. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) to achieve your desired outcome, and don’t forget to stay disciplined.

Fail quickly, learn fast

As a founder, there’s no question you’re going to fail — we all do! While it may seem like the end of the world, failure truly is the secret ingredient to success. Think of failure as a tool that helps uncover next steps by telling us exactly what’s working and what’s not. After all, Yin doesn’t exist without Yang.

“With every failure, I’m one step closer to success.” — Kelly Emery, Founder & CEO, Troop

Stay positive

Turn “I wish” phrases to “let’s do it” and “what if I fail?” to “when I succeed.” Focusing on the negative is easy, especially as a founder who inevitably hits what feels like every bump in the road. When you catch yourself drifting to that place of negativity, shift your mindset to practice gratitude and confidence. There’s nothing more powerful than believing in yourself and your business.

“Success is not defined by the end result – within every initiative, you will find an opportunity to grow, to learn and to push yourself one step closer to your goals and your success.” — Ahmer Rafiq, CEO, Souqh

Put yourself in the driver’s seat

Be accountable and disciplined. Of course, the most essential practice in manifestation is action. Joining an incubator like the DMZ helps hold founders like you accountable to your goals and provides a playbook to put dreams into action. Take ownership. You got this.

“I meditate daily, allocate time for sales calls, and have regular touch points with advisors who hold me accountable.” — Kelly Emery, Founder & CEO, Troop

 

Can you really manifest your startup dreams? Try it.

If you’re looking for a sign to join the DMZ, this is it. Check out our programs here.

Basecamp 2022: Presenting this year’s winners

8 weeks, 20 students, 57 workshops, 4800+ combined hours working on startups, and $35K in grant prizes

It’s been yet another successful summer for students in the Basecamp program. With so many incredible business ideas being conceptualized and brought to life by student entrepreneurs, it’s clear there’s no shortage of talent in this up-and-coming generation of startup founders. 

Open to the top high school and university students each summer, Basecamp is an intensive, 8-week tech incubation program helping youth develop, market and accelerate innovative solutions to growing social or economic gaps in society.

At the end of the 2022 program, participating teams had the opportunity to pitch their startup ideas to a panel of judges for the chance to take home one of seven grants of $5,000 to help startups launch into the next phase of their growth.

So, who are the winning teams of this year’s Basecamp program? 

Resource ASK – Khalil Bruce

Winner of the Black Founder Award – $5,000

Resource ASK is an organization that decentralizes Black entrepreneurs’ access to business resources. Through our interactive platform, Black entrepreneurs are able to receive curated business resources such as funding, capital, loans and networking opportunities that are relevant to them. 

seaSub – Kelley Liang, Edison Han, Sydney Choe
Winners of the High School Award & the Supply Ai Award – $10,000

seaSub is a free online Chrome extension which acts as an enhanced search engine for online shopping, helping users find the perfect product based on their personal preferences, stock/availability, and shipping times.

Docere – Luka Lamaj 

Winner of the Peer Choice Award & the University Team Award – $10,000

Docere is a video-call communication platform that eases interaction between doctors and patients via simple and accessible features such as 3D Body Graphs, maps of nearby doctors, scheduling calendars, and more.

Pinion – Arezoo Najafi

Winner of the Women Founder Award – $5,000

Pinion is a platform that provides coaching services to international students. The best coaches for students are those who have gone through the same path, and Pinion helps international students not feel lonely in their path.

 

NoTreble – Kiana Karimi
Winner of the Women Founder Award – $5,000

NoTreble is a sound recognition and machine-enabled software that helps instrument learners practice more efficiently, decreasing their tendency to practice mistakes over and over again. It can listen and analyze student playing and give instantaneous instructions on how to avoid practicing mistakes. It also gives practice updates and results to the student’s teacher. This way, students can improve faster with fewer costs and greater ease of mind!

 

If you’re a student and ready to do big things in the world of entrepreneurship, join the DMZ community by getting started with Launchpad, a free online platform jam-packed with expert-curated content helping you gain the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the world of entrepreneurship. Visit dmz.to/launchpad to get started.

 

10 gift ideas we love from BIPOC-owned businesses

Check out the DMZ’s Holiday Gift Guide and support BIPOC business owners this holiday season


Looking for the last gift on your holiday shopping list this year? The DMZ’s Holiday Gift Guide will help you cross off any last minute presents, and support small BIPOC-owned businesses from across Canada!

Here are our top picks for the holiday season that we guarantee will bring a huge smile to your loved ones faces.

Girl Gang Strong

This holiday season, gift the teen in your life Girl Gang Strong’s Christmas holiday gift box! The Girl Gang Strong boxes feature 5-8 specially curated self-love, self-care goodies including skincare products, phone accessories, stationery, and jewelry.

Mahara Mindfulness

Featured on Oprah 2021’s Healthy Living List, and POOSH, the Human Being Journal by Mahara Mindfulness is perfect for the busy go-getter seeking mindfulness practice to help decrease stress and enhance well-being. With guided questions rooted in the fundamental pillars of a happy life, the 12 month guided journal provides a deeper sense of being. Plus, the DMZ community is eligible to receive 15% off!  Use the code ‘DMZ15HBJ’.

Organic Bytes

For the foodie in your life, why not get them a sweet treat from Organic Bytes? Their cakes are free of refined sugars and white flours, making them the perfect zero-guilt option for the holiday season. Plus, they offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options!

 

It’s Souper

It’s Souper’s afro-fusion gourmet soup and sauce line is the perfect gift to share among food enthusiasts.From meat lover’s chili to vegan roasted carrot and paprika soup, their delicious recipes made with high-quality ingredients have been featured on Dragon’s Den and Go Solo.

New Pie Co.

Give the gift of baked goods this season! Made for pie lovers by pie lovers, New Pie Co. offers handcrafted pies, cinnamon buns, thai iced tea meringue, ube swirl buns, and more. Their mission? Create a memorable pie experience through creative flavours and thoughtful presentations!

Blair and Jack

For the skincare guru on your list, Blair and Jack offers physician-developed skincare products specifically formulated for men. Receive a 10% discount by signing up for their subscription service at checkout!

NeoJuicery

For the health nut on your list, check out NeoJuicery’s cold-pressed, never pasteurized, micronutrient juices. Made with local and organic ingredients sourced from Ontario, their juice packages support fasting goals, boost immunity, reduce inflammation, and are 100% zero waste!

Najj Hair

The perfect gift for any fashionista looking to refresh their look, Naij Hair offers luxury ready-to-wear hair extensions and wigs. Designed for Black women, by Black women, their wigs arrive fully customized and can be heat styled and coloured.

Wabanaki Maple

Authentic indigenous maple syrup, Wabanaki Maple, offers a wide range of maple products that offer a twist on familiar tastes. Their products are naturally refined, offering three signature flavours, each handcrafted and aged in small batches!

Floofy Pooch

Shopping for a pet parent? Check out Floofly Pooch’s dog accessories. From leashes,bandanas, harnesses, collars and more, there’s something for everyone’s furry friend! From now until Christmas, Floofy Pooch is offering 20% off all dog bundles. 

Looking to harness your entrepreneurial spirit in 2022? Applications for the DMZ’s Incubator and Pre-Incubator programs are now open.

 

Head over to the DMZ’s website for full eligibility requirements and program information

Tackling Canada’s supply chain challenges head-on

Learn how these DMZ startups are harnessing AI to build world-leading supply chain solutions


It’s no secret the world is grappling with some
serious global supply chain issues. Since the onset of the pandemic, supply chains everywhere have been impacted – leading to product shortages and jacked up prices. 

You’ve probably noticed there are a few things on your holiday shopping list that are out of stock. Retailers and businesses everywhere are feeling the squeeze, and it’s only going to get worse if we don’t look to innovative tech-powered solutions. 

So, what is going on and what are we doing to help Canada ease some of its supply chain chaos? We’re glad you asked. 

Since March 2020, the world has experienced multiple waves of lockdowns, meaning factories everywhere have had to shut down for weeks or even months at a time. This has led to massive bottlenecks in our supply chains, with manufacturing disruptions and shipping delays. 

To say our supply chains are in utter havoc would be a gross understatement, but if there’s anything we have learned about our DMZ startups, it’s that they love a good challenge. 

We sat down with startups from our Supply AI Program to get their take on what’s going on and to learn more about their AI-powered solutions that are working to help.

A high-tech and low-cost provider of industrial and infrastructure construction materials, Material Supply leverages technology to make it effortless for buyers to get the best prices. 

Headshot of Andrew Allen, the Founder and CEO of Material Supply
Andrew Allen, Founder and CEO of Material Supply

Andrew Allen, Founder and CEO of Material Supply, points to the slow rate of technological adoption as one of the biggest challenges in supply chain management today. 

“The rate of adoption to more efficient technologies and antiquated business models is too slow today.” 

By offering a complete and easy-to-use procurement solution that creates efficiencies from manufacturer to end user, Material Supply is working to pioneer how we tackle global supply chain challenges.

“The rate of adoption to more efficient technologies and antiquated business models is too slow today.”

The first automated consulting management system uniting consultants and clients, Indie Tech gives procurement teams the tools to monitor, manage and mitigate supplier risk by tracking the performance of their suppliers in real-time.

Sophia Stone, Founder and CEO of Indie Tech, attributes a lot of today’s supply chain management issues to data and transparency. 

Headshot of Sophia Stone, the Founder and CEO of Indie Tech
Sophia Stone, Founder and CEO of Indie Tech

“The keys to the future of the industry rely on better and more transparent ways of viewing data and managing suppliers across tiers with greater insights.”

Sophia highlights that the tools and quantitative framework Indie Tech provides for risk managers is working to solve supply chain issues by empowering users to act proactively. “We help suppliers better manage their risk, before they see disruptions.”

“The keys to the future of the industry rely on better and more transparent ways of viewing data and managing suppliers across tiers with greater insights.”

 

Netwila is an integrated freight application platform and service that leverages AI for forecasting, operations, and asset deployment.

Headshot of Bob Vuppal, the Co-Founder and VP of Products and Technology of Netwila
Bob Vuppal, the Co-Founder and VP of Products and Technology of Netwila

Co-Founder and VP of Products and Technology, Bob Vuppal, highlights the global pandemic has not only put stress on our supply chain networks but has exacerbated existing problems.

“There’s no real easy way for companies to manage their operations across transportation forms and geographies, primarily due to fragmented networks and legacy systems. We save our companies money, increase data management across nodes and modes, support operational management of data, contracts and shipping, and manage out-of-stock.

“There’s no real easy way for companies to manage their operations across transportation forms and geographies, primarily due to fragmented networks and legacy systems.”

While the world’s global supply chain crisis is a result of pandemic lockdowns, now is the time to take action to not only resolve existing issues in the network, but embrace new AI-powered solutions to ensure its resiliency to future disruptions.

 

If you are a Canadian AI venture creating world-leading supply chain technology and are interested in joining the DMZ’s Supply AI program, check out eligibility requirements and program information here.

Our next cohort starts in February 2022. Applications are open until January 23rd at 11:59p.m. EDT. 

Winners announced for the DMZ and Penny Appeal Canada’s Hack Against Hate

Find out more about the teams of young Canadians who took home a collective $20,000 in cash prizes to further pursue their business ideas in the Hack Against Hate Challenge


There’s been a sharp rise in hate crimes across Canada these past few years, and it’s time to put a stop to it. In fact, Canada has
seen a record high in police-reported hate crimes since 2009.

As Canadians, we tend to think our country doesn’t have these sorts of issues – but we must recognize the shortcomings in our systems, and collaboratively work together to develop solutions that mitigate hate in an effort to make our world a more safe, inclusive, and happy place to live.

In the wake of the rising number of hate crimes, the DMZ and Penny Appeal Canada teamed up to launch Hack Against Hate.hack against hate graphic The 4-day national competition took place between November 23rd and 26th and challenged young Canadians to brainstorm and build a prototype for a digital solution that combats hate crimes. At the end of the Hack Against Hate competition, a panel of judges picked the top 4 teams to each receive $5,000 in cash prizes.

The hackathon kicked off with 40+ teams. Each team went through professional training and mentorship on building and pitching a tech solution. Participants received hands-on support to ideate and build innovative anti-hate tech solutions and took part in expert-led workshops on design thinking, product development, UX/UI, customer discovery, pitching, and more.

Last Friday, the DMZ and Penny Appeal held the finals where the winners presented their solutions. The finals were open to the public and featured speakers from the DMZ and Penny Appeal Canada, as well as keynote speaker Nabeela Ixtabalan, the Executive VP of People and Corporate Affairs for Walmart Canada.

Naveed Tagari, Programs Specialist at the DMZ, and Nabeela Ixtabalan, Executive VP of People and Corporate Affairs at Walmart Canada

The DMZ awarded $20,000 in funding to help teams kick-start their solutions. While all of our winning teams were comprised of high school students, their solutions to put a stop to hate crimes were anything but juvenile. 

Check out the winning teams!

PROtectABot

Team Members: Arya Peruma, Harshul Gupta, and Peter Lee

PROtectABot is an AI-powered bot that filters hatred and educates users on harmful content on social networking platforms. 

“Discord is a very popular social networking app that has over 150 million monthly users. However, it does not have built-in or external systems to prevent hatred from spreading,” highlighted Arya.

“Discord is a very popular social networking app that has over 150 million monthly users. However, it does not have built-in or external systems to prevent hatred from spreading.”

Harshul explained how Discord played a large role in the deadly 2017 Charlottesville protests, as it was used to coordinate logistics and encourage violence for the rally. “Though at the time Discord cracked down on hate crimes, there is no real-time personalized moderation in Discord, which is exactly what we were hoping to tackle with this project.”

Social media icons

Pridtect

Team Members: Harsehaj Dhami and Samantha Ouyang

Pridect is a solution working to ensure pride parades are safe spaces. The app uses safe zone mapping and distress signalling. 

Haresehaj highlighted the rise in hate crimes at pride parades, and how some members of the LGBTQ+ community are left feeling scared to attend.  “So many different people from different backgrounds come together to unite for the pride they have for themselves. But it can be dangerous. Hate crimes at pride parades are at an all-time high.” 

“There is no tangible solution currently that is working to improve safety at pride parades. But we want to change that with our app. Parade-goers and organizers will now be able to obtain the utmost safety.”

“There is no tangible solution currently that is working to improve safety at pride parades. But we want to change that with our app. Parade goers and organizers will now be able to obtain the utmost safety.”

Specula

Team Members: Adam Omarali, Eamonn Lay, Colin Hill, and Navid Farkhondehpay

Specula is working to make people aware of racial biases before they post on social media platforms to reduce harmful psychological effects to others.

“Race is one of the biggest biases that lead people to commit hate crimes, and physical hate crimes are way more prevalent than online crimes,” explained Adam

Adam also spoke to how a lot of physical hate crimes today are actually driven by psychological bias. “Our explicit and implicit biases are shaped by the media. They impact how we view things. At some point, if you can express hate, these biases can come out in physical crimes.”

A man holding a sign at a rally that says, 'hate is a virus'.

Unhate

Team Members: Gabriel Bernal, Ryan Chan, Aryan Jha, Yelim Kim

Unhate is an AI tool that helps detect hate speech online and can be integrated into consumer apps and educational services.  

Gabriel spoke to the rise of hate speech and its unfortunate prevalence online around the world. 

“The internet was supposed to be something that would connect the world, but instead it’s leading some people to their death. This is exactly why we felt compelled to solve this problem.”

Unhate leverages over 100,000 categorized real tweets to train its AI models, allowing it to be extremely accurate with its services.

“The internet was supposed to be something that would connect the world, but instead it’s leading some people to their death. This is exactly why we felt compelled to solve this problem.”

Itching to transform your innovative idea into a real-life solution? Follow the DMZ on Instagram and Twitter for announcements on future hackathons!

DMZ’s holiday gift guide: 8 unique ideas you haven’t thought of yet

Still working through your holiday shopping list? Stuck on deciding what to give your loved ones this holiday season? We’ve rounded up a collection of one-of-a-kind gifts for every person on your list. 

Here are 8 unique gift ideas you probably haven’t thought of yet.

For the interior design enthusiast

Daakor portfolio. Image of a living room
Give the gift of interior design and help someone experience the luxury of having their space professionally designed. 

Daakor’s experts in interior design are passionate about helping clients turn their visions for their home into a reality. From start to finish, Daakor’s interior design is personalized to your tastes, time and budget. 

Give a Daakor Design Plan to help your loved one take out the hassle of furnishing their home and help them create a space that looks and feels like a sanctuary.


For the foodie or dinner party host
FreshSpoke

From deluxe charcuterie baskets filled with gourmet goodies to smaller baskets filled with sweet and savoury snacks, FreshSpoke has curated delicious gift baskets at a variety of price points. 

Best of all, FreshSpoke’s products are all made locally, so you can spread joy while supporting farmers and food artisans. These gift options are wonderful corporate gifting ideas but also great for friends and family. Gift cards are also available in any denomination.

 

For the news buff

If you have that friend or family member who is constantly keeping tabs on the news, gets sucked into polarized politics or is an avid follower of conspiracy theories, the Ground News Premium plan is for them.

Ground News has tools that enable you to objectively see the political coverage bias of any story on the internet, and easily access a myriad of different perspectives on that very same story. 


Ground News is unveiling its new and most comprehensive package, the Premium plan. With the Premium plan, you or your loved ones can identify bias in the news (whether you read it in-app, online or on your Twitter feed) and get a balanced all-sides view of the news.


For the content creator or music lover

staats product
Staats makes personalized Spotify and Apple Music song plaques and Creator Awards – perfect gifts for music lovers, budding content creators, and loved ones.

The company’s journey started on the App Store building a custom trading card maker, and along the way they developed some amazing products to share with the world. These gifts have become viral trends! Today, in the Staats app, users can customize these items and purchase them, but the company also sells them separately on Etsy.

 

 

The gift that gives back

Rumie is changing lives just 10 minutes at a time. One in six young people are unemployed as a result of COVID-19. Rumie aims to replace the time youth spend on social media each day with an engaging learning platform that delivers transferable life and career skills. 

This holiday season, donate on behalf of a friend, colleague, or family and give a gift to a whole world of young learners. A donation will contribute to Rumie’s 2021 goals: Create 250 Bytes, fill 1 million jobs, and reach 1 million youth. 


For the sentimental friend

video collage
When people receive a surprise group video gift, they universally love it, and are often drawn to tears. However, there’s a lot of effort and technical skills involved to create one.

Celebrate makes it easy for anyone to create, collect and share a group video. The app guides the users through the entire process, giving them easy-to-use editing tools, avoiding much of the complexity of full-featured general purpose editing apps.

Key features of Celebrate include an invitation wizard guiding users to create a compelling request that includes video, text, suggested topics, and due date, and an Editing Suite to add text, music, GIFs, cards, pictures and do basic editing.


For the homeowner
person shovelling

Think Uber, but for snow removal! LocalStudent is an online platform that connects customers to students that can help with various services, changing the way that students find work. 

This winter, LocalStudent is offering on-demand snow removal. Support students looking for work while giving your loved one the ability to sleep in and skip shovelling the driveway on cold winter mornings.

Buy a gift card or get a free quote today at localstudent.ca.

 

For the best (worst!) dressed


Want an effortless way to get a man a perfect gift? Get him a
gift card. Mannr is a luxury personal styling and delivery service for men. Mannr allows users to conveniently shop with the help of a dedicated professional stylist and get personalized options available from any brand.

This holiday season, Mannr’s has an exclusive offer for gift cards: buy a $300 gift card and get $350 worth of services, or buy a $500 gift card and get $600 worth of services.

Are you a DMZ member with a product that makes a great holiday gift? Let us know and we’ll add you to our gift guide.

What’s it like being a “parentpreneur” during the pandemic?

For parent founders working full-time from home, managing a company while raising kids has been one of the more trying aspects of the pandemic.


Between handling screaming children while on conference calls at home and dealing with the stress of sending kids back to school, parents with young children haven’t had it easy this pandemic. Remote working as a result of COVID-19 has greatly affected life at home as we know it, and in some cases, has completely changed family dynamics and parenting styles.

Most entrepreneur parents, or “parentpreneurs”, have the privilege of working from home, even in the absence of a pandemic. That doesn’t mean keeping kids home for remote learning has been easy.

DMZ founders share their experiences while working from home with kids. Inevitability, there have been challenges – but parents have also seen some surprising silver linings come out of it. 

If you’re a parent in a similar situation, you might find comfort in hearing that no family has perfected life during a worldwide pandemic. Hear what these founders are saying!


The switch to distance learning and remote working

Tweepsmap’s Samir Al-Battran, Founder & CEO and Erin Heywood, Manager of Operations, are a parent duo with three school-aged children. As soon as the pandemic hit in March, Tweepsmap had already begun remote work. Samir and Erin felt prepared ahead of their school’s shutdown and, all things considered, were appreciative of their situation as parents.

“We’re lucky. Not everyone has the luxury to work from home or has a business that can continue without much disruption,” explains Erin. She adds that it helps that her children have two tech-savvy parents and enough devices in the home to make distance learning physically possible for three kids in one household.

Zeze Peters, Founder & CEO of Beam.city is also a parent of three: two school-aged children and a newborn. He claims that parenting during the pandemic has been both amazing and tricky – something that many parents can relate to: “Before COVID, my wife and I were complaining that we didn’t have enough time to spend with our kids. Mid-school year, we got our wish – but not on great terms.”

 

Balancing work and family life

Kate Mansouri, Founder & CEO of Pennygem has had her hands full in 2020. For Kate, it’s been a year of firsts – she’s growing her first startup and has become a mother for the first time. Most of the Pennygem team consists of women that have children, so as a leader, Kate has been understanding of parenting struggles during a pandemic. 

“It’s been tough for them. Sometimes parents are sitting in a meeting, their kids walk in and ask a million questions and they have to turn the camera and microphone off to attend to the kids. It can be tough to stay on track and be productive having your kid around,” Kate explains. “I, myself, have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. every day. My most productive times are from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., and then in the evening when my baby goes to bed.”

For Samir and Erin, working for the same company has both its benefits and drawbacks. “The challenge is that kids are screaming while you’re trying to have a call with a customer, so it’s been different – and Erin can’t work as much as she could before because she’s taking a lot of the load from our children being at home.”

Zeze’s sentiments are similar, stating that client meetings and managing a team has been a little tricky with the kids home from school. “Sometimes they’ll come in and join my meetings, which actually doesn’t always bother me, but it does break your workflow. There’s a concept in technology called context switching: going from business work to funding work, to team management work, writing technology, to responding to emails and then, of course, dealing with kids. A context switch takes your mind from one mode to another mode. Working from home, my daily productivity went through the floor. As an early-stage startup, every hour matters, especially when I’m leading a team,” Zeze says.

Plans for this school year

In August, provincial governments and school boards across the country began announcing plans to send kids back to the physical classroom this fall for the 2020-2021 school year. The COVID-19 pandemic posed yet another dilemma for parents. While at-home work productivity would surely improve, the potential spread of the virus amongst kids is something parents have to take into consideration.

While Kate has a newborn baby and doesn’t yet have to make a decision on whether to send her child to school, she knows most of the parents on her team have found it difficult balancing family and work life, and will likely be opting to get kids back into a routine. “I think [the parents] would be taking the option of having kids go back to school. It’s been very tough on some of them. Many moms are looking for ways to take their children back to daycare or school, even if it’s part-time,” Kate explains.

Erin and Samir say they’ve made the decision to keep their three kids home for remote learning, at least for the start of the year. Erin mentions that, in continuing remote learning, there will be bumps in the road – but it won’t feel like the same emergency it was in the Spring for her three kids. “The school has a set mandated time for teacher-led learning every day. The kids will have to be in front of a computer, and some people are complaining about screen time – but frankly, this is the choice you’re making for your child if you decide to keep them home.” Erin also says that if class sizes were smaller, they would consider sending their children back to school. But with potentially 25-30 in a classroom, there won’t be much physical distancing.

Samir mentions that the decision to keep kids home will help with the consistency of their learning. “We’re thinking about sustainability. If things get bad again and schools shut down, it would be disruptive to their school year. If we get them online from the beginning, at least they will have more stability in their learning.”

Zeze and his wife have also opted to keep their two school-aged children in the virtual classroom for now. “As good as the intention is to have teachers bear the brunt of the cleanliness for large periods of the day, it’s just hard to be perfect,” Zeze explains. “There are hundreds of kids. With COVID, even though small kids may not have strong symptoms and develop issues, it may not be the same for their parents and grandparents.”

In it for the long haul? Parenting WFH tips and silver linings

As the digital workplace and classroom may very well be our reality for the next while, we asked founders if they have tips to offer other parents for improving work-life balance and family dynamics in the current environment. Parents also explain that amidst the pandemic, they have seen some benefits to keeping the family at home – and have been embracing the silver linings that have come with it.

Erin and Samir are grateful that they even have the ability to work from home and spend more time with the family. In terms of tips for keeping the family happy and productive, Erin adds: “Each case is different, every child is different. You can’t listen to what everyone is telling you. Try to come up with a solution that works for your own kids, your company and your life. It’s important to listen to your kids and what their needs are.” As an example, given the government’s social bubble restrictions, Erin and Samir have been flexible with allowing their daughter to spend more time than usual socializing with friends online. 

A practical solution for Zeze’s family was to establish a consistent daily routine in which his kids finished school work first thing in the morning. “Before they did anything else, they had to get their school work done early in the morning. By about 10:00 a.m., they would be done for the day. My wife and I could get back to being productive with our own work.”

As a founder whose team has been working in a digital format since the company’s inception, Kate doesn’t plan to bring her startup into an office setting post-pandemic – at least not full-time. Her team sees great value in Pennygem’s remote working policy. 


Kate explains that some mothers on her team have appreciated the extra bonding time at home with children. “My hope is to provide them with an opportunity to have meaningful input, but at their own convenient time. It’s working really well for us. We’re very flexible,” Kate adds. “The situation was a big eye-opener for a lot of people. We were required to work from home all of a sudden, and many of us have discovered that it’s working. It’s tough, but you learn to work around it.

Zeze adds that a silver lining to this crisis has been that his family is making special memories that they will cherish forever. “The kids have picked up arts and crafts, they paint now too. We’ve been having barbecues together, we’ve built a farm full of fruits and vegetables which the kids have helped plant and harvest. Every day when they go out to play, it’s cool to look out the window and see them playing in the backyard. It makes us feel happy.”

If you’re a parentpreneur working from home with kids, share your experiences and tips with the DMZ on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

Organizations that prioritize 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives throughout Pride Month, and beyond

It’s June – Pride Month – and although this year’s celebrations are inevitably looking a little different due to a worldwide pandemic, that doesn’t change the fact that 2SLGBTQIA+ communities around the globe are coming together virtually to celebrate the freedom they have to be themselves. Both Pride Toronto and Ryerson, among several organizations, have moved annual activities to a digital format.

At the same time, Pride this year also comes at a time where cities around the world are protesting the death of George Floyd, police brutality and systemic racism, reinforcing the connection of both movements and the importance of intersectionality. It serves as a reminder of Pride’s roots of protesting inequalities, and also as a time to acknowledge the historical roles that Black activists played in the fight for gay rights. 

DMZ pride flag

Equity over everything

At the DMZ, our number one value is equity over everything. While diversity in Canada’s tech ecosystem is improving, it has a long way to go. We reinforce our commitment to equity and inclusion by levelling the playing field for diverse founders coming into our programs. Not everyone begins at the same starting line, which is why we provide tailored support to ensure every founder who walks through our doors succeeds – regardless of their sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, gender or ability. 

“At the DMZ, our focus is on the people behind the products and helping them successfully build their business. We recognize the experiences and challenges that 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs have are unique, meaning those individuals may require different approaches or types of support” explains Vanessa Shiu, DMZ’s Manager of Administration, Diversity & Inclusion. “When we develop our programs and services, our team consistently asks the question, ‘how do we make sure we are being inclusive’ and ‘how can we break down barriers for diverse founders’. Above all, we make sure we listen to our founders’ experiences and their feedback to inform us how we can help with their unique challenges.”

From day one of our programming, we also support our startups in making diversity a priority across all areas of their own business – from recruiting talent to building product offerings. We’re proud to see the value that diversity carries amongst the startups that come through our programs.

Off2Class, a DMZ alumni startup that combines interactive ESL lesson content with the power of a student management system, is a great example:

“Diversity for us is a business imperative. We service clients in 100+ countries. If our workforce wasn’t diverse, we simply wouldn’t be able to scale to the extent we have.” Kris Jagasia, Founder of Off2Class explains. “Our team is made up of newcomers, LGBTQ+ individuals, females, Muslims, Hindus and white males! We also show our dedication to diversity and inclusion by representing diverse individuals on our blog.”

We reached out to our greater community to ask organizations about their ongoing initiatives supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community – and not just during Pride month, but also year-round.

The Fasken Pride Network

Fasken, a DMZ Professional-in-Residence (PiR) and full-service law firm with offices in Canada, the U.K., South Africa and China, is committed to diversity in the workplace year-round. Diversity is a key element in the success of the Firm, helping to foster inclusiveness and encouraging innovation. Overseeing this effort is the Firm’s Diversity Committee. In recognition of its importance, the Committee is co-chaired by the Firm Managing Partner.

The Fasken Pride Network was established to encourage internal, client, and prospective client development of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion and community development. Fasken openly encourages Firm members, clients, friends and any interested community members to attend and participate. Every June the Firm hosts an award-winning educational and networking event to bring the community together – it’s the highlight of the month, one that everyone looks forward to.

“Diversity and inclusion are our strength, and we welcome talented professionals from all backgrounds, races, origins, beliefs, and orientations to be part of our community,” says Marc Rodrigue, Partner and member of the Pride Network.  “Though we recognize Pride especially in June, with the support of our clients and staff, we support our shared Pride all year.”

Goodmans



In 2015, DMZ PiR
Goodmans was the first major law firm in Canadian history to enter a float in Toronto’s annual Pride Parade, an event witnessed by millions across the country and around the world. As a firm, they’ve never looked back.

Goodmans is committed to showing their True Colours, always.

“Whether it’s showing sector leadership as a founding member of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network (LFDIN), to upping the ante with the firm’s annual Pride celebrations, throughout the year, Goodmans collective love and support for the LGBTQIA+ community and culture of inclusivity is at the core of everything they do.” – Goodmans

While 2020 plans have now evolved to a virtual experience, Goodmans will be celebrating throughout June with special Pride events that can be accessed by all members of their community, including their families. These Pride events include children’s activities; a Drag Queen story-time and a Pride related science lesson, themed virtual cooking master classes, meet-ups framed within a virtual day in the life of Pride, and unique video initiatives. 

Venture Out

DMZ has partnered with Venture Out (VO) on events and initiatives to celebrate Pride and bring awareness to the tech startup ecosystem. VO is Canada’s largest tech non-profit organization connecting members of the LGBTQ+ community with the expanding technology sector, including entrepreneurs, start-ups, role models, career opportunities, and professionals. 

“VO’s commitment to the LBGTQ+ community means presenting content beyond the sanitized Diversity & Inclusion narrative that often permeates these spaces and exploring more impactful, unignorable topics, such as the intersection of race and class, climate change and surveillance capitalism.” 

The organization’s annual tech conference, which has been a success over the last three years and has grown to attract over 650+ attendees, 45+ sponsors and 10+ community partners, was postponed due to COVID-19. 

VO is participating in several Pride month activities, including:

  • June 22: TechProud – Small Business & Digital Skills Week in collaboration with Google, LinkedIn, and Microsoft | Register here
  • June 26: Pride 2020 – Designing for all: Why Accessibility Matters in collaboration with General Assembly 
  • TBD:  Senior LGBTQ+ Leadership in collaboration with Venture Out’s parent organization, StartProud, and RBC 

Learn more and find out how you can participate here.

Earlier this year, VO also hosted “Let’s Talk Employee Resource Groups” and an LGBTQ+ Career Fest for students and professionals.

Through the eyes of an entrepreneur

Andrew Wells is the CEO of Pinch Financial, a DMZ alumni, tech founder and member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community – he explains he’s been fortunate to have felt supported by employees, investors and commercial partners throughout his entrepreneurial journey. “There is a strong kinship amongst LGBTQ founders in Toronto as we appreciate the privileges we have are the result of the hard work that was put in by those that came before us. There’s a sense of shared responsibility that comes with this and we do what we can to support one another as a result.” Andrew explains. 

Andrew also explained initiatives that have truly made a positive impact in the community. “When I worked at RBC, we had an incredibly impactful LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG). In addition to creating a sense of community and togetherness, the ERG was also responsible for creating awareness throughout the organization of matters that were important to our community.  What made the ERG efficacious was its access to senior leadership. Change within any organization requires top-down leadership, so having the ear of RBC’s c-suites made all the difference.”

Can the DMZ help amplify the diversity and inclusion work your organization is doing? If you’re a partner or DMZ alumni, reach out to us at dmz@torontomu.ca.

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