Black Innovation Summit: dates, who attends, and how founders get in
Canada's premier pitch competition for Black tech founders.
Verified ·3 official sources·Organised by DMZ (hosted by Scotiabank)
The essentials from the organiser's own pages: when, where, how big, and how founders get in. Speakers, investor lists and past editions are on the official site.
- Next edition
- Oct 28, 2026 · Black Innovation Summit 2026 source
- Where
- SixtyEight at Scotia Plaza, Toronto, Canada
- Format
- in-person
- Startup pass
- Black tech founders with a functional MVP and a technology business addressing a compelling problem can apply to the pitch competition and must be available to attend in person. Applications for 2026 are closed; selected finalists receive pitch coaching and $10,000 in legal support. No startup application fee is published. source
- Black Innovation Summit Pitch Competition
- $170,000 in investments and grants (2026) source
- Cadence
- Annual, October
GeneralistDefensePre-seedSeedFoundersInvestors
Next edition
| Dates | Oct 28, 2026 source |
|---|---|
| Edition | Black Innovation Summit 2026 |
| Venue | SixtyEight at Scotia Plaza, Toronto, Canada |
| Tickets | luma.com source |
How founders get in
| Startup programme | Black tech founders with a functional MVP and a technology business addressing a compelling problem can apply to the pitch competition and must be available to attend in person. Applications for 2026 are closed; selected finalists receive pitch coaching and $10,000 in legal support. No startup application fee is published. source |
|---|
Black Innovation Summit Pitch Competition
| Prize | $170,000 in investments and grants (2026) source |
|---|
Meeting investors there
Founders can meet investors through in-person networking at the Summit; investors can register in the Investor category, subject to host approval. The organiser describes networking, not formal matchmaking. source
Before you go: the hub's cold email to VCs playbook covers the pre-event outreach that fills a meeting calendar, and Causo matches your stage and thesis to the funds in its database so you know who to ask for a meeting.
Official links and socials
Official
Apply
Prepare for it
- How to cold email VCs — book the meetings before you land.
- The 12-slide seed deck — what to have ready when a partner says "send me the deck".
- Pitch Deck Roaster — a slide-by-slide pass before you submit to Black Innovation Summit Pitch Competition.
- Accelerator deadlines — the application windows that open around the event.
Sources
Every fact above was read from one of these official pages on Oct 8, 2026:
Black Innovation Summit: frequently asked
When is Black Innovation Summit 2026?
Black Innovation Summit 2026 runs Oct 28, 2026 at SixtyEight at Scotia Plaza, Toronto, according to the organiser's published dates.
How do startups get into Black Innovation Summit?
Black tech founders with a functional MVP and a technology business addressing a compelling problem can apply to the pitch competition and must be available to attend in person. Applications for 2026 are closed; selected finalists receive pitch coaching and $10,000 in legal support. No startup application fee is published.
What is Black Innovation Summit Pitch Competition?
Black Innovation Summit's pitch competition. Prize as published: $170,000 in investments and grants (2026).