Social innovation programs cultivate transformative ideas to meet real-world challenges and play a vital role in shaping a more resilient and equitable society. RADIUS SFU partnered with Community Foundations of Canada to deliver a comprehensive six-month Business Model Development program that is a testament to collective action and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Innovation Strategy through the Investment Readiness Program, this initiative embarked on a journey from June to November 2023 to empower social purpose organizations (SPOs) across Canada as they prepare for investment.
RADIUS welcomed 24 SPOs from various industries, each with a unique vision and mission to address social, cultural, and environmental challenges. Among these organizations were Hello Hair, which aims to redefine the global black hair experience, nurturing self-love and authenticity; Rittenhouse, a grassroots organization dedicated to transformative justice, striving to establish a social purpose enterprise focused on public education and workshops; and KiddieNomics™, dedicated to empowering young children with financial literacy skills. Recognizing the importance of representation and equity, the RADIUS team structured two distinct cohorts: an Open Enrollment cohort and a BIPOC Affinity cohort. This thoughtful approach allowed facilitators to delve into the systemic barriers and challenges racialized entrepreneurs face while fostering an environment of trust and solidarity within each cohort.
At the heart of the program lay a commitment to strengthening the business models of mid-stage SPOs, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate complex landscapes and drive sustainable change. Bi-weekly sessions served as immersive learning platforms, laying the foundation with Business Model Canvas workshops. The subsequent sessions took a critical lens to the building blocks constituting the business model canvas, including Relationship Building (digital and grassroots marketing), Cost Structuring, Financial Planning, and Human Resource Management, ensuring a holistic approach to capacity building. In each session, we had guest speakers with industry experience to further enrich the curriculum, as well as additional workshops like Democratic Decision-Making and the Theory of Change, which fostered thinking and doing differently with intention and community.
One of the most impactful elements of the program was that every participating organization was strategically matched with an advisor from their industry and with entrepreneurial experience. These advisors offered firsthand experience and mentorship, nurturing the growth and resilience of each participant. Khalid Hashi, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of OGOW Health, an award-winning health tech start-up, was paired with Althea Therapy, a digital platform to get access to culturally responsive mental health professionals and online learning experiences. Kemptville Campus, a non-profit community and education centre that is working to create an incubator kitchen facility, was matched with Matthew Campbell, the previous Executive Director of Cloverdale Community Kitchen, where he led the expansion, management, and renovation of a comprehensive kitchen renovation project accommodating 200,000 lbs of food inventory. Mokami Status of Women Council (MSWC), a feminist charity in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland & Labrador, explored opportunities to expand its Supportive Living Program to include Second Stage Housing. MSWC was matched with advisor Nauren Ali, a Chartered Professional Accountant specializing in startups, to help develop their cash flow projections using an equity-centred approach in preparation for securing investment.
The program’s impact extended beyond its curriculum, embodying a broader community resilience and empowerment vision. Through the Investment Readiness Program Learning Initiative, RADIUS and Community Foundations Canada provided invaluable guidance, tools, and networks, empowering participants to build more resilient communities for the future. The program’s success was a testament to the dedication and adaptability of its participants, who embraced challenges with courage and commitment.
As we reflect on the journey of the Business Model Development program, we celebrate each participant’s resilience, creativity, and commitment. Together, we embark on a collective journey towards a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.
We are thrilled to spotlight six participants from the program:
Hello Hair
Anita Grant
Anita Grant of Hello Hair, is a business consultant during the day, a social entrepreneur by night, and a devoted mother and wife around the clock. While her passion encompasses all things business, she often refers to Hello Hair as her life’s purpose. Founded in 2022, Hello Hair is more than a brand—it’s a movement. We’re devoted to nurturing self-love in every child by celebrating their beautiful crown. Our mission is to redefine the global black hair experience, leading to a new era of authenticity and confidence. As advocates for natural hair education, Hello Hair is your go-to source for empowering generations with knowledge, representation, and pride. Together, we create a world where every curl, coil, and kink is not just accepted but celebrated.
Contact Info:
hellohairbook.com
Instagram: @hellohair_book
“The most significant takeaway was the community and network formed through this program. I’ve connected with fellow participants beyond the program, fostering resource sharing and discovering new opportunities. The program lead, Bahar, has provided me with confidence and reassurance that I’m moving in the right direction.”
KiddieNomics
Stacy Brown
KiddieNomics™ is an innovative educational initiative dedicated to empowering young children with financial literacy skills. Through engaging, age-appropriate content, we aim to lay the foundation for sound financial decision-making, fostering a generation of informed, responsible adults. Our interactive lessons cover budgeting, saving, investing, the value of money and much more, making complex concepts accessible and fun. KiddieNomics™ is more than just a learning platform; it’s a movement towards inclusive, impactful education, celebrating diversity and encouraging children to dream big. Let’s build a financially savvy future for kids, one lesson at a time! #KiddieNomics #FinancialLiteracyForKids
Contact Info
Instagram: kiddienomics
Twitter: @KiddieNomics_
Facebook: KiddieNomics
YouTube: KiddieNomics
LinkedIn: KiddieNomics
TikTok: @kiddienomics
“My favourite part of the program was the mentoring portion with my assigned mentor Ideen. He was absolutely phenomenal, he listened to my ideas, gave honest feedback and found solutions to challenges that I was facing. It is my hope to stay in contact with Ideen as KiddieNomics develops. Overall it was an extremely positive experience being a part of the RADIUS program, they are doing great work!”
Althea Therapy
Micheline Khan
Althea Therapy is a digital platform to get access to culturally responsive mental health professionals and online learning experiences. We have two main support pathways: our app to connect with Black, Indigenous and racialized therapists and our signature program, the Reclaim Program, to learn culturally responsive tools to reduce stress and anxiety, paired with live mental health support. Our goal is to destigmatize therapy and to reduce racial mental health disparities across the country.
“Engaging in the IRP Business Development Program, facilitated by RADIUS SFU, has greatly influenced both my professional growth and the trajectory of my business.
One of the program’s standout features was the mentorship component, which has undeniably left a lasting impact on my business. Having direct access to a mentor allowed me to receive personalized guidance, share experiences, and gain invaluable insights from someone with a wealth of practical knowledge.”
Mokami Status of Women Council
With a commitment to supporting women and gender-diverse individuals and tackling gender-based issues, Mokami Status of Women Council (MSWC) operates as a feminist charity in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland & Labrador. In the pursuit of creating meaningful social impact, MSWC, through the IRP Business Development Program, explored opportunities to expand its Supportive Living Program to include Second Stage Housing. The goal of this initiative is to empower residents, allowing them to transition to greater independence at their own pace. Additionally, MSWC delved into expanding its social enterprise thrift store and supportive employment program, with the goal of generating revenue to fund impactful projects and provide increased employment opportunities for women and gender-diverse individuals.
Kemptville Campus
Kemptville Campus is a non-profit community and education centre, renewing the lands and buildings of the former Kemptville Agricultural College. With a mandate to foster education and training, local economic development, and sustainable food systems, the Campus is working to create an incubator kitchen facility. The core of the incubator will be a shared rental kitchen space that meets Public Health requirements for commercial production, providing flexible and affordable kitchen access to new entrepreneurs, growing businesses and community organizations. Additional offerings will include specialized training, networking and mentorship opportunities, and business support to help small food producers collaborate, learn and thrive. We envision the incubator as a hub in a vibrant, integrated local food ecosystem, building connections between producers, processors, retailers and eaters.
“At the start, I felt like I was very new to social enterprise and SPOs, but I learned that we are already doing a lot of this work. We just didn’t have the language to describe it in these terms. Now I feel more confident in my role, with a frame of reference, many resources and other examples to draw on.”
Rittenhouse
Our initiative is to create a social purpose enterprise of facilitators delivering public education and workshops to community organizations around transformative justice, conflict resolution and alternatives to calling the police or barring clients from services and resources. Rittenhouse is a small grassroots organization staffed by people with lived experience delivering facilitation and supporting prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. This initiative provided paid training in transformative justice facilitation to nine people with lived experience of incarceration with the aim of creating decent, meaningful work opportunities for the participants.
Contact Info:
“This program reiterated to us the need to create our own work opportunities for criminalized people in the spirit of transformative justice. People with criminal records have always faced barriers and obstacles to decent and meaningful employment and this program aims not only to create these positions but to raise awareness of how much these opportunities are needed and how they can be transformational in our community staying free.”
Congratulations to all the incredible SPOs for embarking on their business development journey with us! Learn more about the rest of the cohort:
To learn more about the Investment Readiness Program Learning Initiative, visit the CFC website. To learn more about RADIUS, visit our website and our Equity-Centred Accelerator page.
