News Summary

At the fifth annual DMZ Black Innovation Summit, Black-led startups secured a record-breaking $400,000 in funding, the most in the event’s history. The summit, hosted by DMZ at Toronto Metropolitan University, saw ten startups compete for funding from DMZ Ventures, Tribe Network, and Capital M Ventures. This year, the funding pool increased from an initial $300,000 to $400,000, with both investments and grants being awarded for the first time. OutreachGenius, a startup providing AI agents for sales calls, won the top prize with $200,000 in investment commitments. Other winners included Happly.AI, which received $75,000 in investments and a $50,000 grant, Kiwi Charge with a $30,000 grant, and Cellect Laboratories with a $20,000 grant. Additionally, five young entrepreneurs received $25,000 in youth grants. The summit, attended by over 400 individuals, is part of DMZ’s Black Innovation Programs aimed at supporting Black-led startups and addressing inequity in the tech ecosystem.