Chnge Mker Innovation Hub Dedicated to Helping Local Black Entrepreneurs Succeed

Cohort 1 of the Chnge Mker Innovation Hub’s Incubator Program Participants

BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR and battling high odds to succeed is always a major challenge fraught with obstacles.

Those obstacles are even more pronounced for Black entrepreneurs, who must overcome barriers like racism, discrimination and microaggressions every day, says Mona Abow, founder and chief executive officer of Chnge Mker Innovation Hub (CMIH), a not-for-profit organization located in Ottawa’s Byward Market.

“We are the first and only space dedicated specifically for Black entrepreneurs. Our mission is to support Black entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses. We take a human centered and a wellness-driven approach to our programming and service delivery,” says Abow.

Chnge Mker, which supports about 150 local entrepreneurs, was launched in 2022. The team currently consists of four team members, with plans to expand with the addition of a Hub Market Café. “Having a location at the Byward Market is really ideal for us. Such a high traffic, central location gives our clients the exposure they need in the city,” says Abow.

The organization’s five month entrepreneur incubator program, which is government funded and offered both online and in person, free of charge, provides technical training for business startups, in addition to mindset development, mental health and wellness holistic support to deal with the personal and professional hardships entrepreneurs often face.

“We match our members with seasoned entrepreneurs and business owners in their particular field to give them more practical, real time, in person support. We also hold networking events for our members. We connect them with the Ottawa Board of Trade, Invest Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, the Byward Market District Authority and others at the City of Ottawa to make sure there’s more access and inclusion for Black entrepreneurs in the city,” says Abow.

Chnge Mker has successfully helped many local start-ups get off the ground.

Examples of clients include The Avril Tour, founded by Oyiza Oliha, which is developing a tour bus to deliver a unique and immersive tourist experience in the National Capital Region.

Fluentry Language Consultancy, founded by Attiánna Palmer Powell, teaches language fluency through immersion. Clients learn new languages like French and Spanish through interactive workshops and events.

Musk Wall Systems, founded by Alceu Da Silva Moreira, delivers interior drywall services for both commercial and residential projects. MWS was one of the contractors that helped restore the West Block of the Parliament Buildings.

Chnge Mker is launching The Hub Market Cafe in October 2024 to assist more mature businesses accelerate their growth by providing them with hands-on support and a space to sell their products and services. And in 2025, “we plan to launch a tech-focused cohort for Black entrepreneurs, addressing a highly underrepresented sector and expanding our services,” says Abow.