Nobellum Redefines Innovation in Canada: How the Black Innovation Zone Is Opening Doors for Black Founders
From vision to opportunity — Nobellum’s ecosystem is rewriting the story of innovation in Canada.
At the heart of Canada’s growing innovation landscape, Nobellum's partnership with Elevate Festival is creating new pathways for diverse founders to access capital, mentorship, and opportunity.
What began as an effort to make entrepreneurship more inclusive has evolved into a national movement, the Black Innovation Zone. As a founding member, Nobellum has worked with community organizations that represent over 80% of the Black innovation ecosystem.
For years, Canada’s flagship innovation events were filled with talent and ambition — but participation came at a steep cost. Tickets for major festivals like Elevate could exceed $500CAD, putting them out of reach for many early-stage entrepreneurs.
Black founders, often self-funding their ventures, had to choose between investing in operations or buying access to rooms where deals were made.
Without that access, countless innovators missed the chance to meet mentors, collaborators, and investors who could accelerate their growth.
That’s where Nobellum stepped in. Through the launch of the Black Innovation Zone, Nobellum played a pivotal part in establishing a dedicated space within Elevate Festival that reimagines who gets to innovate in Canada.
The Black Innovation Zone provided free access and an opportunity to pitch Black-led innovation at Elevate Festivals Startup stage through the contribution of the following partners.:
Annual Sponsors: Black Opportunity Fund, Tribe Network, and the Black Business Venture Association.
Elevate Sponsors: Meridian, TiE Toronto, LBIH, SkillHat, the City of Brampton, and the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region
Beyond tickets, the initiative connected entrepreneurs to mentorship, investor networks, and media visibility — turning opportunity into impact.
This year’s Elevate Festival, which welcomed over 12,000 attendees and 246 speakers, provided a powerful national platform for Nobellum’s founders to demonstrate the impact of equitable innovation. Within an ecosystem that generated more than 690 million media impressions, the Black Innovation Zone stood out as a model of inclusion, access, and measurable outcomes.
“Our mission has always been about more than funding startups,” said Melisa Ellis, Founder & CEO of Nobellum. “It’s about giving founders the access, tools, and belief to build legacies that inspire generations.”
From System Architects to Measurable Outcomes
When Nobellum first entered the Black Innovation Zone at Elevate Festival in 2022, it did not arrive as a spectator but as a system architect. From that moment, preparation met access, and access transformed into measurable outcomes.
By 2023, Nobellum founders were already translating that alignment into visible progress:
Leanne Spence, founder of Instant Save, earned 1st Place and a $3,000 grant at the DBJ Awards for her innovation in safety technology.
Claudine Reid, founder of Digitalawah, secured 2nd Place and $1,500 for showcasing the sophistication of Black-led mobility tech.
Omnya El Massad, founder of Momenta Analytics, received the Black Women in Tech Award and $2,000 for her work in data analytics.
These were not isolated wins; they were empirical proof that intentional access, preparation, and community structure create scalable success.
Then came 2024, a breakthrough year that redefined what was possible when infrastructure, equity, and belief converged. Cynthia Ene, founder of Corol, took the Elevate stage with precision and purpose, winning $100,000 in funding, which was later doubled by The Firehood Angel Network to $200,000, the highest single investment in Elevate’s history. Within a year, Corol surpassed $1.5 million in total funding.
By 2025, the momentum multiplied. Felicia Guy-Lynch, founder of Si Obi Green and participant in Nobellum’s WISE (Women in STEM & Entrepreneurship) program, earned the SkillHat Award for innovation with social impact. Meanwhile, Serenity Power won 1st Place and a $100,000 prize at the Black Innovation Zone Pitch Competition — marking the second consecutive year a Black Innovation Zone founder captured Elevate’s top honor.
These achievements are measurable outcomes of a replicable model built on data, structure, and intentional mentorship. Through programs such as the Catalyst for Entrpreneurship and Innovation Exchange (CEI Global) and Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE), Nobellum continues to construct global pathways integrating equity, access, and data-driven design into every layer of the innovation ecosystem.
“What was once a space where many were unseen is now a stage where they lead,” said Melisa.
These achievements represent not just isolated successes, but measurable outcomes of a replicable model built on data, mentorship, and community design; the very foundation of Nobellum’s impact.
Beyond the Stage
Since 2020, Nobellum has launched 121 startups, created over 250 jobs, and helped founders collectively generate over $25 million in revenue, with 90 percent securing funding. Its ecosystem extends across Canada, Jamaica, and Africa, through initiatives such as the CEI Jamaica Innovation Exchange, the Women in STEM & Entrepreneurship Program (WISE), and the Innovator Program (U of T Chapter); each designed to transform potential into progress and preparation into leadership.
Behind each milestone lies the heartbeat of the community.
A Vision for the Future
As Nobellum continues to empower entrepreneurs across borders, one truth remains: when access meets belief, innovation flourishes. Black founders are not waiting to be discovered — they are already shaping the future of Canadian innovation.
Join the movement. Celebrate the stories. Support the next wave of changemakers.
About Nobellum
Founded in 2020, Nobellum is a Canadian-based innovation hub dedicated to building inclusive pathways for Black entrepreneurs in STEM. Through its programs and partnerships — including the Black Innovation Zone (BIZ), CEI Jamaica, and the Women in STEM & Entrepreneurship Program — Nobellum has launched over 120 startups, created hundreds of jobs, and continues to drive innovation across Canada and beyond.
About Black Innovation Zone (BIZ)
A collaborative initiative of Black-led organisations that aims to increase the visibility and support of Black founders, investors and professionals across Canada.
About Elevate Festival
Canada’s major tech & innovation festival, held in Toronto, that brings together startups, investors, tech professionals and creatives to spark ideas, scale ventures and amplify Canada’s innovation ecosystem.
About Meridian Credit Union
Ontario’s largest credit union (and the second largest in Canada) — a member-owned financial co-operative serving hundreds of thousands of members with banking, wealth and business services.
About TiE Toronto
A chapter of the global entrepreneurship organisation TiE Global, TiE Toronto connects entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and corporates, hosting events and competitions to support startup growth and innovation in Ontario.
About Lanterna Black Innovation Hub (LBIH)
A Canadian organisation dedicated to fostering Black innovation, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment by providing mentorship, skills development and funding to Black professionals, entrepreneurs and innovators.
About SkillHat
A global training institute based in Toronto offering tech and strategic skills training, especially aimed at career transitioners, new grads, immigrants and professionals seeking to pivot into resilient careers.
About City of Brampton
A fast-growing city in Ontario, in the Greater Toronto Area, known for its cultural diversity (home to 250+ cultures and 171 languages) and significant population growth.
About Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (CCAWR)
A not-for-profit established in 1975 serving the Caribbean community in Waterloo Region. It promotes the social, cultural and economic interests of the Caribbean-Canadian community through culturally-sensitive programs, education, resources and training.
About Black Opportunity Fund (BOF)
A community-led registered Canadian charitable organisation whose mandate is to dismantle anti-Black racism by building a sustainable pool of capital to fund Black-led businesses and nonprofits, thereby improving the socio-economic well-being of Black Canadians.
About Tribe Network
A network and hub for racialized entrepreneurs and innovators in Canada, providing access to community, coaching, capital and resources to help them start, build and scale their businesses.
About Black Business Venture Association
Based in Canada (notably Western Canada), this organisation supports Black-led tech ventures and entrepreneurs through coaching, ecosystem navigation and investment readiness to help bring their ideas to scalable reality.
