Emmanuel Akindele, the 22-year-old entrepreneur who won first place in the pitch contest at the Black Innovation Summit, said that the prize money from DMZ's incubator program will help make the launch of his mental health app a success. The Black Innovation Summit is a conference held in Toronto to promote DMZ's Back Innovation Programs, which aims to help Black tech entrepreneurs survive the start-up phase. Black entrepreneurs typically have less access to capital and fewer resources than their white counterparts, which makes it harder for them to start and run their businesses. The Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) was created in 2020 to help Black business owners access the capital they need. The incubator program that Emmanuel Akindele participated in in 2021 helped him develop his business idea and connect with mentors. Marc Lafleur, the former CEO of TruLocal, won first place in the pitch contest at the Black Innovation Summit and went on to sell his company for $17 million.

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