YSpace Holiday Social & Venture Catalyst Showcase
YSpace, York University & the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance are thrilled to invite you to our Holiday Social & Venture Catalyst Showcase.
YSpace, York University, and the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance are excited to invite you to our Venture Catalyst Showcase & Holiday Social, featuring the 2026 cohort’s pitch showcase and a festive lunch social. This is an opportunity to celebrate our vibrant community of entrepreneurs, connect with peers and mentors, and kick off the holiday season in style!
Venture Catalyst Showcase
Support our Venture Catalyst 2026 cohort as they present their businesses through dynamic quick-fire pitches. The Venture Catalyst program supports early-stage technology ventures to develop, test, validate, and refine their startups from an idea to a solid proof-of-concept. This initiative is proudly delivered in partnership with the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance.
Holiday Social
Join us for a festive lunch and networking social as we wrap up another exciting year at YSpace! Enjoy delicious food, warm company, and lively conversations with founders, mentors, and community partners. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our ecosystem, reconnect with peers, and toast to another year of innovation and collaboration.
Event Agenda
Venture Catalyst Showcase: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Lunch: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
We look forward to celebrating with you!
BEA & YSpace Attendee Media & Photo Release Notice
By attending this event, you acknowledge that the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) and YSpace may capture photos, video, and audio for storytelling, promotional, and archival use. If you prefer not to be included in any recordings or photos, please notify a BEA or YSpace team member upon arrival so accommodations can be made.
All guests are expected to follow event guidelines and adhere to the direction of BEA and YSpace staff to support a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment. If you experience or witness behaviour that feels inappropriate, unsafe, or out of line with our community values, please report it immediately to a BEA or YSpace team member.
BEA reserves the right to remove or deny access to anyone who does not uphold these expectations.
Warm regards,
YSpace & BEA Team
About YSpace
YSpace is York University’s pan-university entrepreneurship and innovation hub supporting startups and entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors and communities. Our programming spans across scaling innovative technologies through customer and investor capital to scaling agri-food businesses into mass retail to diversity-focused initiatives like ELLA for women-led businesses and in partnership with Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) for Black-led businesses. We are also home to two physical hubs in the City of Markham and the Town of Georgina.
About BEA:
Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) is a Black-led initiative to amplify and advance the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. The BEA gives Black entrepreneurs and professionals access to fully funded programs and partnerships to launch successful ventures.