Black Business Ventures Association brings Dragons Den energy to Edmonton Unlimited

By February 13, 2026
Co-founders Kevaughn Smith (left) and Favour Babalola (right) make the case for Lo Cal Networking Inc. at the Black Business Ventures Association’s Innovation Expo.
Pitch night spotlights homegrown startups and growing tech talent.

It may not have been broadcast on television, but for a handful of early-stage Edmonton founders, Thursday night’s Black Business Ventures Association (BBVA) Innovation Expo was like a round in the Dragon’s Den.


“Often, I find myself being one of the only Black innovators in the rooms I’m in, so it was great to step into a space where that was not the case.”

Ruth Orekogbe,
LiberatedAI

Held at Edmonton Unlimited, the BBVA expo aimed to celebrate and amplify Black entrepreneurship, innovation, and business leadership, providing founders and companies with a platform to present businesses and ideas to the wider community. The event featured networking and an hour-long session during which select founders could pitch their companies and products to the audience.

Dozens of people showed up for the event, including Ruth Orekogbe. A tech entrepreneur and co-founder of AI automation and literacy startup LiberatedAI, Orekogbe said she felt the event was important for both Edmonton and Alberta’s Black business community.

“When we come together to acknowledge and celebrate our work, we amplify our collective impact. These gatherings foster collaboration, generate economic activity, create opportunities, and empower youth and students,” she said in an email to BetaKit. “Seeing people who look like them building innovative companies right here in Alberta, not only in Toronto or the US, expands what feels possible.”

Orekogbe said attending also gave her a different perspective on how large the Edmonton Black tech community is today.

​“Honestly, I didn’t really know how big the Black tech community was here in Edmonton. I wanted to see firsthand what people were building and to connect with them and support them,” she added, noting that she was surprised to see a lack of female founders participating in the pitch portion of the evening.

“Often, I find myself being one of the only Black innovators in the rooms I’m in, so it was great to step into a space where that was not the case,” Orekogbe said.

Six businesses ultimately made their pitches in five- to ten-minute presentations. They included Zagga Rewards, a gamified advertising platform; Disclosezy, a legal tech platform; CidiPay, a peer-to-peer currency exchange platform; Lo-cal, a hyperlocal networking platform; RelayPro, a digital business card exchange app; and ClassGate, an edtech platform focused on private, religious, and alternative schools.

Pitches were made generally to the audience, with no panel of potential judges a la Shark Tank. Most founders were looking for early-stage support in the form of partnerships, mentorship and growth, and visibility, rather than seeking immediate financial funding. 

BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.

Feature image courtesy Jesse Cole for BetaKit.

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