On May 28, during Toronto Tech Week, Co-Founder Connect is testing a new approach to help you find a co-founder.
The event, organized by the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) in partnership with YSpace at York University, won’t be your run-of-the-mill mixer. Before the doors even open, the event’s organizers will have already mapped the room.
Nunu Francisco,
“Strong founders are building in isolation without proximity to technical co-founders, early adopters, or capital networks that actually help ideas move. For Black and racialized founders, that gap is deeper.”
BEA
According to Nunu Francisco, Startup and Technology Industry Program Officer at BEA, the event’s organizers are rethinking how co-founder relationships form.
“Strong founders are building in isolation without proximity to technical co-founders, early adopters, or capital networks that actually help ideas move,” Francisco said. “For Black and racialized founders, that gap is deeper.”
According to data from BKR Capital, venture funding to Black-led startups contracted sharply in 2025, falling to just 0.15 percent of all Canadian VC funding. That’s despite the pipeline of Black-led startups in Canada growing that year. The numbers point to continued structural barriers in how racialized founders access opportunities.
“We’ve seen founders stall not because the idea isn’t strong, but because they don’t have the right people around them to pressure-test ideas, build with, and open doors,” Francisco said.
Co-Founder Connect is designed to help founders buck that trend. Attendees can pre-register for specific tracks based on whether they are a founder, operator, technical builder, or early-career professional. They can also share what they’re looking for out of the event, what they bring to the table, and what they’re building.
“We can see who aligns, who’s building in similar spaces, and who actually complements each other,” Francisco explained. “That shows up in how we run the night.”
The evening will include 60-second founder pitches, a speed matching zone, interactive areas, and a fireside panel on finding the perfect co-founder. BEA also wants attendees to continue their conversations after the event on LiinkUP, a professional matching app created by Toronto-based networking software startup and BEA Investment Bootcamp alumnus Nodalli.
On LiinkUP, users can browse upcoming events, upload their resumés to get connected with founders and teams, and use the swipe-based matching feature and ranked feeds to connect with like-minded professionals. Jason B. Ramsay, Founder of Nodalli, said LiinkUP is the app he wished he had when he first started building his company.
“I knew I needed a partner whose technical skills could complement my business acumen, but I didn’t know where to find that person, and I had no framework for evaluating fit once I did,” Ramsay said.
LiinkUP, which went live this month, draws on Ramsay’s prior experience in co-founder matchmaking programs, as well as the “millions” of data points from Nodalli’s networking platform that reveal what makes or breaks professional connections. The platform screens for those variables, such as skill sets, work styles, life stage, personal financial runway, and startup goals.
“Once you’ve screened for them, you’ve removed most of the friction before the first conversation even happens,” Ramsay said.
Building the platform forced Nodalli’s team to reflect on what makes teams work together, and what is at risk if they don’t. “Once we internalized that, we realized what we’re building isn’t just a matching tool. It’s infrastructure that meaningfully de-risks startups from one of the biggest threats they’ll face,” Ramsay added.
BEA is hoping to integrate LiinkUP at more of its events beyond Toronto Tech Week. Through partnerships with YSpace, Futurpreneur, George Brown Polytechnic, and IDEA Mississauga, BEA is also giving attendees the chance to connect with programs like YSpace’s, BEA’s Venture Catalyst program, and BEA’s Investment Bootcamp, which provide mentorship, infrastructure, and ongoing support.
“We don’t leave it at introductions,” Francisco said. “Founders have space to test alignment, build real relationships, and access the support they need to move forward. That’s how you start to shift outcomes.”
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Find your co-founder at Co-Founder Connect on May 28 during Toronto Tech Week. Register now, and sign up for LiinkUP to keep the momentum going.
Feature image courtesy Black Entrepreneurship Alliance.