Inclusive Entrepreneurship Initiatives
Toronto Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Toronto Public Library is building on its role as a transformative entrepreneurship hub where equity deserving groups like newcomer, Black, and women entrepreneurs can access no-cost, high-quality business support in welcoming library spaces across the city. The wide range of small business programs and services include eight-week residencies and cohort-based program series, under the banners of the Women Entrepreneurship, Black Entrepreneurship, and Newcomer Entrepreneurship Initiatives (WEI, BEI, NEI), where the goal is to create more accessible pathways into entrepreneurship and move from an idea toward starting, scaling, and sustaining a business. Participants can learn and grow in a trusted environment that gives them an opportunity to connect with seasoned entrepreneurs and small business experts, receive one-on-one mentorship, build practical skills, strengthen business ideas and plans, and expand their professional networks.
Challenge/Opportunity
Entrepreneurs from equity-deserving communities can face barriers that can limit their ability to start and grow a business, including access to networks, mentorship, capital, and other tailored supports:
• The Toronto Newcomer Strategy identifies the need to improve newcomer access to economic development programs and support newcomer-led businesses in accessing networking, capital resources, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
• Toronto's Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism calls for removing systemic barriers and supporting Black-owned businesses to start, compete and thrive.
• The City’s Gender Equity Strategy recognizes that gender and intersecting identities can create barriers to accessing Toronto’s economic, social, and cultural benefits.
• TPL's own Equity Statement commits the library to removing racial and social equity barriers to information, literacy, and platforms for expression.
Key Elements of Innovation
• TPL connects participants with experienced entrepreneurs & business leaders who provide mentorship, 1-on-1 guidance, workshops and networking opportunities, alongside the library's specialized collections and resources
• Through tailored Entrepreneur-in-Residence streams, residents bring real-world business expertise and lived experience relevant to the communities served, acting as educators and connectors
• Business Inc., delivered with Toronto Business Development Centre, adds business plan development, week-by-week coaching, and peer learning into the mix
• Targeted supports are complemented by expert panels, networking programs, and collaborative programs delivered in partnership with leaders in the Toronto small business ecosystem like Futurpreneur, Business in the Streets, and the City of Toronto's Enterprise team
•This model shows how libraries can combine trusted public infrastructure with entrepreneurship expertise to advance economic inclusion and workforce development
Achieved Outcomes
Across the latest initiative reports, TPL recorded 119 program deliveries and 1,352 participant attendances across NEI, WEI and BEI.
Across 359 post-program survey respondents, approximately 91% were satisfied or very satisfied. Results went beyond: 80–86% reported increased knowledge and confidence to launch/grow a business, while 80–91% felt more prepared to do so.
Surveys also showed gains in business-resource awareness, communication, professional skills, cultural awareness, and financial literacy.
In a 3+ month NEI follow-up survey, 71% (17 of 24) said programming helped them launch a business faster and more effectively.
Three separate focus groups documented self-reported outcomes including increased sales, stronger market knowledge, and business refinement. One participant who attended Business Inc. and Entrepreneur-in-Residence while living in a shelter said the support “helped me develop my business, improve my financial situation, and move into more stable housing.”
