Best Buy Canada Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) (“Best Buy Canada” or “Best Buy” or the “Company”) announced the launch of a new Mentorship and Acceleration Program (MAP) for Black and Indigenous tech entrepreneurs. As the country’s largest omnichannel retailer – with a proven track record of bringing new technology products to market – Best Buy Canada wants to use its unique position to offer support to these underrepresented communities in the technology space.
“Business is all about people and connections. We are thrilled to launch this program to offer our significant infrastructure and expertise to support entrepreneurs from Black and Indigenous communities. Over the years, we have built phenomenal relationships with our vendor partners, and I am excited to do the same with the professionals that will join Best Buy MAP. I can’t wait to see what products may emerge from this program,” said Zayn Jaffer, Best Buy Canada Category Officer and Vice President in Merchandising.
As of today, Best Buy Canada has begun accepting applications. The program will connect successful applicants to the Best Buy network to help advance their businesses by providing unprecedented support to prepare and launch their products through all of Best Buy’s retail channels. One of the biggest challenges for a small business or start-up is the lack of access to senior counsel; the MAP will provide business education and mentorship, marketing and promotion of their brands and products.
In 2020 Best Buy made several commitments to advance diversity and inclusion in all parts of the business. This program has been created and launched to address the underrepresentation of tech businesses owned and managed by Black or Indigenous professionals in Canada.
The application window is open from September 15, 2021, through to November 30, 2021. For more information, please visit the MAP website.
