Toronto-based tealbook, an online platform that aims to make enterprise sourcing of suppliers more efficient, has announced a partnership with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses (CCAB).
tealbook said the partnership is meant to help Aboriginal businesses scale across Canada. Specifically, CCAB and tealbook will work together to build a community for Indigenous entrepreneurs that are seeking procurement contracts set to launch in Fall 2018.
tealbook, which allows suppliers to maintain their information and certifications in one place, is hoping that its search engine will help CCAB’s corporate members find suppliers relevant to their business requirements. CCAB will use tealbook’s platform to help connect Aboriginal businesses in Canada with larger corporate customers by allowing its Aboriginal businesses to display their certifications on their tealbook business profiles so that corporations looking to work with them can find them more efficiently.
“The creation of a single platform that connects Aboriginal-owned suppliers to interested buyers has enormous implications for greater Indigenous participation in Canada’s economy.”
“Our team is really excited about offering an affordable turn-key AI platform to CCAB members,” said Stephanie Lapierre, founder and CEO of tealbook. “The creation of a single platform that connects Aboriginal-owned suppliers to interested buyers has enormous implications for greater Indigenous participation in Canada’s economy. We are proud to contribute our technological expertise to this important economic and social enterprise.”
tealbook said its partnership is a part of Supply Change, a CCAB initiative that connects corporations and SMEs with Aboriginal-owned companies.
“Our partnership with tealbook is an important step forward for Indigenous entrepreneurs and the longer-term goal of raising incomes and living standards for their people,” said JP Gladu, president and CEO of CCAB. “tealbook’s AI-powered technology is going to revolutionize how our Aboriginal Procurement Champions identify and evaluate potential Indigenous suppliers to ensure the best possible business fit. For Indigenous entrepreneurs, the Aboriginal Procurement Marketplace platform is a game changer in terms of increasing access and removing barriers.”
tealbook and CCAB are also members of SCALE.AI, the Canadian AI-enabled Supply Chain Supercluster that received funding from the federal government to build next-generation supply chains. “The leadership of CCAB and tealbook will strengthen Aboriginal businesses in Canada, a key objective of the consortium,” said Tristan Mallet, interim CEO of the SCALE AI supercluster. “As SCALE AI ramps up its operations, we look forward to supporting such partnerships and help them scale up to deliver global impact.”
tealbook was one of the first companies to receive funding from the StandUp Venture Fund I in May 2017.
This article originally appeared in Betakit