Tribe Updates: June 2026 🚀
Everything June handed us — and what tied it all together.
June gave us a lot. A new home at Volta, the launch of our AI program, four of our founders headed to a national stage, and more rooms full of familiar faces than we could count.
The weather turned, the ecosystem came outside, and we spent the month doing the thing we love most — being in a room with the people building here. From our own space to a pitch competition to a kitchen party, here’s what June actually looked like.
Tribe Community Social
In June, we opened the doors to our space on the 8th floor of Volta (1800 Argyle) and invited the community in for the first time. It felt like the right way to start a chapter — surrounded by the founders, partners, and collaborators who’ve been part of the story so far.
We used the night to look back at our impact over the past year, and to be honest about where we’re headed: engaging racialized people in the areas that will shape the next decade — defense, energy, AI, and health. It’s also where we officially launched our AI program, built to help racialized founders validate their ideas and take them to market.
New space, same people. We’re glad you came.
Humans in AI Week
What does it actually mean to be human in a world full of AI?
Most of us have sat with that question at least once. In the first week of June, we got to ask it out loud; partnering with AI Collective Halifax for Humans in AI Week. There was a kitchen party with a live fiddler (because this is Nova Scotia), East Coast food, and an evening of short talks and real conversation at AI After Dark.
What stuck with us wasn’t the technology. It was the range of perspectives in the room on how AI is shaping the way we work, create, and connect — and how much of that still comes down to people.
AI Mixer & Showcase
There’s nothing quite like seeing what people are building while they’re still building it.
We teamed up with Volta for one of their AI Showcases and Mixers and spent the evening watching community members demo projects in real time — ideas mid-flight, rough edges and all. That’s our favourite kind of room.
Melamoon Pitch Competition
Four of our founders are headed to a national stage.
The Melamoon Pitch Competition brought Black founders from across the Atlantic region together for a full day of pitching, panel discussions, and a hackathon. Four founders from our Accelerate Tech program advanced to the next stage — representing Atlantic Canada nationally, with prizes of up to $200K on the line.
We’re proud of them. Not just because they advanced (though that’s worth celebrating), but because of the work that got them there. We’ll share more as the next stage unfolds.
Startup Atlantic Kitchen Party
What better way to kick off the Atlantic Venture Forum (AVF) than a kitchen party?
The Startup Atlantic Kitchen Party brought entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem partners together for a night of food, music, and the kind of conversations that don’t happen over email. Good reminder that the Atlantic startup community isn’t just Nova Scotia — partners came in from across all four provinces, and the room was better for it.
The takeaway
If June had a theme, it was this: showing up matters.
Every milestone this month — the new space, the program launch, the founders advancing — came out of being in rooms with people, consistently, over a long time. That’s the part that doesn’t fit neatly in a recap. It’s also the part that counts.
Hopefully, we have much better weather in July.
See you at the next one. 👋
Things to Read, Watch & Listen To
📰Creativity Is Currency, Natalie Nixon
We spent a week in June asking what it means to be human in a world full of AI — and this piece picks up right where that left off. Nixon's argument is that the real shift underway isn't a technology revolution, it's a human one — and the people who thrive won't be the ones who automate the most, but the ones who imagine the best. A short, sharp read for anyone building with these tools and wondering what stays ours.
🎥 Watch: Designing the Future with Brian Collins
Brian Collins has shaped how brands like Spotify, Target, and Twitch look and feel — but the reason to watch this one is how he thinks about what comes next. His line, "design is hope made visible," reframes building as an act of optimism: you don't predict the future, you pick the one you want and work toward it. An hour that'll leave any builder fired up.
🎧 Listen: Late Night Beats for Builders
Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst makes the case for a more Canadian way to build AI — one that isn’t trying to be huge, isn’t chasing a “digital god,” and has been open-sourcing its models. It’s framed as a conversation about sovereignty, but underneath it’s about something every founder here thinks about: not resting your whole company on infrastructure a single country can switch off at a moment’s notice. Building on ground you actually own.
Ride & Connect!
Ride & Connect is a free beginner-friendly community cycling initiative designed to help people learn to bike, build confidence, and ride together in a supportive, low-pressure environment. The program is being developed with a particular focus on Black, racialized, newcomer, and equity-deserving community members who may not always have access to bikes, cycling knowledge, or welcoming spaces to get started.
Startup Atlantic Events Hub | Startup Atlantic
For a one-stop hub for events happening across the ecosystem and across the country, check out Startup Atlantic’s events calendar. It includes things like workshops, pitch competitions, networking opportunities, and much more.
Resources: Grants, and Scholarships & More🔍
RESOURCES
VOLUNTEER
General Volunteer at Akoma Holdings Incorporated | Contact nmurphy@akoma.ca
Board members at Akoma Holdings Incorporated | Contact nmurphy@akoma.ca
PROGRAMS
The Taking Root Program | support and resources for BIPOC and/or newcomer entrepreneurs to kick-start selling at the farmers’ market
SCHOLARSHIPS/ INTERNSHIPS
Show Tribe Some Love! 🧡
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