OTTAWA, March 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Young entrepreneurs across the country now have an increased chance of success, thanks to the Government of Canada’s renewed investment of $38M over five years in Futurpreneur Canada, announced today in the 2019 federal budget.
“This renewed partnership will strengthen early-stage support for young entrepreneurs and fuel their long-term success,” said Karen Greve Young, Chief Executive Officer, Futurpreneur Canada. “Our organization looks forward to continuing to work with the Government of Canada to support young entrepreneurs building new businesses in a variety of exciting sectors, in every community across Canada.”
This investment, and the additional corporate and provincial funding it will help secure, will enable Futurpreneur to build on its successful 20+ year track record. Its proven Start-up Program of financing, mentoring and other professional resources supports aspiring entrepreneurs aged 18-39 in launching or acquiring existing businesses.
“From bakeries to restaurants to small clothing stores, we stand behind main street businesses that help small communities across Canada thrive,” said John Risley, Chair, Futurpreneur Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer, Clearwater Fine Foods Inc. “Some of these incredible businesses will grow and scale in the same way many Futurpreneur-supported alumni have, from Canada Rope and Twine to Skip the Dishes to Frank & Oak.”
This investment from the Government of Canada also builds Futurpreneur’s capacity to engage Indigenous youth through a specially-tailored program of outreach and support. Working with Aboriginal Financial Institutions and other partners, Futurpreneur will ensure that Indigenous youth across Canada have access to the skills, mentorship, financing and other resources they need to support their entrepreneurial success.
At Futurpreneur, we pride ourselves in being the only national non-profit that provides a unique offering of financial and mentoring support to help young entrepreneurs realize their dreams of launching a business. Futurpreneur is industry-agnostic and provides support to young entrepreneurs across a variety of different sectors.
“Our government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, believes in the ideas and in the potential of young Canadians. We know that a strong and inclusive economy is one where young entrepreneurs are well-represented,” said The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion. “To this end, we are investing in Futurpreneur, an organization that has helped thousands of young entrepreneurs succeed with mentorship, programming and capital investment. I look forward to seeing the many incredible success stories of young entrepreneurs being able to start up, scale up and access new markets with the help of Futurpreneur.”
Futurpreneur continually strives to find innovative and improved ways to support young Canadian entrepreneurs. In addition, Futurpreneur leverages Government of Canada support to secure matching funding from non-federal sources, bolstering the organization’s support for young entrepreneurs in every province and territory.
“This investment is a call to action for provincial governments, and other organizations who support small business creation, to join us in amplifying the success of diverse young entrepreneurs,” said Greve Young. “With this renewed support, local communities across the country will be sustained by homegrown businesses, some of which will scale and export globally. We will continue to work with community and corporate partners to secure the long-term funding needed to successfully support Canada’s promising young entrepreneurs.”
On behalf of young entrepreneurs across Canada, we thank the federal government for their continued support. Together, we can help build Canada’s economy, one young entrepreneur at a time.
About Futurpreneur Canada
Since 1996, Futurpreneur Canada has been the only national, non-profit organization providing resources, financing and mentoring to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. To date, we have supported over 12,000 young entrepreneurs, and helped launch over 10,000 Canadian businesses, which have created an estimated 50,000 jobs. Our internationally recognized mentoring program matches these entrepreneurs with business experts from a network of over 3,000 volunteer mentors. Futurpreneur is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, the Canadian member of Youth Business International and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
www.futurpreneur.ca
Facebook: Futurpreneur
Twitter: @Futurpreneur
For interview opportunities and media inquiries, please contact:
Zandra Miljan
Public Affairs
Futurpreneur Canada
Call or Text: 647-680-8165
Email: zmiljan@futurpreneur.ca
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b1e43505-4ccd-42bd-90fb-e96a2e86863d