CYBF: 15 years of realizing dreams and creating change for Canadian youth

Fifteen years ago, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation was founded as a way of giving Canadian youth the opportunity to realize their amazing business ideas and become their own bosses. We encouraged Canadian youth to make a job, not take a job – and they did.

Fast forward 15 years and we’ve helped to start – through character-based financing and hand-matched mentoring – 4,514 new businesses from coast to coast, businesses that have created nearly 18,000 new jobs and that have established some of Canada’s most prominent independent brands, from PropertyGuys.com in Moncton, NB to Elastic Path Software in Vancouver, BC.

Over the years we’ve grown and we’ve flourished. And like all entrepreneurs, we’ve hit some bumps in the road – bumps that have taught us to adapt to change, be malleable in our pursuits, and ensure we always learn from every experience.

Our organization has pursued a remarkable path over the last 15 incredible years. We have supported an increasing number of businesses each year – in fact, CYBF currently helps to start a new business in Canada every 14 hours around the clock, 365 days a year. By 2016, we anticipate we’ll be supporting a new start-up every SIX hours.

To make this happen, we’re investing in the infrastructure of CYBF. Recognizing that growth means change, we’re excited to announce some incredible projects that are going to help us achieve our lofty goals:

• A brand new cybf.ca! The CYBF website has been redesigned with our audience of young, professional entrepreneurs in mind. Interactive, shareable and with rich content and resources, the site underscores our position as Canada’s go-to place for youth entrepreneurship.
• We’ve partnered with leading global consultants Accenture, who have helped us revamp our mentoring program, including the upcoming launch of the Ment2B orientation program.
• We’ve implemented a series of brand new technologies (including a customer relationship management system) to help us more efficiently manage and communicate to our clients and stakeholders.
• We’ve launched the Entrepeer program to help us stay connected with the businesses we start and to help business owners and mentors connect with their peers – now and well into the future.
• Considered as a global leader in youth entrepreneurship, we’re providing Canadian entrepreneurs with the opportunity to connect with peers internationally through our alliances with the world-renowned Kauffman Foundation, The Prince’s Youth Business International and the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance.

Change is good. We need to hear from you – how can we do better? Drop us a line, comment on our blog or join the conversation on social media. We’re listening.