The marker of entrepreneurship is resilience. You will be tested emotionally, mentally, and physically. Entrepreneurial success won’t come easy and it won’t come quickly, but it will be the most extraordinary journey you will ever embark on. 
Alisha Esmail
CEO,
Road Coffee,
Saskatoon, SK,
2015
I feel like if you have an organization like Futurpreneur that is there and trying to be fully supportive, just mentally, it makes a person think, "You know what? I can do this. I can succeed." 
Joel Brennan
Founder & CEO,
Brennan Innovation Inc.,
Whitehorse, YT,
2020
The funding helped us scale up the business in terms of getting the right vendors and suppliers and sourcing out to the right manufacturers. It was really helpful to get up and running. The Black Entrepreneur Startup Program (BESP) is going to be a great program to serve some of the people that may not have gotten a shot. Any time there is a program that offers access to funding and mentorship, this is always welcomed. 
Reuben & Lévi Uwi
Founders,
Uwi Twins Fashion Label,
Vancouver, BC,
2013
To mark their 25th anniversary, I would thank Futurpreneur for picking our obscure little company and helping us to grow it into to what it became. The people we met, the connections we made, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it in a million years. 
Paul & Dayle Nielson
Co-founders,
DumpRunner Waste Systems,
Calgary, AB,
2002
One of the things that I quickly found out about being a young entrepreneur is that it can feel isolating, like you are in this by yourself. But having a mentor through Futurpreneur really alleviated the anxiety that I had. It made a huge difference. 
Lorne Blesse Jr.
Founder & Owner,
Kiwetin Clothing,
John D’Or Prairie, AB,
2017
When you get third-party validation through an organization like the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (now Futurpreneur), you think they must really believe in us. That’s what started us off and we didn’t want to let them down. 
Ken LeBlanc
Founder,
Propertyguys.com,
Moncton, NB,
1998
The Futurpreneur loan and support that we received, thanks to winning the Spin Master Innovation Award, was the first and largest support that I received when I first started Twenty One Toys. Not only did it allow us to start our first production run of empathy toys, it gave me the confidence I needed to believe that even though I was a toy designer with no prior business experience, I was also allowed to be an entrepreneur. 
Ilana Ben-Ari
Founder & CEO,
Twenty One Toys,
Toronto, ON,
2012
Because the people at Futurpreneur are passionate about the future of entrepreneurship within the country, they believe that entrepreneurs have the power to change the world. 
Joanna Griffiths
Founder & CEO,
Knix and KT by Knix,
Toronto, ON,
2013
Futurpreneur is very close to my heart, not just because it gave me the money I needed, but because it promotes entrepreneurship. They understand how important small business is to our society and how many people’s lives are touched by it. 
Elle AyoubZadeh
Founder & CEO,
Zvelle,
Toronto, ON,
2015
Entrepreneurship is one of the most accelerated self-learning and self-realization journeys. I was not born to be one, but I wanted to prove to myself that I can be one. It is rewarding, at the very least in terms of self development. I am lucky to have started my journey seven years ago in Canada and getting help along the way was the only way that helped me to build the Nathon Kong Brand. Futurpreneur provides financial support, but the team cares about me beyond my startup. They invested and encouraged me to succeed, and for that I am very grateful. 
Nathon Kong
Artistic and Concept Creator,
Nathon Kong Tailor Inc.,
Montreal, QC,
2014
Celebrating Our First 25 Years
We are delighted to celebrate the milestone of Futurpreneur’s first 25 years. Over the next few months we will be sharing the stories of 25 of our entrepreneurs who represent the thousands of entrepreneurs we have helped start and succeed over the past quarter-century.
Futurpreneur started with an imaginative and ambitious idea: filling a gap in the financial marketplace by providing financing, mentorship, and business resources for young aspiring entrepreneurs with dreams of launching their own businesses. Twenty-five years later, Futurpreneur, our committed partners, and dedicated team members find it truly extraordinary to experience the impact achieved by supporting the bold dreams of so many young local business owners.
We have helped launch the businesses of over 15,000 young entrepreneurs and have witnessed the creativity and aspirations of Canadians who sought to make a difference in their lives, communities, and our economy through their diligence and dedication. We have collected 25 stories celebrating the rich and diverse history and growth of the organization in our first 25 years in operation. These inspiring stories exemplify the hard work, perseverance, joys, challenges, and satisfactions of entrepreneurship across the nation. Each month we will be publishing more stories on this site until we feature all 25.
We are more committed than ever to supporting a new generation of diverse, young entrepreneurs. Their ideas and dreams will launch new businesses that will continue to flourish locally and globally, fostering inclusive prosperity in their communities and across the country. For more information on how you can discover your full entrepreneurial potential, click here.
