Futurpreneur Announces Diverse 2023 Canadian Delegation for the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Summit in India

May 25, 2023

TORONTO, ONTARIO (MAY 25, 2023) – Futurpreneur, an official co-founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (G20 YEA), is proud to announce the 2023 Canadian G20 YEA delegation. After a rigorous selection process, 47 talented and diverse young entrepreneurs have been chosen to represent Canada at the G20 YEA Summit, hosted by Young Indians (YI) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in New Delhi, India, from July 13-16, 2023.

The G20 YEA Summit, held annually ahead of the widely known G20 Leaders’ Summit, serves as a platform for advising its governments on matters of business and entrepreneurship policy. The Alliance is a collective of organizations across the G20 countries that represent more than 500,000 young entrepreneurs, who meet every year to affect positive policy change and champion youth entrepreneurship worldwide.

The theme this year is “Hum” – the Hindi word for ‘We’ – symbolizing the power of collaboration. The theme not only embraces the diverse perspectives that will be shared during the event but also underscores the continued global commitment to enhancing the participation of underrepresented groups in the international trade landscape.

Karen Greve Young, CEO of Futurpreneur, shares her enthusiasm, stating, “As founding members of this important global community, we are thrilled to be a part of this year’s G20 YEA Summit in New Delhi. The Summit theme “Hum”, or “Togetherness”, resonates strongly with Futurpreneur’s dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As part of our commitment, we have developed tailored offerings to empower equity-deserving young entrepreneurs, led by teams with lived experience and supported by our entire organization. We believe that Canada can achieve the inclusive prosperity we aspire to when we all come together to make it happen.”

The Canadian delegation, representing a rich diversity of sectors, provinces, and equity-deserving groups from across the country, embodies Futurpreneur’s commitment to fostering inclusivity in the Canadian international trade landscape. The delegation consists of 40% women-led businesses and includes 59% of entrepreneurs from equity-deserving groups, including Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs. Hailing from nine provinces, the delegates represent a variety of sectors and industries such as Professional Services, Consumer products, Information and Communications technologies, and Education.

“The G20 YEA will open the doors to the world for you. You will meet like-minded people and have the opportunity to propose ideas that will shape the entrepreneurial world of today and tomorrow,” Kathy Pellerin, VisaVie Canada (QC) and G20 YEA delegate.

Futurpreneur’s Canadian delegation receives valuable support through a contribution from Global Affairs’ CanExport Associations program. The organization has also formed strategic partnerships with esteemed organizations such as the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, the Organization of Women in Trade – Toronto, and the Canada-India Acceleration Program. These collaborative partnerships encompass delegation briefing, thought leadership, and support for promoting inclusive trade.

The Summit culminates with the delegates producing and issuing a communiqué on global entrepreneurship policy, which is presented to the G20 leaders during their subsequent Summit. The communiqué ensures the decision-makers worldwide prioritize the voices and perspectives of young entrepreneurs and keeps these recommendations at the forefront throughout the year.

The G20 YEA Summit experience will be enhanced by the G20 YEA mobile app, designed to connect over 800 young entrepreneurs digitally and facilitate meaningful connections and B2B opportunities. The app, powered by two past Canadian delegates, The First Prototype and Upbio, is supported by the G20 YEA Canada team at Futurpreneur and in part by past contributions from Global Affairs Canada’s CanExport Associations program.

Futurpreneur’s 2023 G20 YEA Canadian delegation:

Alberta

Ghalia Aamer, Talkmaze

Reza Enaloui, Semitechnic Corp.

Jordan Hanna, Linked Digital Services

Chad Midnight, Aqueduct Water Systems

British Columbia

Alexandra Carnio, ProducKIDvity

Hillina Ghulam Nabi, Kids Innovative

Parmjot Gill, Kite Company Creator

Bryce Watts, Forager International

Manitoba

Charmaine Jennings, Strategic Charm

Natalie Suppes, S and S Creative Inc.

New Brunswick

Tosin Ajibola and Oluwaseun Adeyemo, Welkom-U Inc.

Brad LeBlanc, BrainWorks (BrainWorks Marketing Services Inc.)

Nova Scotia

Christian Browne, Vergo

Ontario

Shreyansh Anand, WaiveTheWait Inc.

Lachezar Arabadzhiev, SkildLabs

Omowunmi Badmus, Omo Bamboo Shop

Iyvan Chandran, Alpha Libertée

Thomas Clark, Altrene Canada Corporation

Jochebed Essel, EVERYDAY JOY

Stéphanie Guingané, LONCANI

Justin Haines, Haines Additive Manufacturing (HAM)

Alykhan Jadavji, Palette Foods Inc. – Blue Elephant Royal Thai Cuisine Canada

Atifur Khan, Jada Kenya

Hamza Khan, Clean Acres

Rohan Kumar, The Do More Company

Stephanie Loureiro and Mathew Mozaffari, Speer Technologies

Saamer Mansoor, The First Prototype

Tarila Morrone , Hearts of Gems

Adesola Ogunsakin, The Retro Bag

Aska Patel, Acuvise Consultancy Inc.

Sean Ryan, Predicting Alpha

Diana Virgovicova and Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou, The Dressing Room (TDR)

Québec

Carl Beauséjour, Zélé Productions

William Bolduc, Predict Expert AI

Andrea Bomo, Ann & Eli Apothecary Inc

Andrew D’Amours, Flytrippers (AK Ventures Inc.)

Charles-Antoine Hallé , Learn & Earn (Apprends & Entreprends)

Mael Houck, Elite Consultation

Nina Lantinga, Nets for Net Zero

Kathy Pellerin, VisaVie Canada

Margarettha Pierre, KnowMediQ – Home health and wellness services network

Maude St-Pierre, REFORM FOODS INC (Séva Nature)

Saskatchewan

Kristy Ehman, Hyon Software Inc

Jon Piett, LOTUS Sleep Products Inc.

ABOUT FUTURPRENEUR

Futurpreneur is a national, non-profit organization that provides collateral-free financing, mentorship and resources to diverse young entrepreneurs, aged 18-39 who are looking to start, acquire or grow their businesses in Canada. With a mandate to help young entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to life, Futurpreneur provides bilingual (English and French) support and resources to help business owners start and succeed.

Founded in 1996, the organization was established to promote entrepreneurship among Canadian youth as a critical pillar for diversifying the economy, generating employment opportunities and fostering a sustainable future. Since then, Futurpreneur has helped more than 17,700 young entrepreneurs launch or acquire small and growing businesses across Canada.

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 (GEW).

MEDIA CONTACT

Liesl Barrell
Head of Marketing & Communications
Chef, communications et marketing
E: lbarrell@futurpreneur.ca
T: 438-223-9871