Outstanding Young Business Owners Join Canadian Delegation at International Summit to Advance Entrepreneurship

June 25, 2014

14 young entrepreneurs representing Canada to tackle youth unemployment at prestigious

G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Summit in Australia

Toronto, ON, Wednesday, June 25, 2014 – Futurpreneur Canada is pleased to announce the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (G20 YEA) Summit Canadian Delegates heading to Sydney, Australia, from July 18-22, 2014.

The G20 YEA Summit is an annual global conference that brings together inspiring young entrepreneurs, thought leaders and leading entrepreneur-focused organizations from the G20 countries. Delegates at this year’s Summit will encourage G20 leaders to adopt job creation, youth employment and growth strategies to reduce youth unemployment below 10% by 2030 andto embed youth entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment in the post-2015 United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The G20 YEA is a global network of entrepreneurially-minded organizations representing the G20 countries who seek to promote youth entrepreneurship as a powerful driver of economic growth, job creation, innovation and social change.

Recommendations from the Summit will be shared at the G20 Leaders Summit in Australia in November. Work is currently underway with the B20 (Business 20) leaders as well to set priorities for sustainable growth, stimulating jobs, investment across all G20 countries.

This year’s Summit is hosted by the Enterprise Network for Young Australians (ENYA) and will drawon recent studies and reports from the G20 YEA’s knowledge partners including EY, Accenture and the G20 Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

The Canadian delegation of dynamic young entrepreneurs and Futurpreneur Canada representativeswill focus on how businesses, non-profits, academic institutions and governments can work together to support the success of current and aspiring young entrepreneurs. The delegation will bring forward the Canadian action plan to expand youth entrepreneurship developed with input from over 1,000 entrepreneurs and leaders through Futurpreneur Canada’s Action Entrepreneurship initiative.

“Our Canadian delegates represent the voice of young entrepreneurs. Theyare all passionate about innovation and building the strongest possible culture of entrepreneurship in Canada,” said Julia Deans, Chief Executive Officer, Futurpreneur Canada and Co-President, G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation. “We are thrilled that delegates will have the opportunity to shape their innovative ideas with the G20 business and world leaders, as well as Canada’s best thinking on the highest potential opportunities to expand youth entrepreneurship, which Futurpreneur Canada gathered through our Action Entrepreneurship roundtables, consultations, entrepreneur survey and national summit.”

“Our delegates will help shape recommendations for the G20 business and world leaders, andreturn with invaluable international connections and new perspectives on entrepreneurial innovation that we and our governments can put to use,” said Olivier Letard, a Quebec-based international entrepreneur, member of Futurpreneur Canada’s Board of Directors and Co-President, G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation.

The Canadian delegates are:

Leadership from Futurpreneur Canada includes:

  • Olivier Letard, President of PCO Innovation, member of Futurpreneur Canada’s Board of Directors, Co-President of the G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation
  • Julia Deans, Chief Executive Officer of Futurpreneur Canada, Co-President of the G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation
  • Marsha Josephs, Director, Government Relations at Futurpreneur Canada, Sherpa of the G20 YEA Summit Canadian delegation

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Futurpreneur Canada (formerly the Canadian Youth Business Foundation or CYBF) has been fuelling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for nearly two decades. We are the only national, non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners aged 18-39. Our internationally recognized mentoring program hand matches young entrepreneurs with a business expert from a network of more than 2,800 volunteer mentors.

Futurpreneur Canada is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance, the Canadian member of The Prince’s Youth Business International, and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week. staging.futurpreneur.ca. Facebook: Futurpreneur Twitter: @Futurpreneur 

About the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Sydney, Australia

The G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance Summit in Sydney, Australia is a gathering of young entrepreneurs (age 18-40) and entrepreneurship-focused organizations from the G20 countries. Hosted by the Enterprise Network for Young Australians (ENYA), it provides valuable input to government leaders to assist in driving sustainable global economic growth, to exchange ideas and to foster international partnerships and collaboration. The G20 YEA Summit is an official program of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance. For more information, visit www.g20yeasummit.com.

Futurpreneur Canada and Canadian Delegation Media contact:

Lesley Wilmot
 Director, Marketing and Communications
 Futurpreneur Canada
 Email: lwilmot@futurpreneur.ca
 Phone: 866-646-2922 x2203
 Cell: 647-680-8165