{"id":6062,"date":"2020-02-27T15:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T20:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/press_release\/futurpreneur-canada-partners-with-the-national-aboriginal-capital-corporations-association-nacca-to-support-young-indigenous-entrepreneurs\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T17:26:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T22:26:53","slug":"futurpreneur-canada-partners-with-the-national-aboriginal-capital-corporations-association-nacca-to-support-young-indigenous-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/press_release\/futurpreneur-canada-partners-with-the-national-aboriginal-capital-corporations-association-nacca-to-support-young-indigenous-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"Futurpreneur Canada partners with the national aboriginal capital corporations association (nacca) to support young indigenous entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

National organizations join forces to foster the success of Indigenous-owned businesses across Canada<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toronto, ON, February 26, 2020 \u2014 Futurpreneur Canada and the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) have partnered to support Indigenous entrepreneurs aged 18-39 across Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing a national mandate\u2014NACCA represents a network of more than 50 Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs) across Canada and Futurpreneur supports young entrepreneurs from coast to coast to coast\u2014both organizations will work together to identify aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs served by NACCA’s network of AFls, and provide them with the start-up financing and support services they need to launch or acquire a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among Indigenous entrepreneurs, a 2016 study by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business indicated that over half <\/a>of those surveyed found one of their biggest challenges to be locating potential sources of funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen launching a business, one of the key barriers faced by all young entrepreneurs is access to critical start-up financing,\u201d said Karen Greve Young, CEO, Futurpreneur Canada. \u201cThe first step in supporting more young Indigenous entrepreneurs, particularly those living in smaller communities, is raising awareness of the financial support available to them. Working together with NACCA and its AFI network, we will be able to reach more of these aspiring business owners, and provide them with the financing, mentorship and tailored resources they need to launch and grow successful businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBusiness development is a key driver of employment, wealth creation and more resilient communities, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike,\u201d said Shannin Metatawabin, CEO of NACCA. \u201cNACCA, through its network of Aboriginal Financial Institutions, and Futurpreneur Canada, having supported thousands of young entrepreneurs over two decades, are ideal partners for delivering the support necessary to fuel young Indigenous-led business development from coast to coast to coast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this partnership, Futurpreneur and NACCA will be assessing the barriers and gaps in service faced by young Indigenous entrepreneurs and will work together to develop tailored tools and models of support to address these gaps. As part of this work, NACCA, with support from Futurpreneur, will convene an Indigenous youth business advisory council comprising six to eight successful young Indigenous entrepreneurs, and will use their insights and business experience to determine the best ways to support this underserved market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the partners will also launch an awareness-building campaign showcasing young Indigenous entrepreneurs as success stories and role models for Indigenous people considering starting a business as a career option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an entrepreneur and M\u00e9tis person myself, I’m fully aware of the additional challenges that Indigenous entrepreneurs face and am excited about this opportunity to collaborate with organizations like NACCA to help Indigenous entrepreneurs launch or acquire businesses across the country,\u201d said Cindy Goertzen, Futurpreneur board member, co-founder and COO of Trivenity Corporation, and co-founder and president of Maira Group Inc. \u201cFuturpreneur is committed to furthering our support for this growing demographic of talented, young leaders.\u201d Ms. Goertzen was recently joined on the Futurpreneur board by David Sharpe, CEO of Bridging Finance Inc., a finance leader who is also Indigenous and has a strong track record as one of the only bridge lenders to First Nations in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndigenous entrepreneurs have a substantial impact on their communities, not only by creating direct employment, but also by establishing more resilient local economies,\u201d said Jean Vincent, chair, NACCA Board of Directors. \u201cThere is a growing need for capital to fuel these youth-led businesses and a huge opportunity to turn them into engines that will drive prosperity across Canada. Through this partnership, we will make capital work for more Indigenous businesses, which will benefit all business in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership was officially launched at today\u2019s Indigenous Prosperity Forum, an annual event organized by NACCA to promote Indigenous business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n