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VINCE BLAIS <\/p>\n
Karen Greve Young, CEO of Futurpreneur, and Manitoba Business Minister Jamie Moses in Winnipeg on Monday.<\/p>\n
That year, Futurpreneur worked with more than 1,000 businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey won\u2019t all necessarily be ready to start a business, but seeing that application line is an indicator that \u2026 we\u2019re going to be supporting more,\u201d Greve Young said.<\/p>\n
She visited Winnipeg this week for a Futurpreneur event. The organization has worked with more than 720 Manitoba startups over its 30 years. One-third of those have sprouted since 2020.<\/p>\n
Futurpreneur\u2019s increase in applicants could be, in part, due to its launch of a new online portal that makes applying easier, Greve Young said.<\/p>\n
However, the spike began more than half a year ago; the client portal launched last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the economy is struggling, we tend to see more demand,\u201d Greve Young said. \u201cYoung people are concerned about their financial futures.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of times, starting their own business feels like a way that they can take control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manitoba\u2019s youth unemployment rate sat at 11.4 per cent in May. It\u2019s a slight decrease from the 11.9 per cent of May 2025, but a doubling of the province\u2019s overall unemployment rate (5.5 per cent).<\/p>\n
Community Futures Manitoba gives loans to rural entrepreneurs. It has noticed an uptick in demand over the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing now both the technological upheaval and uncertainty through tariffs,\u201d said Jason Denbow, Community Futures Manitoba\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n
As employers cut back, employees start getting entrepreneurial, he added.<\/p>\n
Growth in Indigenous entrepreneurship could also be driving numbers, Denbow said: he\u2019s tracked a 30 per cent increase in clientele over the past three years, amounting to \u201cseveral hundred\u201d Indigenous entrepreneurs annually.<\/p>\n
More resources \u2014 including youth entrepreneur-focused organizations and events \u2014 could be helping fuel the trend, Denbow said.<\/p>\n
It was something Grace Gyolai echoed: she\u2019s seeing people promoting entrepreneurship online.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe through social media, people are rubbing up against the idea that you can start something,\u201d said Gyolai, senior program manager for Winnipeg-based North Forge.<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence has made it easier to build apps, lowering the risk of launching a company, she added. North Forge largely works with manufacturing and STEM startups.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s seen a \u201cclear rise\u201d in younger people pursuing entrepreneurship \u2014 after high school and university, and through its program with Met schools where students build business ideas and work with mentors, Gyolai said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, North Forge saw its youngest entrepreneur yet: a 10-year-old pitching a line of horse treats at one of its competitions.<\/p>\n
Malachi Van Dycke, 23, considers himself part of a \u201cfresh generation (and) kind of a scrappy generation that\u2019s \u2026 tired of the way things have been done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to mix it up and try something new,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Van Dycke got funding through Community Futures Manitoba two years ago, after working in construction. He\u2019d wanted to create a systemized way of operating in the industry; he now runs Van Dycke Projects, a project management firm.<\/p>\n
Despite high youth unemployment numbers, the trades are wide open with jobs, Van Dycke said.<\/p>\n
Manitoba Business Minister Jamie Moses attended Futurpreneur\u2019s event earlier this week; the organization receives $300,000 from the provincial government annually.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of opportunities for young people to use their talents through entrepreneurship, but also to find a good paying job here,\u201d Moses said, adding Manitoba\u2019s youth unemployment rate is lower than most other provinces.<\/p>\n
Last week, Premier Wab Kinew announced two initiatives<\/a> \u2014 at $4.3 million \u2014 to boost youth employment. The programs are in the works; they\u2019ll connect Manitobans ages 18 to 29 with businesses and skills training.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cA lot of the entry level jobs are starting to disappear,\u201d said David Owasi, founder of OutreachGenius, referencing artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n Owasi, 32, went through Futurpreneur\u2019s program to launch his business. OutreachGenius has AI voice and text agents that answer customer messages.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to bring tangible value,\u201d Owasi said of the job market. \u201cRight now, the best way you can bring tangible value \u2014 if you don\u2019t have experience \u2014 is to understand AI.\u201d<\/p>\n Owasi now teaches young entrepreneurs, during Futurpreneur sessions, to incorporate AI in their startups. The sessions began in April.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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