GRIT - Ed.05 - Magazine - Page 7
Jad Shimaly (center) and NEXT
CEO, Kyle Winters, alongside
NEXT leadership and alumni
at the 2019 EY Entrepreneur
Of The Year® Awards
CONSIDER THIS
OF CANADA’S 3.5M
ENTREPRENEURS, ONLY:
1.4%
of SMBs are owned
by Indigenous
entrepreneurs
entrepreneurs and help them overcome these challenges to unlock
their full potential. But we know
women are just one underrepresented group in Canada’s large entrepreneurial ecosystem. That’s why
we’re excited to be expanding similar opportunities to those in other
marginalized communities, such
as Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs, with the upcoming launch of
the Entrepreneur Access Network
in Canada.
23%
of Black-owned
businesses generated
over $100k in revenue
in 2019
16%
of SMBs are owned
by women
WE CAN DO BETTER.
EY supports Canadian
entrepreneurs from all
walks of life and in all
stages of business.
LEARN HOW
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next century. And we continually
act with this long-term mindset to
help propel Canada’s economy forward by providing growth resources
and a collaborative environment for
entrepreneurs and startups. We’re
committed to enabling the journeys that lead to ground-breaking
innovations, new industries and creative solutions that help solve the
world’s growing issues. Through
our deep sector knowledge and
expertise, emerging technologies
and global network of like-minded
entrepreneurs, we’re helping businesses grow, scale and overcome
ever-evolving challenges to seize
the upside of disruption.
One foundational way we’re doing
this is through EY Ripples, our global corporate responsibility program
that provides pro bono support by
offering the time, experience and
skills of EY employees to entrepreneurial organizations such as NEXT
Canada. Through the program, we
help scale businesses that purposefully drive progress towards sustainable environmental, social and
governance goals (ESG).
Similarly, for more than 25 years,
our renowned EY Entrepreneur Of
The Year® program has recognized
unstoppable entrepreneurs that are
transforming the world through unbounded innovation, growth and
prosperity. More than an awards
program, we’re building a global
community that connects the dots
between ambitious entrepreneurs
and businesses leaders from around
the world to inspire collaboration,
spark innovation and redefine the
meaning of success.
While it’s important to celebrate
the successes and achievements of
Canadian entrepreneurs, innovators
and SMBs, stories of triumph don’t
always paint a full picture.
Canada has a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, with cities such
as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal
capturing global attention for their
research facilities, technology hubs
and entrepreneurial talent. But what
these ecosystems lack is diversity.
Consider this reality: only 1.4% of
Canada’s SMBs are owned by Indigenous entrepreneurs, 77% of Blackowned businesses generated less
than $100,000 in revenue in 2019,
and just 16% of Canadian SMB owners are women.
The reality is these underrepresented groups, and many others,
don’t fall short of good ideas. They
simply continue to face significant
barriers to securing capital and
resources to enable their businesses to grow and scale. Entrepreneurship is for all; and creativity and
innovation shouldn’t be capped
by gender, race, age, ethnicity or
sexual orientation.
Whether by offering equitable access to financing, mentorship or fostering stronger ecosystem relationships — we need to get to the root of
the problem to expedite the distribution of opportunities to leverage
untapped perspectives and help
champion diverse entrepreneurs.
Through our Entrepreneurial Winning Women program, EY is providing the necessary resources
and networks to champion women
Achieving an innovation economy
and driving real economic impact
in Canada and beyond will only
become a reality once our entrepreneurial ecosystem is inclusive
and reflective of our communities.
Now is the time for our public and
private sectors to collaborate and
support the development and scale
up of all entrepreneurs for Canada
to capture global market share and
position ourselves as leaders in the
worldwide economy.
EY is a strong advocate
for empowering our entrepreneurial ecosystem
and is a Pillar Supporter
of NEXT Canada.
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