Indigenous entrepreneurs looking to grow their business and drive economic development in the North could benefit from a more than $3.7-million investment over five years by the federal government in EntrepreNorth. In part, the money, which started to flow in March, is intended to help EntrepreNorth launch an online marketplace so Indigenous-made products can enter new markets beyond the territory.
Founding project director Benjamin Scott told press conference attendees the investment is a testament to the federal government’s work towards economic reconciliation and justice. “We have always held a strong belief that Indigenous entrepreneurs can be catalysts of prosperity and drivers of social change within their own communities,” Scott said. “We are building entrepreneurial capacity, activating the growth of new businesses and mobilizing a powerful ecosystem of individuals who are strengthening Indigenous economic development through northern innovation.
” Yukon MP Brendan Hanley officially made the announcement at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse on Nov. 1. “This investment will assist in training and certifying new program facilitators and building a new business app,” Hanley said.
“Through this project, entrepreneurs will also launch an online marketplace for Indigenous goods and services.” EntrepreNorth has headquarters in Whitehorse and Yellowknife, N.W.
T., and has assisted more self-identified Indigenous entrepreneurs across the North. I.