Across Canada, a new breed of young Indigenous entrepreneurs is redefining the commercial landscape, focusing on community, culture, and land in projects ranging from fashion and food to engineering and energy. The Young Indigenous Business Grant (YIBG), established by the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) to assist Indigenous businesses under 35, offers a glimpse into this transition. The grant provides 2,500 dollars in financing and a one-year CCIB membership, providing grantees with early-stage capital and access to networks, events, and mentorship to boost growth.
In 2024, 25 awardees represented industries as diverse as home inspection, pizza, auto repair, paralegal services, and financial advising, demonstrating the scope of Indigenous innovation across the country. Together with the 2025 cohort, these entrepreneurs offer a window into the future economy that Indigenous youth are creating from coast to coast.
The power of a 2,500‑dollar push
2,500 dollars may not seem like much, but for early-stage entrepreneurs, it can be the difference between a concept and a successful firm. CCIB’s Young Indigenous Business Grant offers flexible money for equipment, inventory, marketing, training, and other pressing requirements. It also includes a one-year CCIB membership, which provides mentoring, procurement possibilities, and business tools.
In its early years, the program sponsored more than 20 young entrepreneurs each year, with 22 participants in 2024 and 18 recipients in 2025 chosen by a live draw. The fund is designed to help young Indigenous founders overcome barriers to getting loans, lines of credit, and equity investment in mainstream financial systems.
Fashion, design and creative industries
Grant beneficiaries are predominantly from the creative industries, including fashion, design, and craft. Mya Beaudry, the inventor of Kokum Scrunchies, which honours matriarchs and Indigenous culture through brightly patterned scrunchies and accessories, was one of the first recipients of the Young Indigenous Business Grant to be widely reported. As a pre-teen, she established a successful business by leveraging e-commerce, social networking, and cultural expression to attract a nationwide audience.
In 2025, fashion and design remained prominent, with awardees including JR Fashion Designs in Quebec and designer Lesley Hampton in Ontario. Hampton is noted for her inclusive, Indigenous-inspired designs that have appeared on major runways and red carpets. Other 2025 grantees, such as Lakeside Designs Co. and Roots and Patterns, work in graphic and textile design, weaving Indigenous motifs and stories into everyday objects. These firms demonstrate how young entrepreneurs use design not only to generate revenue but also to normalize Indigenous presence and pride in mainstream spaces.
Services, consulting and the digital economy
YIBG-supported enterprises in services, consultancy, and the digital economy focus on knowledge, strategy, and relationships. Companies in the 2025 cohort include Longhouse Branding & Marketing in British Columbia, The Indigenous Marketing Company in Manitoba, and Ever Plan Consulting in British Columbia, all of which help other organizations tell their stories, reach audiences, and strengthen their operations. Z.A. McCarthy Engineering Services Ltd in Ontario and Jacknife Consulting Ltd in Alberta provide engineering and technical services, demonstrating how Indigenous youth are making strides in STEM-related sectors that have previously been underrepresented by Indigenous professionals.
These service-sector enterprises collaborate with Indigenous communities, governments, and private sector partners, incorporating Indigenous perspectives into project design, communication, and implementation. Their rise shows that the future Indigenous economy will be as much about intellectual and digital labour as it is about resource extraction or tourism, and that young Indigenous professionals want to influence how large projects are carried out on their territory.
Wellness, food and community‑rooted enterprises
Grant recipients also prioritize wellness, food, and community-based companies. SWELL Holistic Center in British Columbia exemplifies the growing interest in Indigenous-led wellness programs that encompass mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Previous cohorts included companies such as pizza restaurants and auto repair shops, demonstrating that everyday services in Indigenous and rural areas are also part of the larger Indigenous economy.
From a community standpoint, these businesses keep money circulating locally and provide chances for youth employment and skill development close to home. Indigenous business innovation extends beyond high-tech areas to include culturally grounded, community-centred companies that communities rely on daily.
Redefining success: community, language and land
Taken together, the stories emerging from the Young Indigenous Business Grant reflect a clear vision of success. Many honorees emphasize that they are starting enterprises not just for personal gain but also to assist their families, languages, and nations, and to serve as role models for younger children who watch them. Fashion and craft businesses see success as Indigenous designs worn with pride and the passing on of knowledge of patterns, tales, and teachings.
For consultants and technical firms, this could imply influencing how projects affect Indigenous lands and communities, or promoting Indigenous representation in professional areas. Across all industries, the combination of grant financing and CCIB membership enables young entrepreneurs to connect with larger ecosystems for training, procurement, and lobbying that can support them beyond the first year. In this way, the YIBG initiative is not only supporting individual enterprises; it is investing in a generation that is reinventing what a flourishing Indigenous economy looks like in Canada.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information intended only for informational purposes. Indigenous-SME Business Magazine does not endorse or guarantee any products or services mentioned. Readers are advised to conduct their research and due diligence before making business decisions.
