Five Young Atlantic Canadian Entrepreneurs Selected For G20 Summit

TORONTO – The G20 Young Entrepreneurs’ Alliance (YEA) will welcome five young Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs to their summit.

The summit is organized by YEA, which is a network of global organizations from G20 countries that aim to push and promote young entrepreneurs. Canada’s co-founding member of the organization, Futurpreneur, announced 49 delegates that will attend this year’s summit hosted by Italy.

Five of those delegates come from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. From New Brunswick, Alicia Sharp of Nackawic-based Upfront Cosmetics and Kevin Leboeuf of Fredericton-based Educated Beards will attend.

“I’m pretty proud,” said Sharp, founder of Upfront Cosmetics, in an interview with Huddle. “They have a couple of hundred applications from all over Canada so it’s definitely an honour to represent Atlantic Canada and it was so nice to see that there were that there are five of us representing Atlantic Canada. I feel like sometimes Atlantic Canada gets forgotten, so it was great to see that there.”

From Nova Scotia, Jamie Gilfoy from Aquatique Translation Services and Nicholas LaValle of Clean Valley Bio-filtration Technologies will attend. Both companies are based in Dartmouth.

Gilfoy, who splits his time between Dartmouth, Moncton, and St. John’s, says he is honoured to be selected and proud to represent the region on a global stage.

“The economy hasn’t always been the strongest on the east coast, and I think entrepreneurs out here in particular are gifted in making the most out of what they have, grinding and working the process, thinking outside the box because they have to, and ultimately investing themselves in their clients’ success and building a reputation for doing great work,” he wrote in an email to Huddle.

“I feel ecstatic and hope to be emblematic of the blue ocean mentality and ensure that all ships rise,” LaValle, Comprehensive Designer and Founder of Clean Valley, told Huddle.

Michael Loder of Biolantic Services in St. John’s will represent Newfoundland. He says that he is looking forward to the opportunity to promote youth entrepreneurship and learning from the other delegates.

“Being one of five delegates from the Atlantic provinces and the only one from NL is very exciting. Entrepreneurship has always been the backbone of the Newfoundland economy,” said Loder, the co-founder and Managing Director of Biolantic Services, in an email to Huddle. “Known for a history of hard work and perseverance, our province has so much to offer. I look forward to showcasing it whenever and wherever I can.”

Futurpreneur says they reviewed submissions from over 130 candidates before making their final selection.

The summit is designed to give the opportunity for young entrepreneurs to give their perspectives to decision-makers and international leaders.

With Canada holding Free Trade Agreements with various G20 countries, it is also an opportunity for the entrepreneurs to promote Canada’s trade priorities and grow their businesses. The delegates will also participate in business-building, policymaking, and networking activities alongside the hundreds of other delegates from across the world.

The summit will be held virtually on October 5 and 6.