Latest news with #PrabhaRamaswamy
Hamilton Spectator
07-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Deadline for $5,000 young entrepreneur bursary next week
What would an extra $5,000 mean to your business? The application deadline for the newly-launched Young Entrepreneur Bursary Program is coming up fast—July 14—and there's potentially 57 young business owners across the province that could access $5,000 each. Launched in the provincial spring budget, the bursary not only means cash for young entrepreneurs, but valuable mentorship opportunities, peer networking, and support from the business community across Saskatchewan. 'Saskatchewan's future depends on the bold ideas and determination of its next generation of entrepreneurs,' Saskatchewan Chamber CEO Prabha Ramaswamy said. 'The Young Entrepreneur Bursary Program ensures that emerging business leaders have the support they need to pursue their vision and contribute to a thriving provincial economy. 'We are proud to partner with the Government of Saskatchewan to reduce financial barriers and champion the growth of our province's entrepreneurial talent,' said Ramaswamy.' Eligibility for the Young Entrepreneur Bursary is open to business owners between 18 and 35 who operate a for-profit entity based in the province and have been in business for 10 years or less; with preference given to those with under five years of operation under their belts. Applications opened back on May 21 and the initial recipients will be announced on Sept. 30. The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce will be administering the three-year program with $285,000 from the provincial government each year through a network of 57 local Chambers of Commerce. 'We actually got a really good pile of applications,' said Ramaswamy. 'We had approximately 235 applications from across 66 communities.' There's still some time to apply as Ramaswamy noted those applications are from around 65 per cent of the 57 Chamber regions. 'We would like to make a push for more applications from Chamber communities, so that's what we're going to be focusing on in the next couple of weeks,' she said. Saskatchewan has a strong entrepreneurial spirit with a long history. According to statistics from 2024, nearly 152,000 businesses call Saskatchewan home with 149,000 of those being small businesses; roughly 125 small businesses for every 1,000 people in the province. After the July 14 deadline, applications will be grouped by region and judged locally. From there, a third-party adjudicator looks at the applications based on merit and regional distribution, ultimately selecting one per each of the 57 chamber regions. Should there be no applications from a particular region, that bursary will be reallocated to a nearby region with high application volume. The funding can be used in a variety of ways such as business development; operations and equipment; product or service expansion; and skills, training, and professional services. As for the mentorship component of the bursary, recipients are required to attend at least two sessions in order to receive the final $1,000 in funding. There will be five mentorship sessions in total between October, 2025 and May, 2026 comprised of two in-person and three online. 'Part of the mentorship is going to be us giving them a free membership to the Saskatchewan Chamber for one year, and they also get complimentary tickets to two of our biggest events, which is Food, Fuel, Fertilizer Global Summit and PowerUp Summit,' Ramaswamy explained, adding that those added incentives would bring an addition $1,200 in value on top of the bursary amount. 'That is really important for them; the networking, making the connections, possibly linking up with established entrepreneurs, and then just some of the workshops we'll have will be very useful,' explained Ramaswamy. The bursary program itself is a great incentive to let those young entrepreneurs know they can stay in Saskatchewan and thrive. 'Something like this is a bit of a catalyst to boost entrepreneurial activity in our province, and even probably a catalyst to attract or keep young entrepreneurs in our province,' Ramaswamy said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Up to 57 bursaries to be given to young entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan
Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding and Chamber of Commerce CEO Prabha Ramaswamy launch newly developed Saskatchewan Young Entrepreneur Bursary. (Gareth Dillistone / CTV News)
CBC
11-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Business leaders say they have a blueprint for economic success. They want federal candidates to listen
Social Sharing With the yo-yoing threat of U.S. tariffs dominating business headlines, a business conference in Saskatchewan — the landlocked province historically known as the breadbasket of the world and also boasting oil, uranium and potash resources — featured a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction with hurdles to getting products to market. "Saskatchewan has what the world needs," was a commonly expressed sentiment at the Global Food, Fuel and Farm Summit held in Regina this past week, an event hosted by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. CBC attended as part of its national effort to ask Canadians what matters most to them in the federal election. "I think we have a tremendous opportunity for us as Canadians," said Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO for the chamber, pointing to a rise of patriotism in recent weeks. "I think it's been a defining moment for us, where as Canadians we're asking ourselves what our values are, and I think we have to build on the momentum, come together as Canadians and look at how we can strengthen our domestic economy." What issue matters the most to you this federal election, and why? Share your personal stories with us at ask@ Prairie innovation was highlighted at the conference, with attendees pointing to Saskatchewan-based work like incorporating artificial intelligence into engineering projects or turning biomass-derived carbon into lithium batteries. However, those at the conference said they see the same barriers to doing business continually crop up, making them top of mind as industries consider what matters most in the next federal election. Karen Churchill is the president and CEO of Ag-West Bio, a not-for-profit that invests in ag start-ups, and said she is most concerned with regulatory barriers such as requirements for projects to have greenhouse gas assessments and mitigation, costs borne by industry. The other big weight on her mind was whether Canada is ready to make big investments in infrastructure. "We need to get our products to market. We need to actually invest in all the institutions, whether they be research institutions or basic roads, railways … [and] pipelines." She's concerned there's a divide between western provinces and decision-makers in Ottawa. "Here in the west, I think we just don't feel heard in the east," she said. "When you talk about pipelines, that's a huge disconnect also with the barriers to innovation where you see policies developed in the east not being very friendly to the west." Ramaswamy said the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has issued four calls of action to strengthen Canada's economy, including one about the long discussed but yet-to-be-realized east-west energy corridor. The three other calls are to tear down internal trade barriers, boost domestic procurement and renegotiate free trade agreements with the U.S. and Mexico. Politicians have long talked about west-to-east transportation and infrastructure, said Grant McLellan, a senior strategy advisor with Prairie Sky Strategy, but there's a gap between some of that talk and tangible action. "The biggest pressure that we always hear is we need port expansion, we need rail line growth and construction of new rail lines. We need pipeline expansion to make sure that we have access across the country to resources that are developed right here in Canada," he said, adding that there can be opposition in provinces like Quebec that stall projects like pipelines. Like Churchill, McLellan wants to see a streamlining of regulatory approvals to ensure business and industry projects can move forward. "We really need a federal government that is prepared to make tough decisions that aren't necessarily going to be political, politically appeasing to certain parts of the country, but are good for nation building and are good for Canada's future and good for Canada removing itself from the reliance on markets like the United States." While there might be a perception that oil and gas or other energy partners are opposed to environmental regulation, Ran Narayanasamy, president and CEO of the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, said that's not the case. "Nobody's saying, 'Hey, I'm going to produce a product. We don't care about the environment,'" he said. The problem is that federal environmental regulations are formed without consultation with industry partners, Narayanasamy said. "We don't want the policies to curtail the development of the energy industry in Western Canada, especially in Saskatchewan." Narayanasamy said he wants to hear federal leaders express pride in what Canada has to offer, whether that's oil, potash or canola.
