New Data by Shift Canada Reveals Early Exposure Fuels Entrepreneurship Among Majority of Young Canadians, but Access to Support is Biggest Obstacle

Despite a challenging economy, a new Nanos Research survey found more young Canadians intend to start a business, with a national demand for entrepreneurial programming.

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new Nanos Research survey commissioned by Shift Canada, a national charity that helps young people embrace risk-taking and failure, found that comfort with entrepreneurial risk is shaped by exposure. The survey, which includes 996 Canadians aged 18 to 34 years old, revealed that entrepreneurship programs can close the gap for young Canadians who did not grow up around it.

Key Statistics:

• 57 per cent of young Canadian entrepreneurs who grew up around a family business say that exposure made them comfortable taking entrepreneurial risk.
• Young entrepreneurs are twice as likely to have had a parent or guardian entrepreneur than to have had little to no exposure to entrepreneurship through their family (43 per cent compared to 24 per cent)
• 82 per cent who used entrepreneurship programs said it was helpful in getting their business started. However, only 30 per cent of young entrepreneurs have ever used such a resource or service that supports young entrepreneurs at all.
• 38 per cent of young Canadian entrepreneurs say Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made starting a business feel riskier (rating it seven or higher out of 10), while only 11 per cent say it has made the risk feel lower.

Shift Canada’s 2026 Impact Report echoes this mindset shift among young people. 96 per cent of students who participated in the Shift Failure program reported increased confidence in taking creative risks and pursuing innovative ideas in both academic and personal contexts. 93 per cent understood failure as a catalyst for success and felt better equipped to design, test, and improve their work through iteration and feedback.

In 2026, the Shift Failure program reached over 330,000 students across Canada, more than double the previous year, bringing its cumulative total to over 640,000 students since launching. The company is currently piloting Shift Failure with Canada’s top post-secondary institutions, including Western University, Huron, Fanshawe, York, and TMU as initial partners.

“At Shift Canada, we understand the importance that role models play in shaping an entrepreneurial mindset when you're young,” said AJ Tibando, CEO of Shift Canada. "Exposure to examples of risk-taking and perseverance matters. We built Shift Failure so that young people can build the confidence to pursue entrepreneurship. We are on a mission to make the next generation more comfortable with failure.”

More Work to be Done:

• 76 per cent agree that young entrepreneurs are important to Canada’s future prosperity.
• 65 per cent of young Canadians say they plan on or are open to being an entrepreneur someday.
• 64 per cent say lack of money to get started is the biggest barrier to starting a business.
• 56 per cent who participated in an entrepreneurial program say they heard about programs through social media, as awareness skews almost entirely informal.
• 42 per cent who participated in an entrepreneurial program say it was hard to find the program support they needed.
• 19 per cent say it was hard to access funding.

“This is a moment for all Canadians to embrace a culture of boldness and risk-taking,” said Richard Abboud, Co-Founder of Shift Canada and Founder and CEO of Forum Asset Management. “We created Shift Canada to help the next generation embrace failure and entrepreneurial thinking to help them – and Canada – meet its full potential.”

Shift Canada runs a five-lesson program, called Shift Failure, for grades 5-12 that helps students see failure as a normal, valuable part of learning. Using real stories, growth-mindset thinking, and custom modules, Shift Canada equips teachers to guide students in turning failure into innovation.

To learn more about how to incorporate Shift Failure into your curriculum, visit shiftcanada.org.

To download Shift Canada’s Impact Report, visit https://shiftcanada.org/about-us

Methodology: Nanos conducted a representative non-probability online survey of 996 Canadians, 18 to 34 years of age, between July 28 and 31, 2026. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of 996 respondents would have a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About Shift Canada
Shift Canada is a national charity that helps young Canadians embrace boldness, risk-taking and entrepreneurial mindsets. Led by a group of business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors who share a deep concern for the future of Canada’s economic prosperity and way of life, Shift Canada is on a mission to unleash Canada's entrepreneurial spirit for the country's future. Shift Failure is a five-lesson program for grades 5-12 that helps students see failure as a normal, valuable part of learning. Using real stories, growth-mindset thinking, and custom modules, Shift Failure equips teachers to guide students in turning failure into innovation.

About Nanos Research
Nanos Research is one of North America’s premier market and public opinion research firms, we put strategic intelligence into the hands of decision makers. The majority of our work is for private sector and public facing organizations and ranges from market studies, managing reputation through to leveraging data intelligence. Nanos Research offers a vertically integrated full service quantitative and qualitative research practice to attain the highest standards and the greatest control over the research process. www.nanos.co

For questions about the research, please contact Nik Nanos, Founder and Chief Data Scientist at Nanos Research at [e-mail] or Vanessa Albert at [e-mail]