A Futurpreneur business plan is the plan, plus a 24-month cash flow, that you submit to Futurpreneur to apply for its startup financing and mentorship. Futurpreneur lends to Canadian citizens and permanent residents aged 18 to 39: up to $25,000 of its own, with up to $50,000 more from its partner BDC, for a total of up to $75,000, along with up to two years of mentoring. To qualify, you have to “produce a complete and viable business plan and cash flow by the end of the application process.” The plan has to show that you know your market, that you have relevant training or experience, and that the business can pay you and repay the loan.
Below: what Futurpreneur offers and who qualifies (checked on futurpreneur.ca on November 10, 2026), then the plan and cash flow section by section, with an example and a checklist. Programs change, so confirm details with Futurpreneur before you apply.
What is Futurpreneur?
Futurpreneur describes itself on its about page as “the only national non-profit organization that provides young aspiring entrepreneurs across Canada with the loan financing, mentorship and resources” to start a business. The Government of Canada helps fund it: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s 2024 evaluation of Futurpreneur Canada calls it “a national, not-for-profit corporation that provides financing, mentoring, and support tools to young Canadian entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 39” and lists the federal contribution year by year.
Besides its main Startup Program, Futurpreneur runs a Side Hustle program for people who have a full-time income outside the business while they build it, as well as dedicated programs for Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs. This guide focuses on the Startup Program.
Who is eligible for a Futurpreneur loan?
Futurpreneur’s eligibility page lists the rules. In summary, you must:
- Be between 18 and 39 when you apply. The Startup Program page adds that you must complete the full application before you turn 40.
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who physically lives in Canada.
- Together with any co-applicants, own more than 50% of the business and have majority control. The FAQ says eligible partners who own more than 5% must appear on the application.
- Have a business that is not yet operating, or has run full time for 24 months or less, and that will give you full-time employment. The Side Hustle program is the exception to both of these rules.
- Have a Canadian business, registered and operating in Canada, with revenue going into a Canadian business bank account.
- Show “some training or experience related to your business idea.”
- Agree to a personal credit check (a hard inquiry), have your taxes paid up to date, and have been discharged from any bankruptcy for at least five years.
- Produce a complete and viable business plan and cash flow.
The loan can’t be used to refinance existing debt. The FAQ adds that it can’t be used as a down payment to secure other loans either. You also need to be past the idea stage. The Startup Program FAQ says your company “must be in the pre-startup or startup stage (i.e., beyond the Idea or R&D phase).”
How much can you borrow, and on what terms?
The Startup Program page lists two loans. You apply once for both, as the FAQ explains.
| Futurpreneur loan | BDC loan | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Up to $25,000 | Up to $50,000 |
| Term | Five years | Five years |
| Interest | RBC prime + 3%, capped at 9% | BDC floating base rate + 1.65% |
| First year | Interest only | Interest only |
| Fees | One-time 1% loan management fee at disbursement | $50 processing fee on prepayments |
| Early repayment | No penalty | Up to 15% of principal a year without penalty; more triggers a 3-month interest indemnity |
After the first year, the Futurpreneur loan’s principal is repaid in equal monthly installments, with interest, over the remaining four years. The FAQ says BDC “may provide” the extra financing, so don’t treat the BDC portion as automatic. BDC’s own young entrepreneur page describes the partnership as financing of up to $75,000 for entrepreneurs aged 18 to 39.
Rates move with prime and BDC’s base rate. Check current numbers with Futurpreneur and BDC, and ask BDC how its principal is repaid after year one.
What mentorship comes with the loan?
The Startup Program includes “up to two years of 1:1 hand-matched mentorship,” and the mentorship is mandatory with the financing. The Side Hustle page says financing and mentorship can’t be taken separately. The FAQ says Futurpreneur doesn’t offer a separate coaching service. Say in your plan what you want a mentor’s help with.
What does the Futurpreneur application require?
The Startup Program page gives two routes. You can fill in a contact form to get connected with a Futurpreneur team member. Or, if your business plan and 24-month cash flow are ready, you can submit them directly through Futurpreneur’s portal, MyFP. Futurpreneur says it will contact you within 5 to 10 business days after you submit.
So the core of the application is two documents:
- A business plan. The FAQ says Futurpreneur doesn’t write plans for you, but it offers free tools.
- A 24-month cash flow. It covers your startup costs, your financing, a sales forecast and month-by-month cash in and out for two years.
You will also go through the credit check and the eligibility checks above.
Futurpreneur business plan template and cash flow template
Futurpreneur publishes its own free templates, built around its application.
- Business Plan Writer. This is an interactive online tool for building your plan. The same page offers the Focused Business Plan, an editable, downloadable PDF, and a sample business plan.
- Cash flow template. This is an Excel file that, in Futurpreneur’s words, helps you “outline your start up costs, financing, sales forecasts and complete a month-by-month cash flow for two years.” It has three parts: startup costs, sales forecast and cash flow. A tutorial video goes with it.
If you’re comparing these with other Canadian options, our roundup of Canadian business plan templates puts them side by side with BDC’s template and those of the banks and governments.
How to write your Futurpreneur business plan, section by section
The Business Plan Writer sets the exact headings. The sections below are the standard parts of a startup plan, with notes on what matters most for a Futurpreneur application.
Executive summary
Write this last (our executive summary guide has a template). In half a page, say what you sell, to whom, why you, how much you’re asking for and what it pays for. Name both loans and your own contribution so the numbers match the cash flow.
Business description and ownership
Give the business name, its location, its legal structure and who owns what. Ownership matters because applicants must hold more than 50% between them. State whether you’ve registered yet. The Government of Canada’s page on registering a sole proprietorship or partnership explains that most businesses register with their province or territory. In British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan, provincial registration also gives you your federal business number. The CRA’s page on when you need a business number says you need one if you incorporate, or if you need a GST/HST, payroll or other CRA program account.
Products, services and pricing
Describe what you sell and show the math from cost to price. Your sales forecast depends on it.
Market analysis
Define your customers, size your local market and name your competitors. Use real sources: Statistics Canada data, your city’s numbers, competitor price lists, and conversations with potential customers. Our guide to market analysis for a business plan shows how to build this section.
Marketing and sales plan
Explain how customers will find you and buy, and what that costs each month. Every marketing line here should appear as an expense in the cash flow.
Operations
Cover suppliers, equipment, location, hours, permits, licenses and insurance: what has to happen before your first sale.
Management and experience
This section carries extra weight here. Futurpreneur requires “some training or experience related to your business idea.” List your jobs, courses, certifications and any early customers or pilot sales that prove it.
Financial plan
Summarize your startup costs, your sources of funds and the key results from the 24-month cash flow: when the business turns cash-positive, what you pay yourself, and how loan payments are covered. Our guide to financial projections explains the statements behind this summary.
How to build the 24-month cash flow
The cash flow is where a viable plan shows up as numbers. Our guide to making a cash flow forecast covers timing and a worked example. Work in this order.
- Startup costs. List every one-time cost, priced from quotes, plus a contingency and working capital. See our guide to estimating startup costs.
- Sources of funds. Your savings, the Futurpreneur loan and any BDC loan must add up to exactly your startup costs. Leave out paying off existing debt, which the loan can’t fund.
- Sales forecast. Build it month by month from capacity, price and a realistic ramp-up. Note seasonality.
- Monthly expenses. Include rent, supplies, insurance, marketing, phone and software. Include your own pay too, because the program expects the business to employ you full time.
- Loan payments. In year one, include interest only. From month 13, include principal plus interest on the Futurpreneur loan. Include the 1% management fee in the month the loan is paid out.
- Taxes. If you expect to collect GST/HST, show it. The CRA’s guide RC4022 defines a small supplier as one whose taxable revenue is $30,000 or less in a single calendar quarter and over the last four consecutive calendar quarters. The CRA’s GST/HST registration page explains when you must register and how voluntary registration works. Ask an accountant how this applies to you.
- Closing cash. Opening cash plus inflows minus outflows, carried into the next month. It should never go below zero.
Example: sources and uses for a mobile grooming van
Example: a made-up mobile dog grooming business called Tidy Paws. All numbers are invented for illustration, and the interest rate is an assumption, not a quoted rate.
| Uses of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Used cargo van | $22,000 |
| Van conversion (tub, water tank, generator) | $14,000 |
| Grooming table and tools | $3,500 |
| Insurance (first premium) | $2,400 |
| Registration and licenses | $600 |
| Website, logo, launch marketing | $2,500 |
| Opening supplies | $1,000 |
| Subtotal | $46,000 |
| Contingency (10%) | $4,600 |
| Working capital | $9,400 |
| Total | $60,000 |
| Sources of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Owner’s savings | $5,000 |
| Futurpreneur loan | $25,000 |
| BDC loan | $30,000 |
| Total | $60,000 |
On the $25,000 Futurpreneur loan, the 1% fee is $250, shown as an outflow in month 1. At an assumed 8% rate, interest-only payments in year one are about $166.67 a month ($25,000 × 8% ÷ 12). From month 13, principal is $520.83 a month ($25,000 ÷ 48), plus interest on the falling balance. The BDC loan gets its own lines, using the repayment schedule BDC gives you.
Futurpreneur business plan checklist
Before you submit, check that:
- You and any co-applicants are 18 to 39, citizens or permanent residents living in Canada, and own more than 50% together
- The business is past the idea stage and has run full time for 24 months or less, or hasn’t started
- The plan shows your training or experience in the field
- Every number in the plan matches the cash flow
- The cash flow runs month by month for 24 months
- Startup costs equal sources of funds, to the dollar
- No loan money goes to refinancing existing debt or a down payment on another loan
- Your own pay is in the monthly expenses
- Year-one interest, later principal and the 1% fee are all in the cash flow
- Closing cash never goes negative
- Your registration, business number and GST/HST status are stated
- You’ve checked the current rates and terms with Futurpreneur and BDC
Common mistakes
- Applying at the idea stage. Futurpreneur wants pre-startup or startup businesses, past the idea or R&D phase. Do your market research and pricing first.
- A plan and cash flow that disagree. Reviewers read both. If the plan says two staff and the cash flow shows one, fix it.
- No pay for yourself. A business that only works if you draw nothing doesn’t give you full-time employment.
- Counting on the BDC portion. BDC “may provide” it. Know what you’d cut if it’s smaller.
This guide is general information, not lending, legal or tax advice. Confirm eligibility and terms with Futurpreneur and BDC, and check the tax side with an accountant.