Sean McCormick designs and manufactures Aboriginal-inspired footwear sold around the world at Manitobah Mukluks. Kelly Beaulieu creates premium-quality fruit and vegetable purees at Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products. Ben Voss develops a 40-megawatt biomass energy project at Meadow Lake Tribal Council Industrial Investments. Sean, Kelly and Ben are leaders of three of the Aboriginal companies supported by Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (CAPE) Fund.
Teck is one of 21 founding investors in CAPE Fund, promoting long-term economic opportunities coupled with community investments to help ensure we leave a positive and sustainable legacy. Established in 2008, CAPE Fund is a $50 million private equity investment fund with a portfolio of Aboriginal businesses from across Canada. CAPE Fund aims to support and enable Aboriginal entrepreneurs or communities to pursue promising business opportunities, create wealth and simultaneously build management capacity in Aboriginal-owned companies. It accomplishes this by providing businesses with start-up capital and ongoing support.
Since its inception, CAPE Fund has met and engaged with numerous First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and entrepreneurs, Aboriginal-owned and -operated companies, Aboriginal economic development corporations, professional groups, government, and potential investment and joint venture partners to identify promising investment opportunities. CAPE Fund invests in seven companies thatspan the country and operate in several sectors of our economy. Each company is generating employment and skill-building opportunities for the communities in which they operate.
“CAPE Fund’s primary goal is to prove that investing in Aboriginal entrepreneurs and business provides profitable outcomes. The Fund will create successful role models who will demonstrate to young Aboriginals the rewards and tangible benefits of acquiring education and participating in private sector enterprise,” said Alex Farley, CAPE Fund Director.
To learn more about CAPE Fund and the people who benefit from it, watch the CAPE Fund video.
