Invest Ottawa (IO) is proud to celebrate Michelle Younes, Director of Venture Programs at Invest Ottawa, on being named to the Ottawa Business Journal’s (OBJ) 2026 Forty Under 40 alongside fellow leaders from the broader Ottawa community.
A special congratulations to Michelle on this well-deserved recognition.
Michelle leads IO Venture Path, a flagship program supporting more than 1,300 startups and scaleups as they grow, raise capital, and navigate critical stages of development. Under her leadership, the program has helped founders accelerate their path to market, strengthen investor readiness, and scale globally competitive companies.
Her founder-first approach and leadership have helped shape one of Canada’s leading venture support programs. Through this work, Michelle has helped strengthen Ottawa’s innovation ecosystem and support the growth of high-potential companies across the region.
A bit more about the Forty Under 40 – and 2026 acknowledgements
The Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 recognizes young business leaders in the National Capital Region who have demonstrated professional achievement, leadership, and community involvement. The program highlights individuals making a significant impact across industries while contributing to the region’s economic growth.
Recipients are selected through a competitive nomination process and evaluated by an independent panel of judges. The annual list reflects a cross-section of Ottawa’s business community, from entrepreneurs and technology leaders to professionals driving change across sectors.
Invest Ottawa is also proud to celebrate and highlight clients also featured on this year’s list, including:
- Jahanzaib Ansari, CEO, Knockri
- Emma Brown, Founder, Whimble Care
- Andrew Fahim, Senior Director, Research, Giatech Scientific
- Hugo Hodgett, CEO, H2 Analytics
- Samantha Leclair, Production Director, Snowed In Studios
- Andrew Lemoine, CEO, Autocorp.ai
- Muhammad Zaheed, Vice-President, BluWave-ai
Together, this year’s recipients reflect the strength and diversity of Ottawa’s innovation economy, with leaders advancing technologies across AI, technology, and defence in our region.
Congratulations to all of this year’s Ottawa Business Journal Forty Under 40 recipients on this well-deserved recognition. Recipients will be celebrated at an awards gala on June 18 at the Casino du Lac-Leamy.
- Read the full list of recipients on the Ottawa Business Journal website.
- Read about Michelle being named to Toast’s 25 Women in Tech list in 2025.
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