Youthful Cities
Youthful Cities is a Toronto-based social enterprise that creates data-driven urban indexes, open-data portals, and youth-engagement programs (DEVlab, Urban Work Index, Real Affordability Index, Youth Data Lab) to help Canadian cities become more livable for people aged 15-29, funded primarily by government grants and corporate partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Youthful Cities does
Youthful Cities is a Toronto-based social enterprise founded in 2012 by Robert Barnard that produces data-driven solutions to make Canadian cities more livable for young people aged 15-29. Its core product is a longitudinal urban analytics platform built on community action research methodology: the organization hires local youth to collect survey and interview data, then publishes city rankings and open datasets through annual indexes (Urban Work Index, Real Affordability Index), the Youth Data Lab open data portal (containing 4,000+ survey responses, 20,000 minutes of interviews, and 25,000+ data points across 65+ Canadian cities), and ad-hoc reports such as DEVlab (a national youth-skills research project with Tamarack Institute funded by the Government of Canada's National Essential Skills Initiative). Complementary offerings include the Urban Work Summits (60-delegate co-design events in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto), the Skilled Trades Innovation Lab in Montreal, and the Open Up open-data literacy program for youth-serving organizations. A separate wholly-owned sub-brand, Toboggan Flats, operates affordable co-living housing for young professionals by repurposing vacant urban office space.
The organization does not charge youth participants and operates as a grant-funded social enterprise under the legal entity Decode Inc. Revenue is sourced from federal, provincial, and municipal government grants (Government of Canada, Government of Ontario historically, City of Toronto, City of Edmonton historically), corporate partnerships (RBC Future Launch since 2019), and foundation grants (McConnell, Northpine, Toronto Foundation, Laidlaw historically). Customer segments are diversified by design but non-commercial: the primary beneficiaries are youth themselves, with policymakers and government, employers, post-secondary institutions, and youth-serving organizations acting as downstream consumers of the indexes and data outputs. The legal entity is Decode Inc; the operating entity is presented as Youthful Cities with sub-brands including DEVlab, Youth Data Lab, Open Up, and Toboggan Flats.
Youthful Cities firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Youthful Cities
- Legal name
- Decode Inc
- Website
- https://youthfulcities.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Youthful Cities is a Toronto-based social enterprise that creates data-driven urban indexes, open-data portals, and youth-engagement programs (DEVlab, Urban Work Index, Real Affordability Index, Youth Data Lab) to help Canadian cities become more livable for people aged 15-29, funded primarily by government grants and corporate partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Youthful Cities industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Urban Research and Data Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)
Keywords
Where Youthful Cities is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Youthful Cities business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: Primary revenue from government grants including Government of Canada's National Essential Skills Initiative program funding the DEVlab project. This constitutes the main funding source for operations.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnership funding from organizations like RBC Future Launch, with multiple corporate and institutional partners providing financial support for specific programs and indexes.
- Program Fees (Stipends): While not a direct revenue stream, the company provides participation stipends ($450) to youth participants in programs like the Skilled Trades Innovation Lab, funded through partnerships.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Youthful Cities product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Youthful Cities is a social enterprise that creates data-driven solutions to make cities better for youth aged 15-29. It does this by hiring youth from local communities to collect survey and interview data, then publishing annual indexes (Urban Work Index, Real Affordability Index), operating the Youth Data Lab open data portal, running the DEVlab national skills research project, and delivering in-person Summits & Labs that bring youth together with policymakers and organizations to co-design urban solutions.
Product overview
Youthful Cities is a social enterprise that offers a portfolio of data-driven solutions focused on making cities more youthful. The core offerings include: the Youth Data Lab open data portal for exploring youth survey data across Canadian cities; the DEVlab research project in partnership with Tamarack Institute for investigating youth workforce skills; annual Urban Work Index and Real Affordability Index reports ranking Canadian cities; the Open Up open data literacy training program; and Summits & Labs programs using a Think + Do Lab model for youth-led innovation. Additional offerings include Community Action Research surveys and Index Creation methodology services. Toboggan Flats is a separate affordable housing co-living initiative.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Toboggan Flats: Affordable co-living apartments for young professionals, repurposing vacant office space into shared housing downtown
- DEVlab
- Youth Data Lab
- Open Up
Products and services
- Youth Data Lab Open data portal that amplifies youth voices across 4,000+ survey responses, 20,000 minutes of interviews, and 25,000+ data points, enabling users to compare qualitative and quantitative youth data across Canadian cities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 750 million media impressions generated by Real Affordability Index 2021
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Youthful Cities
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Youthful Cities technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Youthful Cities partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and minor.
- Tamarack InstitutecoreDEVlab is led by Youthful Cities in partnership with Tamarack Institute to develop dynamic, engaged, and vital young workforces through a deep investigation into skills youth need to succeed. Co-host of Bold Futures webinar series.
- Simon Fraser University (Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue)majorPartnered with Pivot 2020 project, providing research ethics review and methodological guidance. Located in Vancouver and supports Urban Work Summit activities.
- CityHivesupportingVancouver-based organization focused on youth and urban issues. Co-partner for Urban Work Summit Vancouver and youth engagement initiatives.
- Digital MomentsupportingPartner in Skilled Trades Innovation Lab Montreal, bringing AI and digital literacy expertise to youth participants through facilitator support.
- Carrefour Jeunesse-emploi Montréal (CJE)supportingLocal host and partner for Skilled Trades Innovation Lab in Montreal, providing venue and career counseling services to youth participants.
- Maison de l'innovation sociale (MIS)supportingMontreal-based social innovation organization partnering on Skilled Trades Innovation Lab and DEVlab activities in Quebec.
- Destination VancouversupportingVancouver tourism and destination organization supporting Urban Work Summit Vancouver through venue partnerships and local logistics.
- Bentall CentreminorVancouver commercial real estate partner supporting Urban Work Summit activities and youth engagement events.
- Taking It GlobalsupportingPast partner for global youth engagement initiatives and international programming.
- City of TorontosupportingPast partner for Toronto urban youth summits and city-specific programming.
- City of EdmontonsupportingPast partner for Edmonton Urban Work Summit 2019 and city youth engagement initiatives.
- INRS (Institut national de la recherche scientifique)supportingMontreal-based research university partner for Skilled Trades Innovation Lab, providing research expertise and sector knowledge.
- Skills CanadasupportingPast participant in Open Up program, using open data to support skills development and employment programming.
- Duke of Edinburgh's International AwardsupportingPast participant in Open Up program, utilizing open data to establish impact insights for program growth.
- Jack.orgsupportingPast participant in Open Up program, youth mental health organization leveraging open data for programming.
- YMCA of Greater VancouversupportingPast participant in Open Up program, using open data to enhance youth programming and services.
- Pathways to EducationsupportingPast participant in Open Up program, applying open data to support youth education pathways.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Youthful Cities competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Brookings Institution: Large US-based public policy research organization that produces urban and workforce policy research; comparable in producing authoritative data-driven reports but operates at much larger scale and serves policymakers rather than youth directly.
- Maytree Foundation: Toronto-based foundation focused on poverty reduction and immigration policy with proprietary research and indices (e.g., Poverty Income Gap); comparable in producing Canadian policy-relevant data outputs, with deeper philanthropic backing.
- SMART Cities Council: Global coalition producing city rankings and digital planning frameworks (Smart Cities Index); directly comparable in producing city rankings but at a broader, more technology-oriented scope, representing a larger incumbent competitor.
- Mowat Centre (University of Toronto): Ontario-based public policy research institute producing data-driven reports on Canadian workforce and economic issues; comparable as a Canadian policy research nonprofit producing accessible data outputs, with stronger university affiliation.
- 100 Resilient Cities (Rockefeller Foundation): Global urban resilience initiative that produced city-level rankings and partnered with municipalities; comparable as a global city ranking and urban policy initiative, though with broader scope beyond youth demographics.
Direct peers
- YouthBuild USA: US nonprofit focused on youth workforce development, training, and education for opportunity youth; comparable to Youthful Cities' Skilled Trades Innovation Lab and DEVlab programming, though operating through a direct-service affiliate model rather than research and indexing.
- Canadian Urban Institute: Toronto-based urban research and policy nonprofit producing city rankings and policy briefs for Canadian municipalities; directly comparable to Youthful Cities' index creation and urban data offerings, though focused on a broader demographic.
- Tamarack Institute: Canadian community development nonprofit and core DEVlab partner; both organizations run collaborative research and convening models aimed at local impact, with overlapping funder relationships and shared webinar programming (Bold Futures series).
- Generation (McKinsey-founded nonprofit): Global nonprofit focused on youth employment and skills training with employer-aligned programs; comparable to Youthful Cities' workforce development focus (DEVlab, Skilled Trades Innovation Lab) but operates at much larger scale with corporate employer partnerships.
Emerging players
- Cities of Migration: Toronto-based initiative producing urban integration research and city-level case studies; comparable in producing comparative urban research with social impact framing, though focused on migrant integration rather than youth specifically.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Youthful Cities social profiles
Digital presenceYouthful Cities financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Youthful Cities leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Youthful Cities subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Youthful Cities funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Youthful Cities M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Youthful Cities
What does Youthful Cities do?
Youthful Cities is a social enterprise that creates data-driven solutions to make cities better for youth aged 15-29. It does this by hiring youth from local communities to collect survey and interview data, then publishing annual indexes (Urban Work Index, Real Affordability Index), operating the Youth Data Lab open data portal, running the DEVlab national skills research project, and delivering in-person Summits & Labs that bring youth together with policymakers and organizations to co-design urban solutions.
Is Youthful Cities a public or private company?
Youthful Cities is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Youthful Cities founded?
Youthful Cities was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Youthful Cities based?
Youthful Cities is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Youthful Cities make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships and program Fees (Stipends).
Who are Youthful Cities's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Brookings Institution, Maytree Foundation, SMART Cities Council, Mowat Centre (University of Toronto) and 100 Resilient Cities (Rockefeller Foundation). Direct peers are YouthBuild USA, Canadian Urban Institute, Tamarack Institute and Generation (McKinsey-founded nonprofit). Cities of Migration is listed as an emerging player.
Does Youthful Cities have an API?
No public API is recorded for Youthful Cities.
What industry is Youthful Cities in?
Youthful Cities's product category is Youth Urban Research and Data Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAD, Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAAAOAD, Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth). Its NAICS code is 62411.