Sturgeon Lake First Nation business based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan wins $1,000 and advances to the Pow Wow Pitch Grand Finale
On September 14, 2026, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts Turtle Island’s premier Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Cole Sanderson, Sturgeon Lake First Nation Founder of North Wrestle, a business based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as the 2026 Pow Wow Pitch People’s Choice Semi-Final Winner. Cole has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow his business.
More than 120 Indigenous entrepreneurs from across Turtle Island were selected as Semi-Finalists in this year’s Pow Wow Pitch. Each received training and mentorship to prepare for their Semi-Final pitch to the Judges, competing for the chance to advance to the Pow Wow Pitch Grand Finale.
As part of the competition, Pow Wow Pitch invited the public to vote for their favourite entrepreneur to win the People’s Choice Prize as part of a campaign to showcase, celebrate, and rally for the Semi-Finalists. This year, more than 4,000 people from across Turtle Island cast their votes for the entrepreneur that they wanted to see make it to the Grand Finale.
Shilo Cote, Owner and Creator of Quality Quills, received the highest overall number of People’s Choice votes, with 411 votes. Shilo had already secured her place in the Grand Finale as the Fashion Semi-Final Winner, allowing the People’s Choice opportunity to advance another Semi-Finalist to the Grand Finale.
Cole received 300 votes and was selected as the 2026 People’s Choice Semi-Final Winner, earning the $1,000 prize and a place in the Grand Finale.
“I felt a lot of relief and gratitude,” said Cole Sanderson, Founder of North Wrestle. “I never had a doubt, because I know how strong my community is behind me. I want to thank my friends and family, and the entire Canadian wrestling community for showing up and voting. I want to thank my home, Sturgeon Lake First Nation. I want to thank my mentor, for believing in me, helping me with my pitch, and helping me see this through. And I want to thank everyone who sent kind messages throughout this process, and everyone who believed in me. I wouldn’t be here without all of you.”
Cole Sanderson, Founder of North Wrestle, is a Cree entrepreneur, former Team Canada wrestler and wrestling advocate based in Saskatchewan. Through North Wrestle, Cole is building a Canadian wrestling media platform designed to give athletes greater visibility and bring more attention to the sport through event coverage, photography, video, social media and rankings.
Since launching, North Wrestle has grown into a national platform, covering wrestling tournaments across Canada and reaching millions of viewers while showcasing athletes and their achievements.
Cole shares his vision in his pitch is to build North Wrestle into a sustainable national platform that not only tells the stories of Canadian wrestlers, but also creates new opportunities for athletes, coaches and wrestling communities. By expanding its event coverage, media production and national ranking system, North Wrestle aims to help grow the sport and inspire the next generation of Canadian wrestlers.
“Doing hard things is tough, and it will be scary,” shared Cole. “Fear has always been a big part of my life. I wanted to start earlier, but fear held me back. I learned that fear never really goes away, you just learn to move with it. My advice is to face the fear and start anyway. The hardest part is starting. Once you start, just keep going.”
“Congratulations to Cole Sanderson on being selected by the Pow Wow Pitch community as our 2026 People’s Choice Winner,” said Naomi Sarazin, Executive Director of Pow Wow Pitch. “The People’s Choice Vote is a beautiful example of what can happen when communities come together to uplift Indigenous entrepreneurs, celebrate their stories, and create opportunities for them to move forward. Congratulations Cole and mìgwech to everyone across Turtle Island who showed up to support this year’s Semi-Finalists.”
“We’re committed to playing a role in paving a path forward for Indigenous entrepreneurs, exemplified by our support of Pow Wow Pitch,” said Brittanee Laverdure, Director, Truth and Reconciliation Office, RBC Origins. “Pow Wow Pitch offers a holistic support system to power the next generation of Indigenous innovators across Turtle Island, including this year’s participants and semi-finalists.”
“The creativity, determination, and ambition demonstrated by this year’s Pow Wow Pitch entrepreneurs have been truly inspiring,” said Jennifer M. Sloan, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement at Mastercard, Canada. “We’re proud to work alongside partners like Pow Wow Pitch by mentoring pitchers, representing Mastercard’s commitment to help remove barriers and open pathways to growth and economic opportunity. Congratulations to all the pitchers for sharing their business ideas, entrepreneurial journeys, and stories, and a special congratulations to Cole Sanderson for advancing to the next round.”
To watch Cole’s winning pitch, click here.
Cole will now advance to the Pow Wow Pitch Grand Finale to pitch for the Grand Prize of $25,000, which broadcasts online on October 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM ET. Register to watch the 2026 Grand Finale at powwowpitch.org/register.