On September 2nd, Pow Wow Pitch, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Christen Meeko Falcon, the Blackfeet Nation Founder of Backpacker’s Ferry, a business based in Blackfeet, MT, USA as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Tourism Semi-Final Winner. Christen has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow her business.
On September 2nd, Pow Wow Pitch, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Debbie Courchene, the Sagkeeng First Nation Founder of IndigE-girl Comedy, a business based in Vancouver, BC as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Not-For-Profit Semi-Final Winner. Debbie has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow her business.
Alyssa Kaiswatum, a proud member of Piapot First Nation, is on a mission to reclaim, record, and protect Indigenous lineage through her organization, Indigenous Genealogy Society. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Alyssa is building a movement rooted in identity, land, and legacy. The organization offers a space for Indigenous people to reconnect with their family trees, oral histories, traditional territories, and ancestral knowledge. “Finding our roots connects us to our ancestors, our identity, and homeland,” she says. For Alyssa, genealogy is not just about names and dates; it is a path to cultural survival, resistance, and a stronger future for the next seven generations.
On Saturday, August 30, 2025, Pow Wow Pitch, co-presented by RBC and Mastercard, and with local presenting partners Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) and Women in Business New Brunswick (WBNB), announced Douglas Paul, Founder of Road Dawgz BBQ Snack Shack, from the Kingsclear First Nation as the 2025 Elispogtog Pow Wow Pitch Winner. The First Nation-owned business has won $5,000 for their business and will advance to the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Grand Finale where they will get the chance to win the grand prize of $25,000.
Jamie Wetrade Stevenson, a proud Tłı̨chǫ photographer from the Northwest Territories, is using the power of photography to spotlight stories that too often go unseen. Through her business, Jamie Stevenson Photography, Jamie offers full service editorial and commercial photography, managing everything from concept to final delivery. Her project management background ensures a smooth and professional experience for clients, while her lived cultural perspective brings authenticity and meaning to every frame. Jamie’s work is not just about images, it is about healing, representation, and connection.
Erin Belch, Founder of The Belching Barista and a proud member of Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, is bringing people together over a shared love of coffee. Based in Waterford, Ontario, Erin and her husband Tim started their coffee journey seven years ago when they roasted beans in their basement as a gift for their wedding guests. What began as a small idea quickly transformed into online sales and now has become a full storefront with a Tasting Bar and larger roaster. Their vision is rooted in bringing good people and good coffee together, while supporting sustainable farming practices and using green energy through Bullfrog Power.
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