Role of Mentors

Being a mentor means offering your time, knowledge, and encouragement to support Indigenous entrepreneurs on their journey. As a trusted guide, you help strengthen their pitch, build their confidence, prepare them for the competition, and support their growth with care, respect, and positivity.

Mentor Commitments

Pow Wow Pitch is committed to fostering a collaborative, supportive, and culturally safe environment that empowers Indigenous entrepreneurs to start and grow thriving businesses.

Thank you for supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs through Pow Wow Pitch. By participating as a mentor, you agree to uphold the following commitments to help ensure a respectful, supportive, and positive experience for all participants.

Professional Conduct & Communication

• Maintain respectful, professional, and culturally mindful interactions with all participants and members of the Pow Wow Pitch team.
• Uphold the Pow Wow Pitch values of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, love, relationships, courage and fun in all interactions.
• Listen respectfully to diverse perspectives and contribute to a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment.
• Communicate clearly and respond to outreach from entrepreneurs or the Pow Wow Pitch team in a timely manner.
• Provide thoughtful, constructive, and supportive feedback that help entrepreneurs strengthen their pitch and build confidence.

Program Participation

• Attend any required orientation, briefing, or technical sessions (if applicable).
• Fulfill your scheduled mentorship sessions and support entrepreneurs in preparing for their pitches.
• Be responsive and notify your assigned entrepreneur if you need to reschedule or cannot attend your mentorship session. If you cannot reschedule during the week of Mentorship, notify the Pow Wow Pitch team so we can connect the entrepreneur with a new mentor.
• Meet with your assigned entrepreneur for at least 1 hour during the Mentorship session to provide guidance ahead of their pitch.
• Notify the Pow Wow Pitch team if you do not hear from your assigned entrepreneur prior to your session.

Confidentiality & Respect for Ideas

• Respect the confidentiality of business ideas, materials, and discussions shared during mentorship or programming.
• Do not share, use, or disclose sensitive information without permission.
• Disclose any real or perceived conflicts of interest and recuse yourself where necessary to ensure an unbiased mentorship experience.

Mentor Acknowledgement

By registering as a Pow Wow Pitch Mentor, you confirm that you have read and understood the Mentor Guide. Mentors play an important role in supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs as they prepare for their pitches, build confidence, and grow their businesses.

Pow Wow Pitch mentors are expected to provide thoughtful, respectful, and constructive mentorship, and to help foster a supportive, inclusive, and culturally safe environment for all participants.

Tips for a Great Mentorship Session

Make each session a positive, supportive space where participants feel encouraged to share, learn, and build confidence. Be ready to guide or follow their lead, and focus on creating an open, respectful, and constructive environment.

Pitch Evaluation

Judges will evaluate each pitch based on the following four criteria. Each criteria is scored out of 5 points, for a total possible score of 20 points.

• Presentation: Has the entrepreneur clearly communicated their product/service, value proposition, and pathway to sustainability and success? 
• Execution: Has the entrepreneur demonstrated commitment to follow through on their business goals? 
• Motivation: Has the entrepreneur clearly communicated how they will use the money to start or take that next step?
• Community Uplift: Has the entrepreneur clearly outlined how their business creates or intends to create positive outcomes for their community?

Prepaing for Judge Questions

Each pitch will be followed by a 2-minute Q&A session with judges. This is an important opportunity for entrepreneurs to expand on their ideas, clarify their business goals, and demonstrate how they will take their business to the next level if they win Pow Wow Pitch.

As a mentor, you can support the entrepreneur by helping them prepare thoughtful and concise responses to common judge questions. Encourage them to practice answering clearly and directly, while reinforcing their value proposition.

You may want to review and rehearse responses to sample questions such as:

Presentation

• We’d love to hear who you are, where you’re from, and what you’re building.
• Can you walk us through what products or services you’re offering and who it’s designed for?
• How are you currently promoting or introducing your product/service to your audience?
• What makes your product or service stand out? What

Execution

• What concrete steps have you taken so far to move your business from idea to action? Or how do you plan to bring your business idea to action?
• What key milestones have you achieved to date?
• What does success look like for the next 12 months?
• What helps you stay focused and committed to following through on your business goals?

Motivation

• Can you clearly outline how you would use the $25,000 to take the next step in your business?
• What specific activities or milestones would this funding support in the short term or long term?
• How will this funding help move your business forward in a meaningful way?
• What progress have you made so far, and how will this funding support your next steps?
• What are your immediate and longer-term goals, and how does this funding help you move toward them?

Community Uplift

• Can you describe the specific positive changes your business has created, or aims to create, for you, your family or your community?
• How are Indigenous values, knowledge, or cultural practices meaningfully integrated into your business model and decision-making?
• In what ways do you actively engage, support, or collaborate with your community and/or communities through your business?
• What legacy do you hope to leave?
• Who supports you in your business, do you have a team, mentors, family, or community members helping you?
• What changes have you seen in your family or community because of your business?