2024 POW WOW PITCH MENTOR BRIEFING
Thank you for being a Mentor for the 2024 Pow Wow Pitch Competition! This webpage is designed to provide you with everything you need to know to have a successful Mentorship experience supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs participating in the Pow Wow Pitch Competition.
ABOUT THE PITCH
Pow Wow Pitch is a pitch competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs across Turtle Island to shine the spotlight on pow wow vendors, artists, business builders and innovators from all backgrounds and industries, whether just starting or looking to grow to the next level.
Our pitch competition is offered virtually and in-person at powwows. Entrepreneurs have the chance to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges and potentially win cash prizes of up to $25,000. With more than $100,000 in cash prizes available, we're dedicated to supporting the growth and success of Indigenous entrepreneurs. Join us in celebrating Indigenous entrepreneurship and innovation.
THE ROLE OF MENTORS
At its core, being a mentor is being a trusted advisor. It can mean many different things, but it all boils down to making yourself available to support and advise someone when they need it, delivering that support in a way that makes sense to them, and always keeping that person's best interests in mind.
Your role as a Mentor is to meet 4 entrepreneurs for 1-hour mentorship sessions online, which you will book at a convenient time for both you and your mentee to take place between July 23 - 30. During the session, you will get to know them and their business, listen to their pitch and provide feedback, advice and mentorship to help them strengthen their pitch for the Semi-Final competition the following week and ultimately strengthen their business.
HOW THE ENTREPRENEURS WILL BE EVALUATED
PRESENTATION
Has the entrepreneur communicated their product/service, value proposition and a pathway to sustainability and success?
EXECUTION
Has the entrepreneur convinced the judges that they will 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 IMPACT
Has the entrepreneur demonstrated they have impacted or have plans to impact their community as part of their business model and mandate?
TIMELINE
MENTOR ONBOARDING EMAIL
MENTOR ORIENTATION
July 17th and 18th
GET MATCHED TO YOU MENTEE
MENTORS MEET WITH ENTREPRENEURS
July 23rd to July 30th
MENTOR FEEDBACK DEADLINE
MENTOR SUPPORT
As a mentor, if you have any questions or concerns, or have difficulty connecting with your entrepreneur, please reach out to us as soon as possible. Our Program Coordinator will be happy to support you. She can be reached at brett@powwowpitch.org. Please include MENTOR in your subject line to ensure your email receives priority.
SHARE THE NEWS
We are grateful for your involvement in Pow Wow Pitch and we want to celebrate it with you.
Let's share the news on social media and inspire others to join us in supporting Indigenous entrepreneurship across Turtle Island. Feel free to use the post below for inspiration and download our graphics and frame to showcase your involvement and spread the word.
I am so proud to be volunteering for Pow Wow Pitch this year to mentor Indigenous entrepreneurs as they prepare to pitch to win funds and support to start up and take their business ideas to the next level! Good luck to all of the entrepreneurs! ❤️
PREPARE TO MENTOR INDIGENOUS ENTREPRENEURS
We invite you to watch this webinar with a former Pow Wow Pitch Mentor and Mentee to learn about effective mentorship, particularly for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
THIS VIDEO COVERS:
- What is mentorship?
- What is business mentorship?
- What is unique about mentorship for Indigenous entrepreneurs?
- How does the Pow Wow Pitch mentorship process work?
- What does a first-time meeting with a mentor look like?