Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition and non-profit organization supporting emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, announced the expansion of its collaboration with RBC over the next two years.
NACCA’s CEO, Shannin Metatawabin, will serve on Pow Wow Pitch Advisory Board to steward Pow Wow Pitch as it grows, and Pow Wow Pitch’s Founder, Sunshine Tenasco, will support NACCA Indigenous Business Hub entrepreneurs to start-up businesses through mentorship and workshops.
In addition to supporting Pow Wow Pitch as a Silver-Level Sponsor and engaging its employees as mentors, trusted advisors, and judges for virtual pitch contests and on the ground at pow wows across Canada, Canada Post will be available to answer questions related to shipping, e-commerce, logistics and marketing as part of the Pow Wow Pitch Ask Me Anything series.
Over the next three years, Mitacs will support Pow Wow Pitch as a Community-Level Sponsor and engage its employees as mentors, trusted advisors, and judges for virtual pitch contests and on the ground at pow wows across Canada. In addition, this year, Mitacs will support Pow Wow Pitch Finalists to connect with researchers and Mitacs innovation programs for ongoing support.
Through Pow Wow Pitch, Indigenous vendors, artists and entrepreneurs from Canada and the United States can pitch their businesses and business ideas virtually and live at pow wows and Indigenous festivals for their chance to join the Pow Wow Pitch Accelerator program and win more than $200,000 in cash prizes.
Patrick Hunter’s work ‘Red Rising’ has been selected as the official art for the 2022 Indigenous Entrepreneur Awards, and each of the 2022 Award Winners will receive a framed limited edition signed print of the work with their Award plaque.
Applications and nominations close on June 21, 2022. Winners will be announced and celebrated during a digitally broadcast awards presentation on November 3, 2022. In addition to the title, Winners receive a unique hand-crafted silver pin by Sapling & Flint, and a plaque encased with a limited edition signed print of ‘Red Rising,’ a beautiful art piece created by award-winning Indigenous artist Patrick Hunter.
As a Silver-Level sponsor, ITAC will also support the Pow Wow Creative Pitch to award $50K in grants to commission creative projects showcasing Indigenous-owned tourism businesses.
“I am so excited to be the Host of Pow Wow InstaPitch and showcase my designs as part of Pow Wow Pitch’s Motivation Mondays series,” said Amy Jackson, Founder of Nativelovenotes. “I made some wonderful friends and gained invaluable knowledge about entrepreneurship when I participated in Pow Wow Pitch last year. I hope this partnership will inspire and empower people to take action on their ideas.”
In addition to supporting Pow Wow Pitch as a Silver-Level Sponsor and engaging BDC employees as mentors, trusted advisors, and judges for virtual pitch contests and on the ground at pow wows across Canada, BDC is also supporting Pow Wow Pitch to develop on-demand resources and culturally appropriate mental health supports for early-stage Indigenous entrepreneurs.
“We are proud to partner for a second year with EDC as we scale Pow Wow Pitch internationally while growing the global ambitions of early-stage Indigenous entrepreneurs here in Canada,” said Sunshine Tenasco, the Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “Our shared activities and research will help Indigenous entrepreneurs deepen their community roots while growing their impact globally through the development of the Indigenous economy and Indigenous-to-Indigenous global trade.”
Set to support more than 2,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs in 2022 with mentorship, funding, training, marketing and a safe and trusted community of support, Shopify’s investment is helping Pow Wow Pitch to scale its virtual programs, re-enter communities with on-the-ground support across Canada, and scale its programming to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in the United States and New Zealand.
This year, Jelly Academy will support Pow Wow Pitch as a Silver-Level Sponsor and engage its employees as mentors and judges for Pow Wow Pitch entrepreneurs virtually and on the ground at pow wows across Canada. In addition, this year, Jelly Academy will support Indigenous entrepreneurs to scale sales and marketing activities through a special Ask Me Anything drop-in event focused on digital marketing for growth.
Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, announced a two-year partnership with Mastercard that will provide Indigenous-owned businesses the additional support needed to help them grow.
“It is an honour for us to celebrate and recognize the journeys, achievements and impact of Indigenous entrepreneurs that contribute to our collective entrepreneurial landscape,” said Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “Congratulations to each of the recipients. You demonstrate entrepreneurial confidence, and your work inspires present and future generations to use entrepreneurship as a tool for community impact, cultural preservation, and reclamation. Thank you for your good work, leading with your hearts and for your example.”