On September 9th, Pow Wow Pitch, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Tessa Belanger, the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation Founder of Pass the Sage, a business based in Ottawa, ON, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Creative Semi-Final Winner. Tessa has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 11th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced K’odi, Haida & Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation Founder of First-ory, a business based in Vancouver, BC, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Technology Semi-Final Winner. K’odi has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 10th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Kaleb Montgomery-Reid, the Lower Similkameen Indian Band Founder of Reverence Basketball, a business based in West Kelowna, BC, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Youth Semi-Final Winner. Kaleb has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 10th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Shyanne, Samson Cree Nation First Nation Founder of mîmîNîsak, a business based in Seattle, WA, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Startup Semi-Final Winner. Shyanne has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 8th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Destiny, the Rainy River First Nation Founder of FoodZen, a business based in Cambridge, ON, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Food & Drink Semi-Final Winner. Destiny has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 4th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Kendal Garlow, the Mohawk Co-Founder and CEO of SproutSync, a business based in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Sustainability Semi-Final Winner. Kendal has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 3rd, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Annie Pillaktuaq, the Inuk Founder of Art Den by Annie, a business based in Ottawa, ON, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Consumer Products & Retail Semi-Final Winner. Annie has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow her business.
Cora Kavyaktok, a proud Inuk entrepreneur originally from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, is redefining what business wear can look like through her brand, Inuk Gold. Now based in Vermilion, Alberta, Cora is the founder and creative force behind this emerging clothing line that offers professional business attire featuring subtle Inuit designs created by Inuit artists. More than fashion, Inuk Gold is a platform for cultural celebration and community reinvestment. The brand purchases artwork upfront, shares each artist’s story, and gives five percent of net profits directly to the artist, with another five percent donated to a nonprofit of their choice in their home community. Inuk Gold blends elegance with purpose, making space for Inuit identity in boardrooms across the country.
On September 8th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Victoria Perrie and Sunday Queskekapow, the Métis and Cree Co-Founders of Kíwétinohk Consulting, a business based in Winnipeg, MB, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Professional Services & Trades Semi-Final Winner. Victoria and Sunday have won $1,000 and are advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
T.Jay Henhawk, founder of Ever Deadly and proud member of Six Nations of the Grand River, is carving out space at the intersection of innovation and culture. Based in his home community in Ontario, T.Jay offers creative development services that span large-scale tech solutions and artistic design, including an Indigenous-infused wellness portal he built from the ground up. With each project, Ever Deadly integrates Indigenous culture and sensibilities into the digital world, bridging ancestral knowledge with modern tools. T.Jay’s mission is to Indigenize the future by empowering Indigenous youth and sparking pride through digital cultural expression.
On September 4th, Pow Wow Pitch, an Indigenous-led non-profit organization that hosts a Turtle Island wide Indigenous Business Pitch Competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Mitchell Brant, the Mohawk Co-Owner of Eagle Orthopaedics, a business based in Shannonville, ON, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Health & Wellness Semi-Final Winner. Mitchell has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
On September 3rd, Pow Wow Pitch, presented in partnership with RBC and Mastercard, announced Vanessa Lesperance and Ariana Fotinakis, the Métis and Anishinaabe Co-Founders of Decolonize and Rize, a business based in Salt Spring Island, BC, as the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Knowledge Services Semi-Final Winner. Vanessa and Ariana have won $1,000 and are advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their business.
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.