On September 9th, Pow Wow Pitch, presented in partnership with RBC, Shopify and Mastercard Canada, announced Lisa Vicaire, the Founder of Algonquin Acres, a business based in Timiskaming First Nation, Quebec, as the 2024 Pow Wow Pitch Health & Wellness Semi-Final Winner. Lisa has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Grand Finale for a chance to win $25,000 to grow her business.
On September 8, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC, Shopify, and Mastercard, announced two winners of the Health & Wellness Semi-Final:
Health & Wellness Movement Winner: Alana Cook, the Métis, Founder of Walking Like Warriors from Maple Ridge, British Columbia.
Health & Wellness Services Winner: Dr. Sadie LaRonde, the Temagami First Nation Founder of The Butterfly Effect Chiropractic & Healing from Ottawa, Ontario.
Each winner has won $1,000 and is advancing to the Finals for a chance to win $25,000 to grow their businesses.
Central to Alana’s teaching approach is the integration of traditional practices. “An individual’s health and wellness must maintain the balance between the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual realms,” she says, drawing parallels between the philosophies of Indigenous communities and martial artists.
For budding entrepreneurs, Carissa’s advice is profoundly spiritual and grounded: “You can decolonize your business and do what feels right and is in alignment with your values.” She encourages authenticity, urging entrepreneurs to “stay connected to passion and purpose” and to perceive rejection as guidance from the Creator.
Shelly Perley’s advice to budding Indigenous entrepreneurs is both simple and profound. “Lead from your heart and make sure you enjoy what you do. There will be many roadblocks, but a drive and passion for the work will help push you through. Be yourself and open to trying new things. As long as there is passion for it, there is a will and a way.”
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