Set to support more than 2,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs in 2023 with mentorship, funding, training, marketing and a safe and trusted community of support, MNP’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, MNP will support Pow Wow Pitch as a Community-Level Sponsor and engage its employees in supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs with 80 hours of in-kind services to help them advance significant business, strategic and financial planning goals.

“Since launching our partnership with MNP two years ago, we have seen a real impact in the strategic growth and the opening of new opportunities for those who have benefited from MNP pro-bono services,” said Sunshine Tenasco, the Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “As Indigenous-led businesses grow, they need expert support that understands their unique needs and opportunities, and that’s why we are proud to continue  growing our support for our Finalists and Award winning entrepreneurs in partnership with  MNP.”

“We are proud to work alongside Pow Wow Pitch to celebrate the hard work and talent of the Indigenous entrepreneurship community,” says Clayton Norris, Vice-President of Indigenous Services at MNP. “Indigenous entrepreneurs have the power to transform industries — and we are inspired by their ability to weave an uncompromising focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and immersive brand storytelling into exceptional business plans.”

To learn more about the partnership between Pow Wow Pitch and MNP, visit https://www.powwowpitch.org/MNP.

***

About Pow Wow Pitch 

Pow Wow Pitch is an entrepreneurship program for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, which provides a safe, supportive, collaborative, empowering and culturally supportive environment that addresses the unique challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurs and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs. Pow Wow Pitch enhances, develops, and accelerates the growth for current and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs in a sustainable way through programs and resources. In addition, community leadership through volunteerism is promoted to reflect respect and reciprocity as the foundation of the Pow Wow Pitch. For more information, visit https://www.powwowpitch.org/.

About MNP 

MNP is one of the largest national accounting and business consulting firms in Canada, providing client-focused accounting, taxation, and consulting advice. National in scope and local in focus, MNP has proudly served First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities for more than 40 years. With more than 300 dedicated professionals serving this unique client group, MNP has developed a diverse suite of services designed to support our clients’ path to success. 

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Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition and non-profit organization supporting emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, announced a partnership with MNP for its 2022 Pow Wow Pitch Program. 

Set to support more than 2,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs in 2022 with mentorship, funding, training, marketing and a safe and trusted community of support, MNP’s investment is helping Pow Wow Pitch scale its virtual programs and re-enter communities with on-the-ground support across Canada.

This year, MNP will support Pow Wow Pitch as a Community-Level Sponsor and engage its employees as mentors for Pow Wow Pitch entrepreneurs virtually and on the ground at pow wows across Canada. In addition, this year, MNP will support Pow Wow Pitch Finalists with 8-hours of in-kind services each to help them advance significant business, strategic and financial planning goals.

“We are delighted to partner with MNP to support Indigenous entrepreneurs through hands-on projects that can help them get where they want to go faster,” said Sunshine Tenasco, the Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “MNP’s focused and dedicated support of Pow Wow Pitch Finalists will bring an inflection point for their businesses.” 

“We are proud to work alongside Pow Wow Pitch to celebrate Indigenous innovators and business builders,” said Clayton Norris, Vice-President of Indigenous Services at MNP. “Entrepreneurship is one of MNP’s most cherished core values — and, given our firm’s more than 30-year commitment to supporting First Nation, Métis, and Inuit communities, it’s hard to think many partners could be more aligned on a common mission.”

About Pow Wow Pitch 

Pow Wow Pitch is an entrepreneurship program for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, which provides a safe, supportive, collaborative, empowering and culturally supportive environment that addresses the unique challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurs and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs. Pow Wow Pitch enhances, develops and accelerates the growth for current and aspiring Indigenous entrepreneurs in a sustainable way through programs and resources. In addition, community leadership through volunteerism is promoted to reflect respect and reciprocity as the foundation of the Pow Wow Pitch. For more information, visit www.powwowpitch.org/.

About MNP 

MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm to more than 250 Indigenous nations and individuals in Canada. We have invested more time and resources into understanding our Indigenous clients than any other firm. With more than 300 dedicated professionals serving this unique client group, MNP has developed a diverse suite of services designed to support our client’s path to success.

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Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC, Shopify, Meta and Mastercard, announced the opening of its eighth annual Pow Wow Pitch competition to Inuit, Métis and First Nations entrepreneurs across Turtle Island. 

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.

“Pow Wow is a place to meet, dance, sing, honour our culture and trade,” said Pow Wow Pitch Founder, Sunshine Tenasco. “Indigenous people have the ideas to make a difference in their communities, and Pow Wow Pitch is our platform to support one another as a community.”

How it works

Virtual: Between April 6th and June 21st, Indigenous entrepreneurs can submit a 1-minute video business pitch at www.powwowpitch.org/pitch as their entry into the Pow Wow Pitch Competition, or they can sign up and pitch live on Instagram through InstaPitch. Pow Wow Pitch will shortlist the top 80 Indigenous entrepreneurs as semi-finalists to receive mentorship, pitch training and compete in the virtual semi-final broadcasts for their chance to win $60,000 cash prizes and advance to the Grand Finale in October. 

In-Person: Pow Wow Pitch will also be on-site for Indigenous entrepreneurs to pitch live at the Manito Ahbee Festival in Winnipeg on May 21st, the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival in Ottawa on June 25th, and other major Indigenous powwows and festivals across Canada and the United States.  Entrepreneurs can pitch their business or idea for one minute to win cash prizes and advance to the Pow Wow Pitch Grand Finale. 

The Finals: On October 19th, the top entrepreneurs from the virtual and live semi-finals will pitch to a panel of judges at the Grand Finale for the chance to win the top prizes: Alumni Prize ($5,000), People’s Choice Prize ($5,000), 3rd Prize ($5,000), 2nd Prize ($10,000), and 1st Prize ($25,000).  

All entrepreneurs who enter the pitch competition will join the Pow Wow Pitch community, get access to a free Indigenous Startup Program, access more than $1,000 worth of free technology, tools and support, and have the chance to have their products and services featured in the Pow Wow Pitch annual Mailer Box to 2,500 customers and on the Pow Wow Pitch Marketplace launching later this year for socially-conscious customers looking to ‘Buy Indigenous.’

Last year’s Winner, Smudge the Blades, used the competition to grow awareness and forge new collaborations. 

“Winning Pow Wow Pitch helped me get traction with major sports stores and distribution partners across Canada, gain coverage in news articles and Sportsnet, led to awesome collaborations with NHL Teams like the Edmonton Oilers, with new plans to work with the Shopify Build Native Team to revamp our website,” said Harlan Kingfisher, Founder of Smudge the Blades. “Through Pow Wow Pitch, I found friends and feel famous-even. People are recognizing the brand and me, which is helping us grow! It was an incredible experience and an amazing community.”

Powered by Partnerships 

To scale the Indigenous-led pitch competition across Turtle Island, Pow Wow Pitch is working with industry leaders who believe in the power of Indigenous entrepreneurship. RBC, Shopify, Meta and Mastercard have signed on with significant multi-year support as Co-Presenting Sponsors of the initiative to allow Pow Wow Pitch to rise to its ambition to support every Indigenous entrepreneur.

“Shopify aims to bring more voices to entrepreneurship, and Pow Wow Pitch allows Indigenous entrepreneurs from all stages and intersections to share their dreams, beliefs, culture, and expressions of economic self-determination,” says  Kyle St-Amour-Brennan, Indigenous Entrepreneurship Program Manager at Shopify. “Pow Wow Pitch has built one of the greatest Indigenous entrepreneurial showcases anywhere, and we’re privileged and excited to continue our ongoing partnership and shared mission to empower more Native entrepreneurs from communities everywhere.”  

“Indigenous entrepreneurs drive innovation and change in their communities and across Canada,” said Garrick Tiplady, VP and Country Director at Meta in Canada, “We are proud to continue supporting Pow Wow Pitch and their incredible community of entrepreneurs through educational resources and funding.” 

“At Mastercard, we are committed to fostering an inclusive economy that benefits everyone, including the Indigenous community,” said Sasha Krstic, president of Mastercard in Canada. “We recognize that Indigenous entrepreneurs face disproportionate barriers and, in partnership with Pow Wow Pitch, we are proud to address some of their unique barriers and challenges to help amplify the success of Indigenous entrepreneurs across the country.”

For the 2022 Pow Wow Pitch Season, Pow Wow Pitch is also supported by Silver Sponsors BDC, Canada Post, Export Development Canada, Futurpreneur, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Jelly Academy and NACCA, in collaboration with Seed Sponsors Best Buy, CIRA, MITACS, MNP, Sklar Wilton & Associates and the Women Entrepreneurs Knowledge Hub. 

“Entrepreneurship is an important tool supporting reconciliation, and it takes all hands on deck to support Indigenous entrepreneurs,” said Tenasco. “We are proud to continue our relationship with RBC, Shopify and Meta and kick-start our partnership with Mastercard as we build an ecosystem for Indigenous-owned vendors, startups and entrepreneurs.”

To learn more about the 2022 Pow Wow Pitch competition, visit www.powwowpitch.org/pitch/. 

To book an interview with Pow Wow Pitch Founder Sunshine Tenaco, or for more information, please contact hello@powwowpitch.org.

About Pow Wow Pitch 

Pow Wow Pitch is an entrepreneurship program for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, which provides a safe, supportive, collaborative, empowering and culturally supportive environment that addresses the challenges of Indigenous entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. Pow Wow Pitch enhances growth through programs and resources. Community leadership through volunteerism is promoted as a reflection of respect and reciprocity. For more information, visit www.powwowpitch.org.

About RBC Indigenous Financial Services Group

For more than 100 years, RBC has been building relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across Canada. We are committed to serving Indigenous governments, communities, organizations, businesses and individuals by creating opportunities for sustainable economic development through access to banking and capital, and individuals. RBC also provides donations and grants that support Indigenous interests. More information at rbcroyalbank.com/indigenous.

 About Shopify

Shopify is a leading global commerce company, providing trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Proudly founded in Ottawa, Shopify powers over 1.7 million businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Manitobah Mukluks, Cheekbone Beauty, Sisters Sage, Herbraids, Tania Larsson, and many more. For more information, visit www.shopify.com. 

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology.

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

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Today, Pow Wow Pitch, a non-profit organization supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs to start and grow thriving businesses, announced MNP is jumping in as a Collaborating Partner to give Indigenous-owned businesses in the Pow Wow Pitch network a big boost.

MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada, with a long history of supporting Indigenous-own businesses, communities and organizations.

As part of the Partnership, MNP will provide the 2021 Pow Wow Pitch Winner and the Winners of the Indigenous Entrepreneur Awards with in-kind services, including accounting tax, market research, sales support, operational planning and long-term strategic and business planning. 

“Indigenous entrepreneurs are growing high-impact businesses that are creating jobs and impacting our communities,” said Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch and an Annishnebeg entrepreneur and author from the Kitigan Zibi First Nation. “With MNP’s support, we are proud to have the opportunity to provide this year’s Winners with access to world-class expertise to further their impact and success.”

The Winner of Pow Wow Pitch will be announced on October 20th and the Winners of the Awards will be announced during a digital gala on November 4th. 

“Diversity, inclusion, and entrepreneurship are three core values at MNP,” says Clayton Norris, Vice-President of Indigenous Services. “We truly believe a great business idea — and the commitment to make it a reality — can transform a life, a community, and even an entire country. Pow Wow Pitch has demonstrated that for the past eight years, and we couldn’t be more excited to now be part of that story.”

About MNP

MNP is one of the largest national accounting and consulting firms in Canada, providing client-focused accounting, taxation and consulting advice. We have invested more time and resources into understanding Indigenous needs than any other firm. With more than 250 indigenous clients and 300 professionals, MNP has developed a diverse suite of services designed to preserve our clients’ interests and position them for success. For more information visit www.mnp.ca  

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