Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented with RBC, Shopify, and Mastercard, announced their partnership with Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) and in collaboration with Women in Business New Brunswick (WBNB) to expand the reach of opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs to New Brunswick. 

Hosted by the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow in Eel Ground First Nation, Pow Wow Pitch is able to bring its live Indigenous Business Competitions to New Brunswick for the first time. Set to support more than 2,500 Indigenous entrepreneurs, JEDI and WBNB will also be providing mentorship and judging both in person at the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow in July and through virtual programming in the 2023 Pow Wow Pitch Competition.

The Natoaganeg Traditional Pow Wow Pitch will be Pow Wow Pitch’s first time in New Brunswick and in Atlantic Canada. This milestone is made possible by the teams at JEDI and WBNB, through their collaboration and partnership, Pow Wow Pitch can now reach the Indigenous entrepreneurs of Eel Ground First Nation. Reaching this goal is a mark of accomplishment for Pow Wow Pitch to be able to extend its reach to more communities every year. 

JEDI and WBNB have gone above and beyond to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick by taking part in the planning and organization of the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow. They organized a working group that meets weekly in order to ensure that Pow Wow Pitch is working closely with the Eel Ground First Nation community to bring this opportunity to local Indigenous entrepreneurs. 

WBNB recommended two local judges to select the winners of the first Natoaganeg Pow Wow Pitch, Jolene Johnson, Founder of Wabanki Maple and Jenna White, Founder of Jenna’s Nut-Free Dessertery. Both of these entrepreneurs have growing businesses that attribute to their sense of community and support to being part of Women in Business New Brunswick, the JEDI community, and Pow Wow Pitch. They are shining examples of the ecosystem in action to support Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“The support of an ecosystem is so important for entrepreneurs looking to take action on their ideas,” said Jolene “Organizations like Women in Business New Brunswick, JEDI and Pow Wow Pitch have been so formative to my journey as an entrepreneur, and I am so happy to now be in a position to give back and support the next generation of East Coast entrepreneurs by being a judge at the Natoaganeg Pow Wow Pitch.” 

Natasha Martin-Mitchell, Development Officer for Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs at WBNB, played a key role in organizing with Laura Englehart, Economic Development Manager at JEDI, to unify the two organizations along with Cheryl Ward, Director of Natoaganeg Community Development Centre to be able to bring Pow Wow Pitch East.

“We are so excited to reach this milestone,” said Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “Thanks to JEDI and WBNB we are able to expand our reach to more Indigenous entrepreneurs, especially to a community that has shown us so much support and love. We can’t wait to meet all of the Indigenous entrepreneurs and support them in reaching their goals!” 

The Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI) has been actively working closely with Pow Wow Pitch, WBNB, and the Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) Pow Wow Committee to be able to fully support Pow Wow Pitch’s first event in New Brunswick.

 “Working with the Pow Wow Pitch team has been such an exciting and rewarding experience,” said Laura Englehart, Economic Development Manager at JEDI. “We have been wanting to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick for some time and are ecstatic to see our collaborative efforts become a reality through strengthening our partnerships. We cannot wait to see our New Brunswick Indigenous entrepreneurs shine at the upcoming Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) Pow Wow and where they will grow and the succeed from there!”

Women in Business NB collaborate with JEDI to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick Indigenous Entrepreneurs. Women in Business NB is proud to collaborate with JEDI to bring Pow Wow Pitch to the 2023 Natoaganeg Powwow. 

“There are so many talented entrepreneurs here in NB and we wanted to invite Powwow Pitch to come and celebrate each one of them at this year’s gathering. I want to take this moment to acknowledge all those who are coming forward to share their ideas and hopefully take their venture to the next level with Powwow Pitch’s support,” said Natasha Martin-Mitchell, Development Officer for Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs.

To pre-register your business to pitch at the Natoaganeg Powwow, visit powwowpitch.org/natoaganeg/.

The post Pow Wow Pitch Partners with Joint Economic Development Initiative in Collaboration with Women in Business New Brunswick to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick appeared first on Pow Wow Pitch.

Today, Pow Wow Pitch, North America’s premier pitch competition for emerging Indigenous entrepreneurs, presented in partnership with RBC, Shopify, and Mastercard, announced its new partnership with the Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow to put the spotlight on Indigenous entrepreneurs in New Brunswick.

The 23rd annual Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow takes place at the Pow Wow grounds on Riverview Road East on the Natoaganeg – Eel Ground 1st Nation, overlooking the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, from July 15-16, 2023. This year, Natoaganeg has invited Pow Wow Pitch to host a Pow Wow Pitch Competition to uplift Indigenous entrepreneurs, vendors, creators, and innovators.

Vendors and attendees will have the opportunity to pitch to win cash prizes to take their ideas and businesses to the next level.

To enter, vendors and entrepreneurs can pre-register their business or business idea at powwowpitch.org/natoaganeg. To participate, entrepreneurs will have 1-Minute to Pitch their ideas or businesses live, in front of a panel of judges for a chance to win!

The top 10 pitchers will be paired with mentors before pitching in front of the judges and the Natoaganeg community. Prizes include $5,000 for 1st Place, $2,500 for 2nd Place, $1,000 for 3rd Place, $500 for the Youth Prize and $500 for the Fan Favourite. In addition, the 1st Place Winner will also get a Golden Ticket to the Turtle Island Finale to pitch for the Grand Prize of $25,000. 

Pow Wow Pitch is proudly presented at the Natoaganeg Tradition Pow Wow by Joint Economic Development Initiative – JEDI and Women In Business New Brunswick. Their work in collaboration with Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow Community Organizers are to thank for making Pow Wow Pitch’s presence possible. Together, our mission to bring opportunities to the Indigenous entrepreneurs of New Brunswick is a milestone!

“We are so excited to bring Pow Wow Pitch to New Brunswick for the first time,” said Sunshine Tenasco, Founder of Pow Wow Pitch. “This is the farthest East we will have taken Pow Wow Pitch and can’t wait to meet the community members and to hear their ideas! We also couldn’t be more thankful to be welcomed by the powwow organizers and our presenting partners, JEDI and Women In Business New Brunswick, together, we’re championing Indigenous innovation and resilience.” 

“We are excited to announce the first ever New Brunswick Pow Wow Pitch Competition in partnership with Pow Wow Pitch, Women in Business New Brunswick, and Natoaganeg (Eel Ground First Nation) to increase economic opportunities to the Indigenous entrepreneurs in New Brunswick,” said Stanley Barnaby, CEO of JEDI. “The Indigenous Business Pitch competition will not only give New Brunswick Indigenous entrepreneurs a chance to win cash prizes towards their start-up or existing business, but it gives them the chance to enter the Turtle Island Pow Wow Pitch Competition and get exposure on a national level. Effective partnerships like these with the focus on increasing Indigenous representation within the New Brunswick economy is paving the way to what true economic reconciliation is.”

Women in Business NB collaborate with JEDI to bring Powwow Pitch to New Brunswick Indigenous Entrepreneurs. Women in Business NB is proud to collaborate with JEDI to bring Pow Wow Pitch to the 2023 Natoaganeg Powwow. There are so many talented entrepreneurs here in NB and we wanted to invite Powwow Pitch to come and celebrate each one of them at this year’s gathering. “I want to take this moment to acknowledge all those who are coming forward to share their ideas and hopefully take their venture to the next level with Powwow Pitch’s support,” said Natasha Martin-Mitchell, Development Officer for Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs.

Regardless of whether they make it to the Top 10, all those who audition will still have a chance to advance to the Pow Wow Pitch digital semi-finals and join the Pow Wow Pitch community. All pitchers will get access to a free Indigenous Startup Program, gain access to tools and support, and have the chance to have their products and services featured in the Pow Wow Pitch annual Mailer Box and on the Pow Wow Pitch Marketplace launching later this year for socially-conscious customers looking to ‘Buy Indigenous.’

To learn more and pre-register for Pow Wow Pitch at Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow, visit powwowpitch.org/natoaganeg.

The post Pow Wow Pitch Partners with Natoaganeg Traditional Powwow on July 15th appeared first on Pow Wow Pitch.