On Saturday, May 17, 2025, Pow Wow Pitch, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and empowering Indigenous entrepreneurs, co-presented by RBC and Mastercard, and with local presenting partners Red River College Polytech (RRCP) Mittohnee Pogo’ohtah and North Forge, announced Tannis and Rayel Smoke, Co-Founders of Niña Waṡte Events, from the Dakota Plains Wahpeton Oyate as the 2025 Manito Ahbee Pow Wow Pitch Winner. The First Nations-owned business has won $5,000 for their business and will advance to the 2025 Pow Wow Pitch Grand Finale where they will get the chance to win the grand prize of $25,000.

On Saturday, 28 Indigenous entrepreneurs pitched their businesses live at the Manito Ahbee Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for their chance to win cash prizes to advance their businesses.

Host Sunshine Tenasco, Founder & Chair of Pow Wow Pitch, emceed the action-packed program, where Indigenous entrepreneurs had the opportunity to pitch their business ideas and businesses in one-minute for their chance to win prizes and support to make their dreams a reality.  

Following a first-round open pitch on the morning of Saturday, May 17th, judges Kai Lee, Portfolio Manager at RBC; Jordan Smith, Program Specialist of Indigenous Entrepreneurs at Futurpreneur; Robert Larnyoh, Social Media and Marketing Coordinator at North Forge; and Darion Ducharme, Founder & Owner of Teqare shortlisted the ‘Top 10’ entrepreneurs to advance to round two. 

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Pow Wow Pitch, all participants who pitched at Manito Ahbee this year were automatically entered into a special 10-Year Anniversary Raffle for a chance to win one of 10 laptops and 10 phones. The winners were announced during the Top 10 Finalist reveal and celebrated in partnership with the Manito Ahbee community. All laptops and phones were generously donated by Mastercard in support of Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Those who received a free laptop were: Jessica Clemons of Beading the Red Road, Jessica Lavelle of Trail Creations, Alexei Letendre of Indigenously, Kaitlyn Anderson of Pink Fox Mobile Food Shop, Chantel Henderson of Ceremony Bus, Lindsey Brown of Whirling Rainbow Alchemy, Donavan Robinson of Pop CoLab, Harold Childsforever-Angeconeb of Burning Arrow Archery, April Bell of Collided Creation, and Richard Wuttunee of RYP Mechanical Inc.

Those who received a free phone were: Sonia Stevens of PD Agency, Tannis Smoke of Niña Waṡte Events, Sunday Queskekapow of Kíwétinohk Consulting, Darcie Bonwick of Contain your Excitement, Natasha WhiteBear of Eastern Doorway Lodge, Sherrisse Morriseau of Indigi Queen Designs, Deanne Sutherland of Under the Night Sky Creations, Roseanne Top of Topp Escapes Adventures, Ken Swampy of Winnipeg River Indigenous Shoreline Museum, and Rayel Smoke of Niña Waṡte Events.

The Top 10 were paired up with mentors from  RBC, Futurpreneur, Best Buy Canada, Kejic Productions, Teqare, and Ashley Richard & Associates Inc., to help them polish their presentations before they pitched one last time to judges: Amy Jackson, Director of Mittohnee Pogo’ohtah; Katelyn Lawson, Relationship Manager of Commercial Financial Services of Indigenous Markets at RBC; Noah Wilson, Senior Business Development Manager of Indigenous Entrepreneur Start-up Program at Futurpreneur; Sumeet Singh, Manager at Best Buy Canada; and Paige Lounsbury, Relationship Manager at EDC.

The 1st Place $5,000 Prize Winners were Tanis and Rayel Smoke from Dakota Plains First Nation, Co-Founders of Niña Waṡte Events, a vibrant Indigenous-owned game rental company reimagining the world of board games through an Indigenous lens. By redesigning popular games to center Indigenous people, culture, and language, they’re creating fun and inclusive entertainment—but also powerful tools for cultural education and community connection. Tannis and Rayel shared during their pitch that they plan to use the funds to grow their team, secure dedicated warehouse space, and expand their unique collection of culturally infused games.

“This experience has been amazing,” shared Rayel Smoke. “To any entrepreneurs out there that are thinking about doing Pow Wow Pitch, one thing I’d like to say is networking is key. Always put yourself out there and go to events, let people know who you are, and share your business. It’s all a part of the journey.”

“My experience today has been so beautiful and we have met so many amazing entrepreneurs,” shared Tannis Smoke. “My advice is to never give up. If you have the opportunity to go to events where you can hear fellow entrepreneurs, please go. Seeing our people make it is what gives you that extra push and that’s what happened for us.”

Tannis and Rayel were also selected by Robert Larnyoh to receive the North Forge Prize of a 1-Year Membership to their Fabrication Lab to create new game prototypes and receive mentorship.

The 2nd Place $2,500 Prize Winner was Harold Childsforever-Angeconeb from Lac Seul First Nation, Founder of Burning Arrow Archery, an archery league dedicated to bringing the traditional knowledge of archery back to Indigenous communities by providing workshops, training, and high quality equipment to conduct programming. Harold is a North American Indigenous Games athlete and is a lifelong archery coach with years of experience mentoring youth. Harold shared in his pitch that he would use the funds to sponsor three new Indigenous communities with his programming to facilitate workshop opportunities to Indigenous youth and keep the traditions alive for the next generation.

“Pow Wow Pitch was an awesome experience and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to share my vision and dream with so many like-minded individuals,” shared Harold Childsforever-Angeconeb. “It was so nerve-wracking to speak in the first round but I was so grateful to have the opportunity to clean up my pitch and present my business in the second round. My advice to other Indigenous entrepreneurs out there is to take advantage of all the opportunities and resources that are out there. Do something that you enjoy and be determined!”

The 3rd Place $1,000 Prize Winner was Deeanne Sutherland-First Charger from Woodland Cree First Nation, Founder of Under The Night Sky Creations, a handmade Indigenous design brand that specializes in ribbon skirts, jackets, hoodies, and ribbon apparel making workshops. Deeanne is deeply motivated by the traditional knowledge of ribbon skirt making after the passing of her sister and has become a popular name on the powwow trail due to the beautiful craftsmanship of her skirts. Deeanne shared in her pitch that she plans to continue to pass on her self-taught knowledge through ribbon skirt making workshops and plans to use her funds to acquire sewing machines.

“Winning today has been an honour and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do my Pow Wow Pitch,” shared Deeanne Sutherland-First Charger. “It was completely unexpected but so rewarding. I would encourage anyone to try to put your business out there and just go for it.”

The Fan Favourite $500 Prize Winner was Conroy Provost from Piikani Nation, Founder of Blackfoot Made Productions, a cultural and language revitalization production company. Conroy is an experienced educator and filmmaker and pitched to win funds to invest in a Cree language documentary for Indigenous youth and young adults.

“Doing the Pow Wow Pitch was such a surprise,” shared Conroy Provost. “It was a wonderful experience to get to listen to other creators and business people. It was a wonderful opportunity and I was so grateful to be chosen as this year’s Fan Favourite. I would encourage anyone, even if you don’t have a plan or just an idea, to pull on that thread and see what comes out. You never know what happens if you shoot for the stars.”

“Congratulations to the outstanding winners of this year’s Manito Ahbee Pow Wow Pitch. Your passion and dedication is lighting the path forward for Indigenous entrepreneurship,” said Naomi Sarazin, Executive Director of Pow Wow Pitch. “It’s inspiring to see how each of you are using business as a vehicle for cultural pride, economic empowerment, and community impact. You’ve shown that when we lead with our values and share our stories, we create space for future generations to dream big. Miigwech to all 28 pitchers who showed up Saturday and chose courage over comfort to pitch — your bravery and brilliance made this day unforgettable.”

“Congratulations to Niña Waṡte Events on being named this year’s Pow Wow Pitch winner at the 2025 Manito Ahbee Festival!” said Lisa Meeches, Executive Director of the Manito Ahbee Festival. “As we celebrate 20 years of Indigenous excellence, it’s especially meaningful to honour a business so deeply rooted in family, language, and culture. Niña Waṡte Events is more than an event company; we hear that it’s a love letter to Indigenous creativity, kinship, and the spirit of entrepreneurship that has always existed in our Nations. Tannis and Rayel, you are lighting the path forward with joy, innovation, and Dakota and Ojibwe pride. To all of this year’s pitchers, your courage and vision remind us that our stories, our languages, and our business models are vital to the future. Thank you to Pow Wow Pitch for continuing to elevate Indigenous entrepreneurs and help our communities thrive across Turtle Island. Good luck to everyone in their business endeavours.” 

All those who pitched will be welcomed into the Pow Wow Pitch community and gain access to a free Indigenous Startup Program, have the opportunity to have their products and services be considered to be featured in the annual Pow Wow Pitch Box, and will receive a free .CA domain courtesy of CIRA.

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