Applications are now open for Pow Wow Pitch 2023, and Indigenous entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit their business ideas to compete for more than $200,000 in prize money.
Now in its eighth year, the annual competition is open to Indigenous entrepreneurs and startup companies from across Canada and the U.S.
Participants can submit their idea virtually, via video, or in person at powwows and cultural festivals being held this spring.
Finalists will be invited to give their pitch during a live event on October 19.
More than $200,000 is up for grabs, including a first prize of $25,000, a second prize of $10,000, a third prize of $5,000, a People's Choice prize of $5,000, and an Alumni prize of $5,000.
Participating entrepreneurs will also receive a free .CA domain from CIRCA and a 60-day free trial on Shopify to help establish their online presence.
Pow Wow Pitch was established in 2015 by Sunshine Tenasco, an Indigenous entrepreneur from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, an Algonquin First Nation in Quebec.
She pitched her idea for baby moccasins on the fourth season of the CBC show Dragons’ Den in and has since gone on to launch a successful apparel and accessories business, Her Braids.
“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,” Tenasco said in a news release.
Participants have until June 21 to submit their business pitch virtually.
More information on registration is available here.
